Speaking in Two Worlds Getting a good education means being taught the skills that are needed to find

success after graduation. A good education would never mean losing valuable skills. Unfortunately, thats what can happen to many immigrant students. They often lose their native language while they learn English. In an age in which knowing two languages is so valued, bilingual education is more important than ever. Bilingual education benefits English learners and mainstream students. Bilingual education has three main goals: to teach English learners new academic skills, to help them keep and improve their native language skills, and to ensure that they become proficient in English. This process can take anywhere from one to six years and can be carried out in many different ways. For example, English learners can be taught in their native language while they take English-as-a-second-language classes. Then they move into sheltered classes where translation is used as needed. Once English learners become proficient in English, they are taught in mainstream English classes. It is important not to do this too quickly or else they could lose their native language. According to a study by the United States Department of Education, students perform better in the long run when they are fluent in both their native language and English. All students should be given a fair opportunity to learn no matter what their background. The National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) explains that alternatives like English-only classes or sink-or-swim methods are unfair. Immigrant students are often held back a grade or more-not because they arent smart enough, but because they cant learn new academic skills and English at the same time. Students can become overwhelmed and drop out of school. This can easily have a negative impact on their whole lives and society.

Mainstream students in this country also can benefit from bilingual education. They have the opportunity to participate in sheltered classes with English learners to learn a second language. In todays global market, bilingual ability is highly valued. According to the article Education, The United States falls far behind other nations in terms of training students to be bilingual. This is partly because many immigrants feel pressure to learn English at the price of losing their native language. Why not use the great foreign language resource that immigrants bring to this nation at no charge? Some people are concerned that bilingual education is a threat to English and this countrys traditions. This is obviously not the case, since the ultimate goal is to teach English learners in mainstream English classes. James Crawford, author of Hold Your Tongue, writes that bilingualism is as American as apple pie-and has been ever since this nations beginnings. After all, members of the Continental Congress rejected John Adams proposal to make English the national language because they felt it threatened democracy and freedom. They realized that what brought the people of this nation together was not race, culture, religion, or language, but a shared desire to live in a land of liberty and equality. Another argument against bilingual education is that it sends the wrong message to immigrants. The claim is that immigrants will think they dont need to learn English. However, the American Civil Liberties Union cites a study in which 98% of Latinos surveyed said they felt it is essential that their children learn to read and write English perfectly (qtd. in Bilingual Education). Bilingual education provides the English education that immigrants want. At the same time, it validates their native language and gives them a sense of pride in their heritage. The United States welcomes immigrants with the promise of opportunity, equality,

freedom, and a better life. Bilingual education is the best way to fulfill that promise for immigrant students. It validates and celebrates the newcomers cultures while teaching them the skills theyll need to be successful in this country. At the same time, mainstream students in this country have the chance to attain highly valued bilingual skills, right from the source. Bilingual education teaches newcomers not only English but also the language of freedom and equality for all. Thats a language everyone can understand.

Works cited

Akhtar, Sheraz. "Investigating The Need To Embrace Native English Speaking Culture To Enhance The ESL Experience As Expressed By Pakistani Learners." Language In India 14.4 (2014): 526-544. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web.15 Apr. 2014. "Bilingual Education." NABE Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Clemmitt, Marcia. "School Reform." CQ Researcher 29 Apr. 2011: 385-408. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. Crawford, James. Hold Your Tongue: Bilingualism and the Politics of English Only. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1992. Print. "Education." CQ Researcher 15 June 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Jost, Kenneth. "Revising No Child Left Behind." CQ Researcher 14 Apr. 2010: 337-60. Web. 16

Apr. 2014.