The Kringlesphere

A more clear concern against bilingual education

I guess I am firing up the rally cry against bilingual education in our public schools again. I can’t help but feel that it is something that is not only growing out of control, but may well be hindering education in many students. I guess the timeliness of my posts do coincide with the immigration issues in current events, but that is not my reason in writing. While I would like English to be the official language, it is not the sole impetus to my thoughts.

Racine Unified School District (RUSD) has implemented bilingual programs for years. These programs are growing at a rate that I would consider frightening. RUSD is utilizing these programs as the result of a mandate from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). In a sense, the DPI is sticking it to the urban school districts that have enough funding issues of their own. I doubt schools in Spooner, or Crivitz have to worry about funding bilingual programs.

Pedagogically speaking, I am an RUSD teacher, I do not see any benefit from teaching children in a foreign language. Proponents of these programs will say that they can learn the same concepts more quickly. At the same, they are not learning English as quickly and cannot demonstrate comprehension to the general public. This would hinder transition into American society. It is hardly a benefit.

As a parent of future public school students, I feel that my kids will be left behind unless we can get some initials thrown into their files. My kids are not in need of exceptional education or bilingual services, as a result, I feel the DPI doesn'’t much care about their progress. Reversing one facet of this problem might help the traditional education students who can also learn without the additional dollars.

What exacerbates my feelings on this issue is that not all states fund/implement bilingual education. Four states have even gone to the point of outlawing it, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, and Colorado. Two of those states have huge immigrant populations, yet they want children to learn English through immersion instead of delaying it with bilingual education. This is not even an issue that is divided by the sides of the political aisle (2 red states, 2 blue states).

If you have read this post and have feelings in anyway similar to me, write your legislators at the state and federal levels to have them limit/reduce bilingual education. It is truly for all the children.

posted by Free Thinker @ 4:21 PM