Ten Common Fallacies About Bilingual Education

English Is Losing Ground in the U.S.

• Although a larger number of languages are spoken in the U.S. than ever before, English is in no danger of being overtaken by other languages. Ninety-seven percent of U.S. residents speak English, and 64 percent of Hispanic households in the U.S. consider themselves equally comfortable with English and Spanish. (See Reference 2.)

Newcomers to the U.S. Aren't Learning English as Quickly as Before

• Crawford argues that today's immigrants seem to be learning English faster than before. He notes that 70 percent of children of Hispanic immigrant parents become English-dominant or even monolingual in English. (See Reference 1.)

Total Immersion Is the Fastest Way to Learn a Language

• No scientific evidence exists to support total immersion over other educational strategies for teaching English. Anecdotal evidence that immigrants in earlier times all had to learn English without any special teaching or support discounts the fact that many immigrants actually failed to do so and ended up either working in jobs where English wasn't needed or returning to their countries of origin. (See References 1 and 2.)

Children Are Kept in Bilingual Classrooms Too Long

• Eighty percent of kindergarten students in a well-run bilingual education program gain enough proficiency in English to transfer to mainstream classes by fourth grade. (See Reference 2.)

School Districts Offer Bilingual Classes in Multiple Languages

• While dozens of languages are spoken in some school districts, schools have neither the materials nor qualified teachers to offer bilingual education in all of them. A majority of bilingual programs are in Spanish. (See Reference 1.)

Bilingual Education Means Education in Students' Native Tongues

• While bilingual education strives to develop skills in students' native languages, developing proficiency in English is of paramount importance. English is introduced in the first days of bilingual kindergarten, and by second grade half the teaching is conducted in English. (See References 1 and 2.)

Bilingual Education is Costlier Than English-Only Education

• A study done for the California State Legislature showed that bilingual programs are less costly than a common alternative -- supplementary courses in English as a second language. While trained bilingual education teachers teach both standard materials and English as a second language, the supplementary courses require separate teachers, and thus additional expense. (See Reference 1.)

Hispanic Dropout Rates Are High Because of Bilingual Education

• Only 15 percent of Spanish-speaking children participate in bilingual education classes, and no credible studies have shown a link between dropout rates and bilingual education. High dropout rates in the community are due to other factors, such as poverty and lack of English proficiency. (See References 1 and 2.)

No Conclusive Evidence Exists for the Effectiveness of Bilingual Education

• Student test scores from the 2006 California English Language Development Test show that students with limited English proficiency in bilingual education programs acquire English as quickly as, or more quickly than, their counterparts in English immersion classes. (See Reference 2.)

Immigrant Parents Do Not Support Bilingual Education

• While immigrant parents overwhelmingly recognize and support the need for children to be taught English, they also support the goals of bilingual education once they are informed that class work in their native language would supplement and support, and not replace, training in English. (See Reference 1.)