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Bilingual Education Programs

Bilingual education programs are all programs set up to provide support to non-English-speaking children. In most public debates, the main focus is on bilingual education programs that are designed to teach immigrant children education academic subjects in their native languages. English is gradually introduced into the classroom. Basically, the underlying idea is to allow immigrant children to keep up with studies in other academic subjects while they work on their English skills. Furthermore, providing bilingual education programs is also a way for schools to show their support of traditional values of the immigrant students' native culture. Therefore, in this motivating and protective environment, the advocates of bilingual education programs seek to maximize the chances of academic success for these immigrant children by easing the transition from one culture to another (Rothstein, 1998, p. 672).

The research of Jim Cummins, a bilingual-education theorist and a professor of education at the University of Toronto, provides the scientific perspective underlying bilingual education programs. According to Cummins, a strong command of the native language is a solid foundation for the acquisition of a second language (Porter, 1998, p. 28).

This premise has been realized for individuals like Roberto Feliz, a Boston-area anesthesiologist, who had benefited from bilingual education. During a 1993 congressional hearing, he recounted how bilingual education enabled him to revive his interest in school. Without the bilingual education programs, Feliz, a bright student from Santo Domingo, was transformed into a "stupid" student because he was struggling with English in the classroom. Enrolled in a bilingual education program, Feliz made a smooth transition into a regular classroom after five years in the bilingual education program (Chavez & Lyons, 1996, p. 25).

In contrast to the nightmarish experiences of parents in other biling...

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Bilingual Education Programs. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 00:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1687685.html