practically ubiquitous. Now imagine trying to learn in an American school using a foreign language and being expected to move into the mainstream with the other

children. For most English-proficient people, this scenario may be hard to visualize. However, this is an all too common situation for many children whose families immigrate to the United States.

There have been several debates over the best way to educate

limited-English-proficient (LEP) children. One side of the debate argues that an initial bilingual education, one that is taught partially in the student's native tongue, is the most effective method. The other side of the debate contends that immersion- the complete immersion of the student in the Eng

Opponents of bilingual education have long argued that the goal of the

A second argument held by opponents of bilingual education states that LEP students, when placed in a bilingual education program, tend to languish in the program instead of becoming proficient in the English language. One mother from the Dominican Republic had her daughter placed in an English-as-a-second- language (ESL) program where all instruction is in English because she did not want her daughter to have Spanish as a crutch in high school. Other critics point out that bilingual education keeps students in a cycle of native language dependency that ultimately inhibits significant progress in Englishlanguage acquisition. On the other hand, supporters of bilingual education counter

that a bilingual education act

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dominican Republic, , English English, bilingual education, literacy skills, critics bilingual education, opponents bilingual education, stronger literacy skills, goal schools, move mainstream, students learn, english language, critics bilingual, stronger literacy, opponents bilingual, proficient english,
Approximate Word count = 536
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)