Persuasive Essay On Bilingual Education

Bilingual education is defined as involving the use of two languages as media of intrusions. The Bilingual Education Act was enacted into law in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of the War on Poverty. This act was the first piece of the United States federal legislation that recognized the needs of Limited English Speaking Ability students. The policy expressed U.S. commitment to the needs of the growing number of children in the public schools whose first language was not English. The issue of bilingual education is a much debated topic in this country. Being bilingual is something that will definitely pay off, especially with learning Spanish.

The Spanish-speaking population has grown a great amount in these past decades. “With more than 37 million speakers, Spanish by far is the most spoken non-English language in the US today among people ages five and older. It is also one of the fastest-growing, with the number of speakers up 233% since 1980, when there were 11 million Spanish speakers” (Lopez). With the population of Spanish speakers increasing, we will have more Spanish speaking students in our schools from kindergarten to twelve grade, instead of making them assimilate into American customs, why not teach native English speakers to communicate with them.

According to a 2011 paper by U.S. Census Bureau

Learning a second language provides valuable access to positive interactions with other races, which leads to personal growth and quick development of other important social skills. Not to mention that studies show it is easier for children to learn a new language easier while they are young, so why not start bilingual education in