What Is Bilingual Education?

As a parent debating whether or not to enroll your child in a bilingual education program, you possibly already have an idea of what bilingual education is. The Bilingual Education Act begins defining bilingual education as "a program of instruction designed for children of limited English proficiency in elementary or secondary schools," and then continues explaining what these programs should do for their students. Basically, the complete definition states that:

• Bilingual education is an instructional program for students of limited English proficiency.
• In these programs students will study the English language so that they will progress in learning the English language as well as further developing their own native language.
• The ultimate goal of bilingual education programs is for students to effectively progress through the educational system.

Although this definition of bilingual education specifies that these programs are for children with limited English proficiency, the general and more common definition of bilingual education is the use of two language as media of instruction. When thinking about the benefits of bilingual education, this will be what I refer to, rather than solely teaching children English.

Apart from there being two definitions for bilingual education, there are also three or more different types of bilingual education programs. The three most popular and commonly used programs are English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, Transitional programs, and Dual-Immersion programs. Below is a chart with each program and a brief description of what each program entails.

For more information on the different bilingual education programs available, watch this short video.