by Heinz Sladek

Created on: July 23, 2008

Bilingual education has been a highly charged and a well-debated issue with the educational system of the United States of America. There are a variety of types of bilingual education programs. The most common of them are traditional bilingual programs, dual language programs, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.

A bilingual program traditionally consists of a focus on the student's first language (L1) while transitioning the student into English (L2). The teacher must be fluent in both English and the student's L1. The target of the program is for the LEP student to become proficient in English, while continuing to build fluency in his or her first language. In due course, the LEP student must become fluent in English, in order to be successful in the mainstream English-only classroom. Instruction in the lower grade levels tend to be typically in the student's first language while a predetermined percentage of the day is spent in English instruction. Progressively, as the student becomes more fluent in English, it is spoken more frequently and less focus is placed on the student's first language.

On the other hand, a 50/50 dual language program model consists of a classroom where one half of the students have a common primary language and one half of the students are fluent in English. In this type of program, academic instruction is delivered to students in either the primary language or English on either alternating days or subject specific. The students take on the role of peer tutors to their classmates who speak a different language. In this program, the lessons could either be taught by one teacher, who is fluent in both languages or by a co-teacher, one who speaks fluent English and the other who speaks the alternative language of the classroom. The idea is for students to become fluent in both languages. The English speaking students will become fluent in the alternate language of the classroom and the LEP students will become equally as fluent in English.

In an ESL program, students are placed in an English-only classroom where the teacher is certified to work with students who are limited in English. The student's L1 is not spoken in the classroom and, often, the teacher is not fluent in the student's L1. This type of program tends to have the goal of quick transition to English for the LEP students, and can has the advantage of being able to provide instruction for many students from various primary languages within the same classroom.

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