The United States is considered a multilingual country but it
has never employed an official language policy. Even though
English is clearly the dominant language, a variety of indigenous
and immigrant languages are also spoken. The framers of the
Constitution purposefully decided not to select an official language
because of present linguistic diversity; however, due to the German
31
community"s active involvement in the Revolution, the Continental
Congress published many documents in German to facilitate
communication. Ultimately, the official language was never
32
specified in the U. S. Constitution.
Proponents of bilingual education felt that poor academic
achievement in certain students was attributed in part to insufficient
33
English instruction. They believed that because language-minority
34
students were taught some subjects in their native tongue, then
these students could potentially learn English by sacrificing the
35
content. Critics of bilingual education argue that this approach of
instruction facilitates native language dependency and ultimately
deters their progress in English language acquisition. Bilingual
advocates counter this argument in stating that bilingual instruction
looks at deeper issues of cultural difference and prevents the sort of
alienation often empowering in "English only" mandates.
36
The issue of bilingual education is both complicated and
controversial. The range of programs, as well as the different
meanings in different states, complicate the debate. The debate
37
continues and all sides offer research and studies that are
38
diametrically opposed to one another. In 1998, California voters
overwhelmingly approved Proposition 227, an initiative that
basically in attempts to eliminate bilingual education from its public
39
schools. The state of Arizona has mustered a different sentiment and
40
Mayor Giuliani of New York City has established a task force to
investigate bilingual programs and the possibility of English
immersion programs.