Other critics continue to deny that such empirical support exists. Yet these conclusions owe more to the manipulation of program labels than to student performance in the classroom. That is, in programs that stressed native-language skills, students' growth in English reading and mathematics continued to increase long after it had leveled off among their peers in the other programs. While this study has been praised by many, others have rejected the comparison as invalid because all three programs were not tested in the same school districts. Well-developed skills in the native language are associated with high levels of academic achievement.
Bilingualism is a valuable skill, for individuals and for the country.
Bilingual education was adopted by many local school districts in the 1960s and 1970s to remedy practices that had denied language minorities an equal educational opportunity. Yet it was hardly a new invention designed to replace the Melting Pot with the Salad Bowl or some other model of ethnic pluralism. There is a long bilingual tradition in the U.S.A., in which minority-language schooling has played a central, albeit largely forgotten, role. For a response to some common canards see Diane Ravitch on bilingual education. References August, Diane, and Hakuta, Kenji, eds.