For example, both native Spanish and native English speakers might participate in a English-Spanish bilingual education program. In practice, an LEP, bilingual education student in the U.S. receives part of their instruction in English and part in another language. A significant portion of their day is devoted to English as a Second Language instruction, in which the student receives intensive assistance in learning English. Instruction all in English often focuses on teaching students a new language, not on teaching academic concepts of math and sciences. Instruction all in English, then, can often leave LEP students farther and farther behind their native English speaking peers who spend all day learning content and don't have to learn a new language before understanding their academic material.
Bilingual education has other benefits.
Bilingual education programs can produce fully bilingual students, capable of communicating in English and another language. Bilingual education programs can produce students with superior problem solving skills. Challenged by looking at the world through two languages, many bilingual education students are able to consider problems from two or more perspectives, also a valuable skill in today's job market. Overwhelmed by the rapid growth of LEP students, school districts have had great difficulty trying to devise local responses to national and international trends. The federal government bilingual education program builds local capacity and promotes innovation.