The proposed plan, coalition members said, would harm children by harming the bilingual program. Last fall, the U.S. Education Department's office of civil rights further complicated the picture in Denver by declaring that the city's bilingual education program violated civil rights laws because its classes weren't as challenging as classes for general education students. Research into bilingual programs presents its own problems. Moreover, there is considerable variation among the pedagogies, schools, students, and communities being compared. 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.
The debate goes on, with reason and emotion playing key roles. Some observers suggest that parents and educators don't yet have the information they need to make a good decision about bilingual programs. A 1997 press release from a committee of the National Research Council states that political debates over how children with limited English skills should be taught actually hamper research and evaluation of programs designed to meet the needs of these children. The committee said using research to determine whether English-only or bilingual instruction is better doesn't work. Instead of selecting one instructional method for all students with limited English skills, the committee recommended that research focus on identifying a variety of educational approaches that work for children in their communities, based on local needs and available resources.