But the image they created of the past, she writes, matters in the present because it sets up expectations about what new immigrants can and should do. Expectations about how quickly immigrant children should learn English provide much of the kindling for the current dispute over bilingual education and English immersion. The debate has heated up to the point that California and Arizona voters have banned bilingual instruction in public schools. A similar ban may be proposed this year on New York City's ballot. In bilingual programs, children study academic subjects in their native language while taking classes in English as a second language.
Critics say that they get stuck in the programs for years and never learn English.
Some critics of bilingual education, mostly conservatives, claim its real purpose is to sustain the separate cultural identities of immigrant groups and to provide jobs for what they claim has become a self-perpetuating industry. The programs are much more extended than is useful. They're supposed to be for three years, but the kids are held much longer. My ideal solution would be a one-year immersion program in English. Others deny that bilingual education depends on the special interests of an ethnic group or professionals.