Policymakers and academics continue to debate whether bilingual education should be primarily a vehicle for teaching students English or whether it should provide an ongoing link to their native language and culture. However, in most school districts enrolling large numbers of immigrant students, the logic of necessity overwhelms either side of that debate. In general, school systems offer at least some bilingual education to new immigrant students whenever possible. But the needs of students who speak no English are so great and the instructional resources so scarce that few districts are able to offer any native-language instruction to those who are even moderately competent in English. Despite the unique needs of immigrant students, however, many of the service gaps they experience also adversely affect U.S.-born students.
Immigrant students have unmet educational needs that are unique to their newcomer status.
But the best way to help immigrant students is to strengthen the school systems that serve them, not to create new categorical programs that single out immigrants for special benefits. The quality of immigrant education depends on the fundamental strength and competence of big-city school systems. The financial and educational weaknesses of those school systems impede any effort to improve schooling for immigrant children. Certainly, strategies need to be promoted that are specific to improving the educational outcomes of immigrant students. However, the most effective way to improve schooling for immigrant students is to enhance the overall capacity of urban school systems.