If native-language instruction is used to make lessons meaningful, they will learn more English and more subject matter, too. Children learning English are retained too long in bilingual classrooms, at the expense of English acquisition. Time spent learning in well designed bilingual programs is learning time well spent. Research over the past two decades has determined that, despite appearances, it takes children a long time to attain full proficiency in a second language. Bilingual education programs that emphasize a gradual transition to English and offer native-language instruction in declining amounts over time, provide continuity in children s cognitive growth and lay a foundation for academic success in the second language.
School districts provide bilingual instruction in scores of native languages.
Where children speak a number of different languages, rarely are there sufficient numbers of each language group to make bilingual instruction practical for everyone. In any case, the shortage of qualified teachers usually makes it impossible. Before 1994, the vast majority of U.S. bilingual education programs were designed to encourage an early exit to mainstream English language classrooms, while only a tiny fraction of programs were designed to maintain the native tongues of students. Today, a majority of bilingual programs continue to deliver a substantial portion of the curriculum in English. Bilingual education is far more costly than English language instruction.