A question that comes up again and again is who can be in Dual Language Bilingual Education courses?  Is the program just wrong for certain students?  Oftentimes, we question students’ belonging in Dual Language Bilingual Education programming if they are identified as having a learning disability.  Sometimes when students are third language learners, we tend to wonder if the program is right for them.  Sometimes, we wonder if the program is the right program if the student is having behavioral issues in the class.  Is it the language?

But let’s think about how we would help our students in monolingual classrooms… Would we ever suggest that that student who is identified as having special needs should not receive math education, or would we suggest that we provide the appropriate interventions?  Would we suggest that the student in all English classes who is learning two different languages at home simply not take classes in English, or would we provide them the resources to learn the language?  And the student who is still unskilled with behavior… would we refuse to allow him to take science, or would we provide the appropriate support for him to be successful?

The reality is that all students can do well in Dual Language Bilingual Education programs.  Studies have shown that when students with disabilities are compared to their like peers (or peers with the same disability) and given the support determined by their Individualized Education Plans, they actually do better in Dual Language Bilingual Education programs than in monolingual English classrooms.  Similarly, third language learners do better in Dual Language Bilingual Education programs than in monolingual classes.  And students with behavioral issues need to be supported the same way you would support any other child in a similar situation (Thomas & Collier, 2019).

All students can learn multiple languages!  This is an  important concept that seems to elude our monolingual society.  But there are many countries where this axiom is not even questioned.  

Let’s look at some European countries.  In Sweden, 97% of the population speaks more than one language.  In Latvia, Lithuania, and Denmark, 96% of the population is bilingual.  In Switzerland, more than 90% of the population is bilingual as in Norway, Finland, and Estonia.  And over 70% of the population is bilingual in the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Belgium, Slovakia. The European country with the least percentage of bilingual individuals is the United Kingdom with only 35% of people being bilingual.  Let’s compare that to the United States where only 20% of the adult population is bilingual.

Considering the cultural, cognitive, and economic benefits of being bilingual and the large number of students who are walking into our classrooms with the benefit of already speaking another language, we need to increase opportunities to become bilingual through our Dual Language and World Language programs, not exclude students from them.  
If you are looking to expand your language services whether through starting a Dual Language program, moving your Dual Language program into the secondary level, improving your program, or expanding your World Language programming and would like support, please reach out to me through Language & Equity at arm977@mail.harvard.edu or call at 786-390-2100. I’m here to support you.