ABSTRACT
While the political and ideological debate over language choice for instruction rages, the number of bilingual students in the United States steadily increases. Bilingual programs only serve a small percentage of bilingual students.1 Many more attend ESL classes, and great numbers of bilinguals are enrolled in mainstream classes (Escamilla, 1994b; NCES Fast Facts, 2003). Some students experience success in school, but many do not (Trueba, 1987). A report released by Advocates for Children of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition (2002), examining graduation rates in New York City high schools, indicated that increasing numbers of English language learners are dropping out of high school. Educators, linguists, and social scientists have over the years offered explanations and possible solutions. Blame has been attributed to the students themselves, their homes, schools, or even society. At first students who failed were labeled alingual or nonspeakers because they lacked fluency in English. Later studies attributed failure to the mismatch between the children’s language at home and English as the predominant language of instruction (Cárdenas & Cárdenas, 1972). By the late 1960s, introduction of the home language in school was considered the solution, giving rise to bilingual programs (Andersson & Boyer, 1970).
