ABSTRACT
In the mid-2010s, several states rescinded their bans of bilingual education. The bans were repealed because supporters of bilingual education convinced Anglo English-speakers that fluency in two languages was academically and economically advantageous for all students. Chapter Six asks if the growth of dual language programs is evidence of a more pluralistic and inclusive American public culture and national identity. To answer that question, the chapter looks at the consequences of dual language education being promoted and structured through the appeal of “language as a resource.” It also looks at the consequences of the language ideologies shaping policies and practices in dual language programs.
The chapter argues that how dual language education was represented to gain political support, how it is organized and implemented, and how it is pedagogically practiced do little to reorder hierarchies of language or speakers. Nor are dual language programs evidence of shifts in American public culture or national identity. DLE’s adoption was secured by proffering benefits for Anglo, middle-class families and employers. Its growth has been spurred and shaped by school choice policies. And its pedagogies and practices conform to the Monoglot Standard ideology, albeit in service of dual monolingualism.
