Is bilingual education in American schools good, bad, or both? Who is right in this national debate? Both sides make impressive arguments to defend their views on the issue. Even the government has mixed problems when it comes to bilingual education. However, the government has expressed its views in its budgets and laws. Another question that arises with bilingual education is: should America make English its official language? Some say this is unnecessary, and yet in 1996, 22 states declared English their official language. Examining some of these questions can give some insight into the nature of the problem. With the bilingual education debate, Kenneth Jost covers some of the history of education in his article “Bilingual Education vs. English immersion”. For over one hundred and fifty years, America maintained either segregated schools or educated immigrants through immersion in the English system. Even “African slaves, with limited or no formal schooling, learned English through their work. . . .” (Jost 13). Just as Chinese workers learned English, hundreds of thousands of immigrants around the world also learned English. When I was little, I remember my grandmother telling stories about starting school. His father was from Norway and did not speak much, if any, English. Norwegian was spoken at home. When children went to school, they learned English, then came home and taught their parents. I remember her talking about how she would sneak into her older brother or sister's book written in Norwegian to help her study, since her class was learning to use only English. Unless the community has a school in the immigrants' native language they learned English...... middle of paper ...... Promoting bilingualism in school systems at a younger age is a good thing, but the final decision should exist with the parents. Works Cited Dillon, Naomi. “LANGUAGE TEST. (cover story). Journal of the American Board of Education 192.8 (2005): 10. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Internet. February 18, 2001. Donegan, Craig. “Debate on bilingualism.” QC Researcher. January 19, 1996. 6, 49-72. Internet. February 17, 2011. Jost, Kenneth. “Bilingual Education vs. English Immersion.” QC Researcher. December 11, 2009. 19, 1029-1052. Internet. February 17, 2011Lynn, Neary. “Profile: Debate over how best to connect Latino students with English to broader issues of politics and culture.” All Things Considered (NPR) (nd): Newspaper source. EBSCO. Internet. February 18, 2011. “Should all students be bilingual. » NEA Today 20.8 (2008): MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Internet. February 18. 2011.