Bilingual Education

Bilingual education is an umbrella term that encompasses many different models of education, defined in terms of the use of language in the classroom, [Page 242]the language history of the students, and the language goals. It generally refers to education in which two languages are used as the medium of instruction for school subjects. However, programs that teach through only one language are sometimes referred to as bilingual education because of the language history of the students or the educational goals for the students.

In some parts of the world, bilingual education is the normal everyday experience. In India and Singapore, for instance, education has the goal of bilingualism or even trilingualism. In other areas of the world, such as the United States, bilingual education is ...