Pros and Cons

The advantages of bilingual education are many and include preservation of native language and culture. Instead of trying to "Americanize" students, bilingual classes allow them to both develop their skills in their home language, and learn about their culture outside of the home. In a world where the importance of non-English languages is on the rise, the multi-lingual skills fostered in such classes can give students advantages later in life. The instruction that students receive in their home language allows them to develop basic language skills that can quicken their adjustment to others, like English. Bilingual education is also endorsed by many professional educators and linguists and supported by their research. Most opposition is found among parents and others who have no experience in instructing English Learners. The fact that bilingual education sometimes works better than English immersion is enough to justify protecting it from total annihilation. Given protection to continue, experimentation may yield customized options that best fit the needs of a given school system.
The cons of bilingual education vary from articles to article but mostly focus on the higher test scores found in some districts where English Immersion is used. The results of Oceanside County in California are often cited. More recent results of the county have become contested. There is frequent mention of the need for parents to be able to choose for their children. Studies utilized by the Con side suggest that many parents of English Learners do not support bilingual education. There are also claims that bilingual education forcibly separates students from the main body, and leads to their discrimination. No data has been provided to support or develop the extent of segregation. Many of these Cons have been formed based on dated styles of bilingual education, different styles have emerged which have lessened the effects, I have not encountered Con responses to them.