The Need for Bilingual Education: Estimates from the 1980 Census

Abstract

Applying findings from the 1978 Children’s English and Services Study to the 1980 Census, the author estimates that a minimum of 3.4 million children, and possibly many more, are limited in the English language skills needed to succeed in schools designed for English-speaking majority children. This number contrasts with the estimated 653,000 children who speak non-English languages at home and who were reported not to speak English well or not to speak it at all in the Census. It includes at least 2 million other children who speak non-English languages at home who lack proficiency in one or more of the school-related English language skills, including reading and writing. It includes a minimum of half a million children who speak English in language minority homes but also lack sufficient English proficiency to succeed in school. The author emphasizes the necessity to understand the differences in the estimates in order to appreciate the extent of need for special programs and to assure that all language minority children receive an equal educational opportunity.

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