Multilingual Education at Times of Political Change

I have been biding my time to respond to the new declaration of English as the official language of the United States to really understand the ramifications for those of us who believe in multilingual programming, regardless of our political inclinations. Then, came the elimination of the Office of English Language Acquisition, and now the executive order… 

I realized that I had better write my response before the next action. And my response is that we need to keep remembering that multilingualism benefits all our students, and now more than ever, we need to make sure that our community members and colleagues, no matter their party, know it.

First and foremost, having an official language of English suggests that all students should learn English and that we should support students who speak languages other than English in learning English. This is certainly not a change. Even without English being the “official language,” it has been the language of business throughout the United States since 1776. Therefore, whether through Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE), through Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE), or through English as a Second Language (ESL), we have always worked at providing students appropriate educational avenues to learn English – especially since Lau v Nichols outlined our moral and legal responsibility to students learning English. And the research is clear –  DLBE is the best avenue for this work. This is not new.

That said, having an official language also does not preclude the learning of second, third, and fourth languages. For example, Mexico currently has 69 official languages, and 68 of these languages are indigenous languages.The 69th is Spanish. Schooling typically takes place in Spanish with many students learning indigenous languages as well; however, many students also learn languages such as English, French, and German in addition to Spanish. Hence, in countries that have them, official languages never prevent students from learning more than the official language(s). 

Learning languages in addition to English will continue to be favorable for our students whether students learn (as their Language Other Than English (LOTE)) their home languages, their heritage languages from generations past, or additional world languages.  For instance, students from all backgrounds will continue to reap economic benefits as adults if they are able to work with companies abroad due to their linguistic prowess.

Furthermore, the use of multiple languages, whatever they may be, has cognitive benefits, demonstrated by greater resilience to brain injuries such as traumatic brain injury and strokes. Additionally, multilingualism has been associated with a slower manifestation of symptoms in the face of cognitive decline due to aging. For instance, countries with greater percentages of their population actively speaking multiple languages have found lower rates of Alzheimers and other cognitive diseases. Cognitive benefits are based on not just knowing multiple languages but consistently using them exclusive of other languages that they know. Someone who speaks Spanish and English, for example, reaps benefits when they speak exclusively in Spanish and then, exclusively in English because of the active suppression of the other language. This active suppression functions as exercise for the brain that creates a protection against future illnesses.

So, have no doubt that multilingual programs that teach English and other world languages continue to have a place in our education system. However, the idea of an official language may be confusing for some. It is imperative that we educate our colleagues and our communities why we need to support our emergent bilingual students and why we need to promote multilingualism. Continue to have professional development and community forums to explain what our programs do and how they benefit our students as we all rededicate ourselves to giving our students the best education we possibly can – a multilingual one.

Feel free to reach out to me if you would like support in this work.

Author: Aradhana Mudambi

Dr. Aradhana Mudambi is the founder and Chief Advocate for Students at Language and Equity Education Solutions LLC, a consulting firm that supports schools and school districts to build and improve their multilingual programming, especially their Dual Language Education programs. Through Language and Equity, she provides professional development, consulting, and coaching. For the past few years, Dr. Mudambi has run her popular blog, Social Justice and Education. She has taught several courses such as Intercultural Communications, TESOL Methods, and Assessments for Bilingual Students at Eastern Connecticut State University. Furthermore, she serves as the Director of Multilingual Education at Framingham Public Schools in Massachusetts where she oversees Dual Language programs in Spanish and Portuguese. Additionally, she worked as the Director of Bilingual Education at Windham Public Schools, not only overseeing and restructuring Windham’s Two-Way Dual Language program, Compañeros, but also founding and building Dos Ríos, New England’s first One-Way Dual Language program. Dr. Mudambi has served as a building leader, a Dual Language teacher, an ESOL teacher, and a Spanish teacher. She has worked in India, Mexico, France, England, and The United States. You can reach Dr. Mudambi at arm977@mail.harvard.edu.