Bilingualism/Biculturalism in American Education: An Adventure in Wonderland

Bilingual education has been in practice in this country since colonial days, but the movement has always been embroiled in controversy. Is it pedagogically sound? Is it not divisive? Why should linguistic minorities be so "pampered"? National policies have depended on the na tion's sense of security; regional policies have reflected societal attitudes toward certain groups. A different phenome non, manifested during the past decade, raises a new concern. With the Hispanic population increasing rapidly, demog raphers predicting Hispanics will outnumber Blacks by the turn of the century, Hispanics themselves calling the eighties their decade, and the emphasis on "maintenance" instead of "traditional" programs, non-Hispanic Americans—both White and Black—have reasons to view bilingual education as part of a larger thrust aimed at giving Hispanics increased visibility and political influence. Dr. Diego Castellanos, one of the leading advocates of bilingual education, characterizes the movement as an ideological, sociological, economic, and political strategy, as much as a pedagogical approach. A brief case study of the New Jersey experience with Puerto Ricans and Cubans demonstrates the growth of Hispanics in numbers and sophistication. Without a federal policy on bilingualism, the nation is sure to get somewhere—as the Cheshire cat said in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland—but it may not be where it wants to go.