The Huffington Post – Rebecca Callahan
“Every spring in America, white, middle-class parents value bilingualism enough to line up in the early morning hours to sign up their children for a spot in next fall’s dual-language kindergarten. This is great because as a nation, we celebrate bilingualism, right? Well, sort of. Just not for those kids who already speak another language at home. Teachers frequently emphasize the importance of English above all else when they speak with immigrant parents. Even worse, many nonnative English-speaking parents are told not to speak to their children in the language they know best, depriving them of their richest source of social, emotional and linguistic support. The reality is that these parents who sign up their kids for dual-language kindergarten are onto something. They recognize what many teachers, principals and policymakers do not: Knowing two or more languages puts you at an advantage.”(more)