Policy Change Needed in North Carolina Bilingual Education
By Julia Poppell
Since the early 2000s and as early as 1990, some public schools in North Carolina have implemented dual-language programs to combat educational inequality among a steadily increasing Latino population. Over the last fifteen years, these programs have grown from under ten to over 140. However, the state has yet to pass legislation mandating the implementation of and requirements for dual-language programs; it also continues to provide poor funding for ELL education.
If the Department of Public Instruction does not change its policies on bilingual education, the result will be dual-language programs that are poorly funded, fragmented, and taught by under qualified educators.
