Official language movement and Hispanic American cultural interests in bilingual education policy

¶ … Official Language Movement: Hispanic Cultural Interest

The focus of this work is the official language movement and bilingualism in education politics in the United States, which is an important Hispanic-American cultural interest.

One of the fastest growing groups in the United States is the group of Hispanics and it was reported in the 1990 U.S. census that there were 22.4 million Hispanics or Latinos in the United States, which was up from 14.5 million in 1980. (Garcia, 2011, paraphrased) Hispanics are reported to be concentrated in the states of California, New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois, all of these states that when taken together "comprise over half of the electoral vote majority needed for election to the presidency." (Garcia, 2011)

Age a Key Factor that Limits Political Participation

There are several factors that are reported to hinder the political participation of Hispanics as well as hindering their development "into a unified voting bloc." (Garcia, 2011) One factor reported is their youth population as the median age reported for the Hispanic population is 25.5 years of age however, with some groups being younger. (Garcia, 2011, paraphrased) The two largest groups of Hispanics are the Mexican-Americans and the Puerto Ricans, with an average of 21 and 20 years of age respectively. The third reported largest group are the Cubans with an average of 35 years of age. The Cubans are reported to have shown the greatest level of political participation among the three largest groups of Hispanics in the United States. (Garcia, 2011, paraphrased)

II. Lack of Citizenship

Lack of Citizenship among Hispanics who are legally in the United States limits the groups voting. It is reported that approximately 52% of Hispanics living in the United States legally did not vote due to being ineligible because they are not yet citizens. Another stated factor is that of poverty since a correlation exists between socioeconomic indicators including level of education and income and level of political participation. (Garcia, 2011, paraphrased),

III. The United States and Official Language

It is reported that many individuals are surprised to discover that there is no official language in the United States although it is assumed by many individuals that English is the official language. There have been efforts to make English the official language of the United States however, to date, these attempts have failed. (U.S. Constitution Online, 2011, paraphrased)

IV. Foreign Policy Report

In a 2004 Foreign Policy report entitled "The Hispanic Challenge" Samuel P. Huntington writes that the "persistent inflow of Hispanic-Americans threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves -- from Los Angeles to Miami -- and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream." (Huntington, 2004) Huntington continues by stating that in the past "immigrants originated overseas and often overcame severe obstacles and hardships to reach the United States. They came from many different countries, spoke different languages, and came legally." (Huntington, 2004)

V. Dual-Language Programs

Dual-language programs are such that "go one step beyond bilingual education, have become increasingly popular. In these programs, students are taught both English and Spanish on an alternating basis with a view to making English-speakers fluent in Spanish and Spanish-speakers fluent in English, thus making Spanish the equal of English and transforming the United States into a two-language country." (Huntington, 2004) Civil rights organizations, and business groups among others including church leaders and politicians support the "impetus toward bilingualism." (Huntington, 2004)

VI. Education

The education of Hispanic individuals in the United States is reported to be such that "lags well behind the U.S. norm." (Huntington, 2004) It is reported that in "2000 86.6% of native born Americans had graduated from high school" however, for those who were foreign born the following percentages were given for those graduating high school: