In California, USA, the Albert Einstein Academy Charter elementary school
The provision of language immersion services where courses are offered in both English and German is one of its most influential characteristics. The addition of Spanish was later seen in this two-way bilingual curriculum. Despite the fact that the bilingual curriculum of the school encourages the parallel bilingual growth of minority and majority communities, there are certainly important concerns and conflicts regarding socio-cultural factors, laws, and legal criteria.
Equitable access to quality education within the United States
is a constitutional right for all children, and this is a source of contention for the Albert Einstein bilingual program. Initially, preference was given to German-speaking students, and although this procedure was deemed discriminatory and discontinued, the school's policy still offers a 25% priority to fluent German speakers (Albert Einstein Academies Charter Elementary School 1). This means that other students who are fluent English speakers are less likely to experience the school's programs. In a way, local students are disadvantaged as this policy appears to be a student filtering technique that is unfair hence bringing up the legal concern for equitable access to learning.
The school's policy also raises the socio-cultural aspect
that each student possesses a linguistic background that define their uniqueness to the learning environment. The system goes on to emphasize the need to recognize and maintain cultural identity. On one side, culture can be preserved through this program. On the other hand, a contention arises where English speaking parents want their children to gain more than one language compete for positions with children from families with little English (Koran). The clash between multilingual learning for market competitiveness and helping those with limited English to learn and maintain their language culture is therefore apparent.
Works Cited
Albert Einstein Academies Charter Elementary School. Language Policy 2015-2016. Policy Paper. San Diego, CA: Albert Einstein Academies Charter Elementary School, 2015.
Koran, Mario. "The Learning Curve: Deciphering the Bilingual Ed Ballot Measure." 29 September 2016. Education. https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/education/learning-curve-deciphering-bilingual-ed-ballot-measure/. 21 November 2017.
