Article: Dual-language Immersion Programs Growing in Popularity

From http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/08/local/la-me-bilingual-20110508

Dual-language immersion programs growing in popularity
Dual-language immersion programs are the new face of bilingual education — without the stigma. They offer the chance to learn a second language not just to immigrant children, but to native-born American students as well.
By Teresa Watanabe
May 8, 2011

Growing in popularity, dual-language immersion programs are the new face of bilingual education —without the stigma. Though bilingual education was often perceived — and resented by some —as public handouts only for immigrant families, dual programs offer the chance to learn a second language to native-born American children as well.

"Bilingual education has basically become a dirty word, but dual-language programs seem to have this cachet that people are glomming onto," said Julie Sugarman of the Center for Applied Linguistics, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. "They are successful for English-language learners. And white, middle-class parents want these programs to give their children an edge in the increasingly globalized world."

Read the full article at http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/08/local/la-me-bilingual-20110508