A study co-authored by a Michigan State University scholar concluded that bilingual education programs have a substantial spillover effect on the students they’re not designed for.

“While much research has examined the effects of bilingual education on Spanish-speaking students, this study is one of the first to investigate the spillover effects. The findings appear in the Journal of Public Economics,” the Michigan State University website reports.

“What this says is that simply focusing on how these programs affect the students who use them is missing a large part of the picture,” said Scott Imberman, study co-author and MSU associate professor of economics and education. “Whenever you create education programs you have to think beyond the people they’re targeted to, and think about the other students as well.”

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