For the first time this year, the country’s public schools enroll more “minority” students than non-Hispanic white ones, according to Sarah Carr on her blog “Schooled”. A growing number of middle- and upper-income families recognize the economic advantages of mastering multiple languages in an era of globalization; many have clamored for more dual language schools and programs as a result, helping to legitimize and popularize the approach.

“At Sunland Park and across the country, the Spanish language is enjoying a cultural renaissance among a somewhat counterintuitive group: Hispanics. For years, middle- and upper-class English-speaking families have clamored for more dual language programs where their students can learn both English and Spanish. By contrast, many Spanish-speaking families have been opting out, believing their children needed to learn English, and only English, as quickly as possible.”

Read the complete blog here.