In this paper we will discuss the debate over bilingual education in America. For the past century, the immigration issue of language-learning policies has been an ongoing characteristic of American society. Some people believe that immigrants should leave behind their old language and learn English, while others feel this kind of cultural pluralism is the primary strength of our nation and should continue to be encouraged. On way that this can be encouraged is by, on the on hand, helping immigrants learn English, but on the other hand, helping them to maintain their first language. Let us now look at how cultural pluralism manifests itself in the area of bilingual education, and let us see how the debate over it has lead to different approaches to teaching English to non- native speakers.
