Research shows that children who learn two languages in their early stages of life are better off in the real world when having to communicate with others. Learning a second language exposes a child to a culture other than their own which improves a child's understanding of others. Not only can they communicate with two different language communities but it also increases their metalinguistic insight. They are able to understand how two different languages are structured and used and have shown to perform better on language tasks.
More and more schools are adopting bilingual educational programs to expand on their students learning. One such school is the London Town Elementary School in Centerville, Virginia. Half of the school day is taught all in Spanish and the other half is taught all in English. They call this learning technique dual emerging. Half the students are native English speakers and the other half are native Spanish speakers. This coming together of two different backgrounds really teaches the children how to communicate and develop relationships with people of other cultures.
Not everyone is a fan of this learning technique though. Members of the advocacy group, Pro English, feel that this style of learning makes it easier for Hispanics not to become fully fluent in the English language. Putting this aside, parents and teachers feel that the overall learning experience is a lot more fulfilled and really prepares the children for the real world. America has become more of a diverse country over the years with more Spanish speaking people and being able to speak the Spanish language is becoming more and more important as the years pass by.
The following youtube link shows the video of the London Town Elementary School:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6PwrSSZ3co
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