Walking a Fine Line: Tensions in Bilingual Education for Asian Languages in the United States

Bilingual education has steadily risen in the United States since the Supreme Court case of "Lau vs. Nichols in 1974." Despite this proliferation of bilingual programs, notable challenges and discrepancies exist for bilingual programs devoted to Asian languages and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The rising interest in Asian languages is as exciting as it is concerning. Much like the adage of "walking a fine line," there are dualities to this movement that must be attended to with great discernment, or risk great damage to Asian American communities as a whole. When it comes to language education, the instructional content is never truly agnostic to the teachers who deliver it, as language is inextricably linked to communication, culture, and ultimately, the humanity of those whose heritage it conveys. Therefore, educators must make themselves aware of the fine lines that exist between these hopeful shifts and cautionary challenges, which are described from three perspectives in this article.