The last two decades have seen a rapid rise in the number of dual language immersion programs in the nation’s public schools. In North Carolina we went from seven dual language schools in 2005 to one hundred forty in 2018. Utah has also seen a sharp rise in the number of dual language schools.

These changes are being driven primarily by the realization of the potential economic advantage afforded by a multilingual populace. As our society becomes more linguistically diverse, we become more competitive in international business.

Clearly, though, the change has many other benefits and challenges. Episode 42 of the America the Bilingual podcast addresses the rapid growth of dual language instruction in North Carolina. It only takes fifteen minutes to hear the entire episode, and I encourage you to listen.

The explosive growth of dual language programs in other parts of the country is discussed in episodes 24 and 25, each lasting about a half hour. I also encourage listening to those.