Onda Latina

The KUT Longhorn Radio Network Presents: Mexican American Experience Collection

Audio recordings including interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns in the series "The Mexican American Experience" and "A esta hora conversamos" from the Longhorn Radio Network, 1976-1982.

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PROGRAM INFO

Title:
Bilingual Education
Program #
1979-02
Theme:
Society

Series:
Education, Language
Host:
Armando Gutiérrez
Guest:
Olivia Evey Chapa
Date:
Dec 12, 1978

Bilingual Education

Dr. Olivia Evey Chapa discusses her work with the Bilingual Reading Academy, the importance of bilingual education and the misconceptions that plague such programs. Chapa, director of the Academy, explains that the program which is funded by the federal government, helps teach adults in South Texas how to read. She explains that illiteracy is a big problem in the area and the program works with both native English and Spanish speakers. She then discusses some of society’s misconceptions about bilingual education, including that it only teaches Spanish. She explains that bilingual education strives to help all people whose first language is not English and that studies have shown that such programs help people learn faster and adapt better to society. Because communication is critical to functioning in society, studies have shown that bilingual education programs benefit society in a variety of ways.

Nonetheless, Chapa explains that the lack of information in bilingual education has contributed to opposition to the program. Moreover, she believes that bilingual education is intimately associated with bicultural education and believes that emphasizing multiculturalism will help students perform better in schools and in society. She believes that despite all of the negative attention, bilingual education will continue to prosper because it has proven to be very effective.

KEYWORDS

Alice, Texas
Bakke v. California
Bicultural Education
Bilingual Education
Bilingual Reading Academy
California
Cuban Americans
Cubans
Department of Health, Education and Welfare
Dropout Rates
Florida
Future of Bilingual Education
Guidelines on Bilingual Education
Illiteracy
Job Training Programs
Joseph Califano
Kingsville
Literacy
Misconceptions of Bilingual Education
Opposition to bilingual education
Positive Effects of Bilingual Education
Proposition 13
Push out rates
Right to Read Program
Robstown
Spanish
Spanish Language Discrimination
State Senator Carlos Truan
Texas A & I University in Kingsville
Texas Education Agency TEA
U.S. Office of Education
 

Center for Mexican American Studies | Department of History | The Benson Latin American Collection

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