Forty one percent of individuals living in the United States are considered “Limited English Proficient,” meaning that they are classified by the United States Census Bureau as not having completely mastered the English language (Zong). This inability to effectively use English trickles into the everyday life of foreigners, including having a significant impact on their education and ability to comprehend what they are learning. The effect of language on education is greatly debated; however, research suggests that hurdles associated with incorporating new languages into cultures and schools can have great negative effects on a community as a whole. The variety of languages used in schools not only in America but across the globe negatively affect a country’s education process by undermining the value of local language while creating a hierarchy of cultures and isolating native speakers.

In American schools, foreign students may be fluent in English, but Collier and Thomas prove they need additional time to master the language in an academic setting. After following over 2,000 non-English-speaking immigrants’ development in their new English-speaking schools, Collier and Thomas conclude that the majority of foreign students struggled in academic English fluency until secondary school. The authors’ claim that children who arrived in the United States earlier in their lives and had previously received little to no instruction in their native language were the most successful in adapting to their new language and acquiring the linguistic skills needed to succeed in an academic setting (Collier & Thomas). The research focuses on not only how long it takes for children to understand English as a second language, but how long it takes them to become academically proficient in it. The findings of Collier and Thomas prove that students are most likely to excel when being educated in the language they are most familiar with. The younger a child is when they begin to learn English, the more likely they are to perform well in all subjects of an English-based education. The authors’ extensive study of children through primary and secondary schools emphasizes the need for students to receive education in their native language in order to succeed and learn efficiently. 

Large organizations have also researched the effects that language has on a student’s education. While writing for the Global Partnership for Education, Jessica Ball gathers research from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and academic lingual journals to argue that children are not able to effectively learn in a foreign language of instruction. UNESCO has supported education of children in their mother tongues since 1953; however, schools continue to enforce a foreign language of instruction, “excluding other languages and the children who speak them.” Despite the increased rate of student drop outs when they are educated in a second language and the persistence of parents urging that their children be taught in their mother tongues, education in other countries continues to mainly compromise of several lingua francas. Ball claims that the decrease of education in mother tongues not only causes and decrease in success and participation from students, but a loss of culture and decreased self-esteem in young students (Ball). When a lingua franca is introduced, a child feels as though their language is inferior, and begins to lose touch with their culture and identity. Children who stop using their native language become unable to communicate with other family members as they become older, and lose touch with important aspects of their culture and identity. In addition to distancing themselves from their native languages, the introduction of a lingua franca has a negative effect on a child’s self-esteem by putting their culture secondary and diminishing the value of their culture and tradition. Ball emphasizes the importance of educating children in their native languages to their success in the classroom while stressing the negative effect that education in a lingua franca has on a child’s self-esteem and identity. 

Education conducted in a native language not only benefits a child’s academic success and self-esteem, but can benefit the economy as well. In their article, Arcand and Grin discuss the role that language plays in economic development and question the benefits of a lingua franca in education. For the purposes of their article, Arcand and Grin define development as GDP per capita, and explain that it is difficult to credit language as the cause of economic success as there are numerous internal factors that could affect a country’s development rate.  The authors conclude that when a country’s development is measured by GDP, language does not play a role in its success; however, they add that educating students in their native language decreases dropout rates, therefore increasing community participation from citizens and developing the country in a different way (Arcand & Grin). The education of students in their native language boosts the economy by providing individuals with the opportunity to be active members of their society. When a student is educated the in language that is used in their everyday lives, they are better able to communicate with others and apply their education to real life situations. Arcand and Grin proved that children who educated in their native languages were significantly less likely to drop out of school, allowing them to use their education in the workforce of their communities therefore bettering the economy and marketplace. The authors’ findings continue to claim the positive benefits that education in a mother tongue can have on a community as a whole. When a country educates its citizens in their native language, it is able to focus on internal improvement, indirectly bettering the economy by promoting education and local involvement from citizens. 

In her article, House studies non-natives speakers’ ability to comprehend and use expressions that qualify them as fully comprehending the English language. House studied non-native speakers speaking with English speaking professors during academic consultation hours to see how their use of the language changed as the conversation progressed. After conducting her experiment and providing data from her research, the author concludes that students had a tendency to mimic their professors’ form of speaking, and adapted to be considered “pragmatically fluent” in English. House’s research concludes that it is possible for students to adapt to their surroundings and gain knowledge and understanding of a second language. House’s argument raises the question of the possibility of students’ ability to learn and participate in a foreign language. House claims that students are able to acquire knowledge of a second language and apply it directly to their education. 

While House claims that it is possible for students to adapt to education in a second language, Bababi-Wilhite argues the contrary. In her book, Language, Development Aid and Human Rights in Education: Curriculum and Policies in Africa and Asia, Babaci-Wilhite describes the failing education systems in Africa and Asia and how the implementation of a universal language of instruction is detrimental to a child’s ability to learn effectively. She argues that, “indigenous languages and indigenous knowledge need to be valued in education in order to prepare children to learn and engage in a language they understand best, and as such should be regarded as a right in education” (Babaci-Wilhite 1).  The author views not only education as a human right, but the ability to learn in an accessible and understandable way a human right as well (Babaci-Wilhite). Educating students in a lingua franca prevents them from learning effectively, and is just as much a human rights violation as denying their access to education entirely. Babaci-Wilhite examines four non-English-speaking countries that have chosen to use English in their school systems and states that using a non-native language of instruction lessens the value of the locals’ language and identity, creating a divide in the population between “the few who govern and the many who are governed” (Babaci-Wilhite 109). The author concludes that when countries use a universal language of instruction to education their children, “…the educational reforms are rarely effectively implemented and often fail to achieve their objectives” (Babaci-Wilhite 135). The author supports the concept of educating children in their local language to increase comprehension and local identity. The use of a lingua franca in schools prevents children from reaching their full potential as learning students and is a violation of a child’s right to have access to an education. The refusal to use a child’s mother tongue in their school creates a division between languages and cultures and oppresses the native language of the student.  

In her article, Sesín emphasizes the importance of maintaining cultures and traditions in communities while describing how doing so is beneficial to a group of people. Sesín describes the increase of Hispanic immigrants in Miami since Castro came to power in Cuba. Through interviewing a Venezuelan native, the author reveals the social and economic benefits Hispanic immigrants experience when moving to Miami. After the initial influx of Cuban immigrants to Florida, Hispanics from other Latin American countries began to follow. Non-Cuban Hispanic immigrants settled in Miami due to the similar culture and language as their home countries. Hispanic immigrants have also benefited economically in Miami from trade and business opportunities with their home countries in Latin America. Sesín argues that it is now possible for Hispanic immigrants to enter Miami due to the initial group of Cuban immigrants that came before them. The author explains that while seventy percent of Miami’s population is Hispanic, only fifty four percent of the Hispanic population is Cuban (Sesín). One conclusion that can be drawn from this article is that the familiarity of Cuban culture and language drew other Hispanic immigrants to Miami specifically. Immigrants tend to settle in areas with others who are similar to them, and prefer to be surrounded by those who speak their language and share similar beliefs. Sesín’s article continues to emphasize the importance of culture and nationally identity for immigrants and foreigners in new countries. Individuals thrive in areas where their traditions and cultures are supported, including the classroom. 

During her TED Talk, Talhouk presents the importance of preserving a native language, specifically Arabic, in order to preserve cultural identity and be able to express oneself accurately. Talhouk believes creativity can only be harnessed in the mother language and that letting Arabic die would ruin any chance for it to no longer be stigmatized in today’s culture (Talhouk). Her ideas contribute to the concept that language creates an identity and sense of self that needs to be preserved. Changing the lingual norm to a universal language causes non-native speakers to lose touch with their culture and identity while causing the universal lingua franca to appear superior to less well-known languages and cultures. Talhouk’s ideas explain how important language is to and individual’s identity, and how greatly language can impact self-worth. 

Language has been proven to affect not only a child’s ability to learn effectively, but their self-esteem and value of their culture. A universal language in schools has the ability to create divide within communities and stigmatize individuals while masking itself under ideas of increased communication and a globally-oriented younger generation. An increased value of local language in schools across the globe would not only improve the education of millions of children, but would create an awareness and understanding of a variety of cultures and world-views, increasing globalization and the acceptance of others. 
