Heritage Language Education

One in five Americans speak a language other than English at home. This chapter makes a case for promoting the bilingualism of these individuals and why doing so makes economic and political sense for the mainstream American society. Community-based language schools are sprouting up in cities and suburbs across America, and in some school and college language departments, the number of heritage language learners exceeds the number of foreign language learners. This chapter describes the current state of heritage language education in the US and the benefits and challenges of developing heritage language programs. It argues that the languages that are learned and used by immigrant and indigenous populations in their communities are a national asset, a resource that must be protected and cherished.