Schools now offer dual-language education in 18 languages, according to newly released 2016-17 data from the U.S. Department of Education.
The report lists states that offered programs in each language during the 2016-17 school year. In dual classes, teachers split instruction time between English and the target language, though the balance of time spent teaching in each language can vary from program to program.
Spanish, by far the most common home or first language of the nation’s English-language-learner students, topped the list with 30 states. But the home languages of English-learners are not always the most popular choices for dual-language programs. The percentage of Arabic-speaking English-learners, the second-largest group in U.S. schools, has increased 75 percent over the past eight years to 122,000. Yet, only two states reported offering dual-language programs in Arabic.
Fifteen states reported that they have no schools that offer dual-language programs.
