The English Only Movement: Revisiting Cultural Hegemony

Abstract

Between national and state budget cuts in education and an ever increasing push toward the English Only movement, a rise in dropout rates for Hispanic students is imminent. National data show the percentage of Hispanic students who drop out of high school to be nearly 60% in some states including Michigan, South Dakota, West Virginia, Alabama, Connecticut, South Carolina, Nevada, and Ohio. While numerous studies have been conducted to find out why this is happening, the research findings indicate a complexity of issues surrounding Hispanic student achievement, ranging from a lack of linguistic ability in English to issues of self-esteem. While nearly 4.7 million students are being served in programs of language assistance, this article focuses on Hispanic students as an illustrative example of a larger phenomenon: Reproductive acculturation disguised as benevolence, carried out by linguistic hegemony.