Christianity And Its Impact On America - 1577 Words

Christianity is a religion that has been around for about 2000 years. This religion is based on the birth, teachings, life and death of Jesus Christ. In the early first century, it started to expand from Palestine to the rest of the world. A movement that began with Jesus and twelve Apostles has grown to approximately two billion people worldwide. In America, this religion started from the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Until recently, the religion expanded all over the Americas and was followed by the largest majority of its people. Although Christianity was followed by a lot of people in the Americas, increasingly Christianity faces many challenges and problems, including declining attendance, rise in atheism, religious alternatives,†¦show more content†¦These surveys show that church leaders have a great challenge ahead of them in order to prevent people from leaving church. They have to be more effective and have to think of creative ways to retain people in the church es. Another challenge concerning the Millennials is that a lot of these young adults are growing up without attending church. The Barna group calls them the unchurched segment and report that this segment has increased in the last 10 years, from 44% to 52% (5 Reasons). This is a problem because it decreases the chances for new members to join the church. The majority of people that follows a specific religion learned about that religion in early childhood. Students of human behavior believe that â€Å"The most significant borrowing occurs in early childhood. Family is thus an important factor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wuthnow 106). If the number of the unchurched segment continues to grow at this pace, in the next few decades, this will continue to be a major concern for church leaders across the Americas. It is a lot harder to try to reach those people that have never attended church or don’t come from a religious background than try to reach those that belong to a church or have been bro ught up in the faith. The increase in religious alternatives in the Americas presents another challenge to Christianity. This rise in the exposure to other faiths in the Americas is due largely to an increase in immigration, especially after World War II (Stott 72). People, emigrating from other

The Tragedy Of Medea By Euripides - 1970 Words

Medea The characters in Medea by Euripides have no free will; the gods control all. Consequently, the concept, â€Å"Divine Double Bind,† described by the author Ruth Padel in Whom Gods Destroy as â€Å"Divinity issues prohibitions (do not kill your mother), forces you to break them, then punishes you for doing so† (215) explains perfectly the actions and ultimate fates of Medea, Jason, King Creon and his daughter, the chorus leader, and the two sons. Many of Medea’s actions, which offend the gods, and the subsequent consequences for such actions throughout the story exhibit the â€Å"Divine Double Blind† concept. Medea starts off by offending the gods when, according to Jason, Medea’s husband, she â€Å"slaughtered [her] brother in [her] home† (81), and then, as is explained by the nurse, Medea’s servant, she causes Pelias’ daughter to kill their father (32). Medea’s first misdeed is thus murder, and although it is through Medea’s actions that these crimes are committed, because the gods control all the mortals, the gods are actually the ones who made her do them. Sticking with the â€Å"Divine Double Blind† concept, the gods punish Medea by having her marriage to Jason fall apart. The nurse recites that â€Å"their fine love’s grown sick, diseased, for Jason . . . married the daughter of king Creon† (32). Jason has neglected Medea and married another woman, which Medea responds to with rage. She kills again, this time targeting Jason’s new wife and her father, King Creon. Medea has herShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Euripides Medea1593 Words   |  7 PagesEuripides’ Medea is considered, according to Aristotle’s Poetics, a tragedy. The play centers on Medea, an outsider and wife to Jason, who seeks to punish Jason for taking another wife. The play is considered a tragedy because it contains the three unities as well as the six elements of drama mentioned by Aristotle. Despite the fact that the does the play fits the criteria of what Aristotle considers tragedy, however, Medea is actually not a tragedy but tells the story about a successful revengeRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Medea By Euripides1968 Words   |  8 PagesThe characters in Medea by Euripides have no free will; the gods control all. Consequently, the concept, â€Å"Divine Double Bind,† described by the author Ruth Padel in Whom Gods Destroy as â€Å"Divinity issues prohibitions (do not kill your mother), forces you to break them, then punishes you for doing so† (215) explains perfectly the actions and ultimate fates of Medea, Jason, King Creon and his daughter, the chorus leader, and the two sons. Many of Medea’s actions, which offend the gods, and the subsequentRead MoreGreek Tragedy By Euripides Medea1646 Words   |  7 Pages Discuss the ways Greek tragedy authors addressed such topics as duty, honor, kingship, gender roles, and the other. Greek tragedy authors tend to use their writings as a means of social, political, and religious commentary. Both of the authors we read of, use their characters and the storyline development to test their reader’s moral boundaries. On the one hand, Euripides’ Medea emphasizes Greek thoughts concerning foreigners, and denounces Athenian social bases through his character’s traitsRead MoreThe Tragic Tragedy Of Medea By Euripides1844 Words   |  8 PagesIn  Medea  by Euripides, an unfortunate tragedy arose from devastating circumstances, centralizing around intense grief and rage. In the center of the horrific situation was Medea, who was the daughter of King Aeetes. She was the former wife of Jason, until he decided to abandon his family and duties as the head of the household by marrying Glauce, the Princess of Corinth. She murdered her children, Glauce, and Creon, the King of Corinth to satiate her overwhelming lust for blood and revenge. UndeniablyRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Euripides Medea And Ovid s Metamorphoses, Medea, And Juno898 Words   |  4 Pagespain they have caused. In Euripides’ Medea and Ovid’s’ Metamorphoses, Medea and Juno exhibit vengeance to defend th eir dignity. Primary Source In Euripides’ Medea, Medea is very furious because Juno left her and her children to remarry the princess. Medea does not accept the betrayal and demands punishment for leaving her after all she has done for him. Creon is aware â€Å"I’m afraid of you. You could hurt my daughter, even kill her. Every indication points that way†(793). Medea knew she was going to exileRead MoreEvaluation of Euripides Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesEvaluation of Euripides Euripides has met the conventions of Attic Tragedy up to a particular extent. Although he was often criticised for his work, he followed the structure and cycles of the traditional tragedy. However, his stance on the themes and ideas set him apart from the other writers. It is unreasonable to compare Euripides with the traditional writers of Attic tragedy without understandingRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Medea By Sophocles1611 Words   |  7 Pagesnecessary for a top-notch tragedy. While these norms may seem to be easily understood through the reading of Aristotle’s fine-tuned poetics, there is a different understanding that needs to be interpreted to truly grasp the significance and qualifications that makeup a good tragedy. Of the many tragedies that Euripides provides us with, I chose the tragedy of Medea to further analyze, and present a strong argument for why I think Aristotle would find Medea a top-notch tragedy. According to AristotleRead MoreMedea Character Analysis917 Words   |  4 PagesHow would you judge Jason for his betrayal of Medea, and Medea for the killing of their children? Explain why. My judgement for this particular issue is not primarily based on the actions of Medea killing her children, since that in my opinion is an unforgivable act, yet there is a sense of pity evoked within the complexity Medea’s character. Essentially, Medea had given up everything she had for Jason. Manipulated by Aphrodite and Hera in both the heart and mind to believe her feelings to be trueRead MoreAnalysis Of Euripides The Play Medea 1202 Words   |  5 PagesThe Greek playwright Euripides, who lived from 480 BC to 406 BC, had four victories as a Tragedian. A third of the â€Å"Big Three† of tragedians, Euripides was, in his time, less successful than both Aeschylus and Sophocles, who had 13 and 20 victories. Euripides’ writing was drastically different from that of the others. While playwrights like Sophocles wrote characters the way they should be ideally, Euripides wrote his characters truthfully and portrayed people as compassionate and cruel and complic atedRead More Love and Deception in Medea, by Euripides Essay507 Words   |  3 PagesLove and Deception in Medea, by Euripides There are many pieces of literature that may entail more than one theme throughout the story. The tragedy, Medea, by Euripides is very good example of this. Throughout this story, the themes of betrayal and love, revenge, and women’s rights arise. Euripides brings these points up to help the reader to realize that women are powerful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Betrayal is a very important theme throughout this story. Her husband Jason betrays Medea, when he abandons her

Hawaii, with an area of 28,313 sq. km (10,932 sq. Essay Example For Students

Hawaii, with an area of 28,313 sq. km (10,932 sq. Essay mi.), is the43rd largest state in the U.S.; 6.9% of the land is owned by thefederal government. It consists mainly of the Hawaiian Islands, eightmain islands and 124 islets, reefs, and shoals. The major islands inorder of size are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Nihau,and Kahoolawe. Population growth has increased by 80,000 persons overthe past five years. Demographics show a large number of Hispanicorigin: Asian Hispanics are the most populated with white Hispanicand Asian non-Hispanic following. Hawaiis economy has been longdominated by plantation agriculture and military spending. Asagriculture has declined in importance, the economy has diversified toencompass a large tourist business and a growing manufacturingindustry. Hawaiis economy has changed drastically since statehood. In1958, defense, sugar, and pineapple were the primary economicactivities, accounting for 40% of Gross State Product (GSP). Incontrast, visitor-related expenditures stood at just over 4% ofHawaiis GSP prior to statehood. Today the positions are reversed;sugar and pineapple constitute about 1% of GSP, defense accounts forjust under 11%, while visitor-related spending comes close to 24% ofHawaiis GSP. The movement toward a service- and trade-based economy becomeseven more apparent when considering the distribution of Hawaiis jobsacross sectors. The share of the economys jobs accounted for bymanufacturing and agriculture have declined steadily since 1959 andeach currently makes up less than 4% of total jobs in the economy. Atthe same time, the shares of jobs in wholesale and retail trade and inservices have risen, standing at about 23% and 28%, respectively. Since 1991, Hawaiis economy has suffered from rising rates ofunemployment. This stands in marked contrast to the period 1980 to1993, when the state enjoyed very low unemployment rates relative tothe nation as a whole. But by 1994 the recession had raised Hawaiisunemployment rate to the national average (6.1%) for the first time in15 years. In 1995, the states unemployment rate improved slightly inthe first eleven months of the year to 5.4 percent, a 0.6 percentagepoint decline from the first eleven months of 1994. Despite the lowerunemployment rate, the total number of wage and salary jobs declinedby 0.6 percent during the first eleven months of 1995. This was due inpart to a fall in part-time jobs which are often held by persons whoalso have primary jobs elsewhere in the economy. The number ofconstruction jobs declined by more than 7 percent in the same period. Other industriesnamely, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation,communications/utilities, and finance, insurance, and realestateexperienced declines in the number of jobs as well. Jobs inretail trade and services, however, increased 2.2 percent and 0.5percent, respectively, reflecting an increase in visitor spendingsince 1994. Following a dismal first quarter due to the Kobeearthquake, there was steady growth in the tourism sector in 1995 withincreases in the number of visitor arrivals and hotel room rates. Thenumber of visitor arrivals to the State increased 3.2 percent duringthe first eleven months of 1995. The increase in the value of theJapanese yen vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar during this period contributedto a rise in eastbound visitors in the second and third quarter of1995 by 11.8 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively. However, in thefirst eleven months of 1995, the number of westbound visitors remainedflat. This year is the 11th year in a row that the U.S. hasexperienced re duced spending on national defense. The continuedreduction is due to the decline in superpower tensions and thepolitical disintegration of the Soviet and East European-block duringthis decade which have prompted the Congress and Administration toinitiate significant cuts in the level of defense expenditures inrecent years. However, because of the strategic location of Hawaii inthe Pacific this changing military posture has not significantlyaffected Hawaiis $3.7 billion Federal defense sector. .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc , .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .postImageUrl , .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc , .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:hover , .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:visited , .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:active { border:0!important; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:active , .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u93e662bea0def91888575f1de870d1dc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: King Lear Argumentative EssayThe construction industry continued its decline in the firsteleven months of 1995. This loss was mainly due to decreasing demandexacerbated by higher interest rates during the first half of 1995,following a 12.4 percent drop in 1994. Another reason is thatconstruction costs rose by 15 percent from 1992 to 1995, which is muchhigher than the consumer inflation rate of 8 percent during the sameperiod. Agriculture jobs, including self-employed, showed a 6.6percent decline in the first eleven months of 1995 from the sameperiod in 1994. In the earlier part of the year, the agricultural workforce fell to its lowest level in 21 years. Agriculture accou nts forslightly less than 2percent of jobs in the state. Latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked Hawaii26th among the 50 states in terms of growth in personal income betweenthe first and second quarters of 1995. During the second quarter of1995, personal income was estimated to be an annualized 29.2 billiondollars, up 4.0 percent at an annual rate from the second quarter of1994. The growth in personal income is mainly attributed to anincrease in rents, dividends and interest, along with transferpayments of 7.6 percent and 7.5 percent in the second quarter,respectively. The largest component of personal income, wages andsalaries, increased by 2.3 percent over the period as compared to only1.0 percent in 1994. The consumer inflation rate, as reflected in the percentagechange of the Honolulu Consumer Price Index, increased by 2.1 percentbetween the first half of 1994 and the first half of 1995. In thesecond half of 1995, the inflation rate slowed to 0.7 percent ascompared to the second half of 1994. If the current trend continues,overall inflation for Hawaii in 1995 will be slightly lower than 2.0percent, the lowest since 1986. DBEDT expects the Honolulu ConsumerPrice Index to increase about 2.0 percent in 1995 and 2.5 percent in1996. This is lower than the expected consumer price increases of 3.0to3.5 percent for the nation as a whole in 1996, reflecting therelatively slower growth of Hawaiis economy. Real Gross StateProduct (RGSP) is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately2.2% between 1995 and 2000. Average annual growth in the number ofcivilian jobs is projected to rise by 1.8% per year over the next fiveyears. Over the same period, the unemployment rate should declinegradual ly from 5.5% in 1995 to 5.3% over 1996-2000. Growth of realdisposable income is anticipated to rise to 1% next year and to anaverage of 1.2% each year to 2000. Hawaiis people have seen dramatic changes in the economicstructure over the last generation. The military and agriculture, thetraditional pillars of the Hawaii economy, have declined and no longeremploy the bulk of the labor force. At the same time, Hawaiisincreasing reliance on service industries, especially tourism, makesthem particularly sensitive to external economic events. To someextent, the effects of this sensitivity are reflected in theunprecedented long period of low growth in recent years. At no timesince statehood has Hawaii grown at such low rates for such asustained period. The initial downturn was clearly associated with thecyclical recession on the mainland and eventually in Japan. Thiscyclical downturn was exacerbated by important structural changes inHawaiis economy. While Hawaii cannot ignore and must still addressthese structural issues, it appears that it is now rebounding from thecyclical downturn. Fourth quarter economic data for 1995 show that itis entering an economic recovery and prospects for the medium term aregood. .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 , .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .postImageUrl , .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 , .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:hover , .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:visited , .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:active { border:0!important; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:active , .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458 .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0e7f97e47cb173cc55cb1b18a1be5458:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Dworkin's Belief of Preferential Treatment EssayEND NOTES1. HTTP://www.hawaii.gov.html, internet. 2.Hawaii, Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 MicrosoftCorporation. Copyright (c) 1994. Funk Wagnalls Corporation. 3. Hawaii, World Book Encyclopedia. C1996. Worldbook, Inc. Chicago, London, Sydney, Toronto. 4. Hawaii. Sylvia McNair. C1990. Childrens Press. Chicago. 5. Hawaii 1995 Almanac. Microsoft Bookshelf. C1995. 6. Hawaii. Bureau of Economic Analysis. C1996.

The Benefits and Issues in Bilingual Education

Introduction Bilingual education put in simple terms is the use of two languages in institutions of learning.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Benefits and Issues in Bilingual Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Understanding the term ‘bilingual education’ as a simple educational process would be a mistake because in reality it denotes a complex phenomenon dependent upon a set of variables, including the learners’ native language and the language of the majority, the linguistic objective of the program and the educational model chosen for creating the bi-linguistic environment. These factors are crucial in determining the kind of bilingual education to be adopted in a learning setting. This paper seeks to explore the benefits that accrue from bilingual education system and, in addition, highlights the issues surrounding such education systems. Objectives of bilingual educati on Well formulated bilingual education programs not only recognize and develop knowledge and skills brought to the school by learners, they are also designed to be appropriate for linguistic, cultural, as well as social developmental of the students. As such, they should possess such characteristics as clear goals for the programmes and high expectations for the learners, a curriculum comparable to contents covered in native-language-only classes, subject matter is instructed through native language, have multicultural instruction that incorporates learner’s original culture, use of appropriately trained instructors, community and administrative support for the programme, parental and family involvement, as well as adequate learning and teaching materials. Dimensions of bilingualism Analyzing the phenomenon of bilingualism, theoreticians need to take into consideration several overlapping dimensions of the discussed processes. According to Baker (2001), the levels of the stud ents’ cognitive abilities as such need to be considered while developing the bilingual educational programs (p. 3).Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some bilingual learners can easily speak two languages while others are rather passive, developing a comprehensive understanding of foreign speech, but rarely using it for communication. The next aspect explored by Baker (2001) is the domains in which the language is acquired, including home, school or other spheres which allow various levels of language comprehension. The context and the balance of the two languages are also the spheres giving rise to experts’ debates. Baker (2001) coined the term of elective bilingualism which implies individual’s voluntary decision to learn a setting though it is not obligatory. All these aspects need to be taken into account for analyzing various bilingualism models and th ere appropriateness for particular setting. Benefits of Bilingual education Bilingual education is not only justified by research, but also by both common sense and experience of instructors. Vast amount of data from studies in education and language acquisition strongly suggest, for example, that the first language learnt by children is critical in determining their ability to adapt to a second language as the language for academic instruction (Cummins, 1979). As such, Cummins argues that instructors must work harder to develop children’s skills in their first language in order to enable them to easily adapt to a second language as the instructional language. The outcomes of the structured English immersion strategy, early and late exit models of bilingual educational programs were investigated in an eight years longitudinal study during 1984-1991. The results of this research have demonstrated the benefits of adopting the bilingual education strategies. Three varying approa ches to instructional learning (structured immersion, early-exit transitional bilingual education and late-exit transitional bilingual education) were compared. The findings of the research have shown that the academic achievements and linguistic competence of students receiving instructions in their native language are equal to those learners who receive instruction in only one language. The effectiveness of dual immersion bilingual education programs is even more convincing. These models involve classes in which a half of students speak English as their native language while the rest speak another language. The students receive instruction in both languages.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Benefits and Issues in Bilingual Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The core objective of these programs is to impart proficiency in both languages. Dual-language programs are equally beneficial for impr oving the language competence in both native English and Spanish-speaking learners. She also found that, irrespective of the time spend receiving instructions in English, students in both programs were equally proficient in English. Besides, performance in mathematics was found to have high correlation with the two languages. This study went a step further to demonstrate that education content available in one language is equally available in the other language. Additionally, higher dropout rates and lower academic achievements are typical for learners with minority language backgrounds as compared to those who speak the majority language as their native. In regard to the common sense factor, in the need for the adoption of bilingual education, it almost automatically follows that learners’ lack of understanding of the instructional language in the learning setting will render all objectives of the learning program void. According to Garcia (2009), with the challenges of a ne w millennium, the English language as the language of international communication can be used for educating immigrants and supporting them in their adaptation to a new culture and community. Though various socio-historical positions, dominating theories and geopolitical factors affect the choice of a model for bilingual education, the importance of using native language in education is obvious (p. 5). Besides its basic effectiveness, there are several other clear benefits derived from the use of an education system that uses two languages. To begin with, it helps learners to preserve their sense of ethnic and cultural identity as well as sense of pride of their native language, in the process allowing them to smoothly integrate in their new society retaining a crucial link to their linguistic as well as cultural heritage.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Also, in the modern world, there are economic benefits that accrue from bilingual fluency and literacy. Bilingual individuals have better chances at securing well paying jobs in companies and other non-profit organizations with international or global presence. Program models of bilingual education The socio-cultural context and the government policy are the influential factors which determine the choice of the strategies for teaching and learning languages. Depending upon the community needs which can change within the course of time, Education Departments try to consider the ethnic diversity of the population and provide all students with equal opportunities for receiving education. For example, in the UAE the instruction in most schools was in Arabic previously. However, the government has changed the priorities towards bilingual Arabic and English education, taking into account the growing number of international students and immigrants. Basically, there are six most popular mod els of bi-lingual education, including the early exit and late exit models, two-way and one-way bilingual models, the pull-out and pull-in models. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages in the context of a concrete classroom. First, the early exit or transitional model places more emphases on development of English in learners as well as their overall academic performance. Instructions in this model are issued to learners in the native language of learners in order to enable them to be at par with their peers in academic terms and simultaneously develop their English literacy. In the United States, enrolment in this program lasts for three years. The second model is the late exit bilingual education programs. Its objectives are to develop full bilingualism by encouraging literacy as well as oral fluency in both English and the native language of the student. Academic learning is also emphasized, and because of the wide content required to be learned by students, this prog ram typically takes at least five years. Dual immersion or two-way bilingual education program is structured such that native English-speaking learners and limited English proficient (LEP) students are placed in one classroom, which encourages collaborative learning efforts form both groups at language acquisition. The goal for both groups is to meet high academic standards and in equal breadth develop fluency and literacy in both languages. Just like the second model, this type of bilingual education program lasts five or more years. There are two basic forms of this model, including the 90-10 and 50-50 patterns. According to 90-10 model, about 90% of time at primary school is spent on teaching a native language. This time is gradually increased in the following grades. Devoting 90% of time on native language is explained with compensating for the dominating power of a foreign language outside the classroom setting. As opposed to 90-10, the 50-50 pattern offers instruction in the m ajority language for both minority students and native speakers for improving the language competence of both groups. As compared to two-way models, one-way dual language programs have a number of advantages and disadvantages (Lacina et al. 2010-2011). Thus, the main strengths of this model include the bi-literacy of learners as the main goal of the program, a positive socio-cultural climate and correspondence of the students’ age and the curriculum content. The drawbacks of this model are the difficulties with finding qualified bi-literate teachers and separation of the second-language learners from their peers. The pull-out model is widely used for the second language users in the United States. The main principle of this model is pulling out the minority students from their classroom for a period of about 30 minutes for language instruction. Though the methodology and content of the pull-out classes can vary in different schools, the goals of enhancing students’ kno wledge of the second language is common for most institutions. As a rule, pull-out teachers conduct lessons with individuals or small groups of learners, aiding students in developing their academic skills and repeating particular program lessons which were not understood by the minority learners due to their language difficulties (Lacina et al. 2010-2011). The pull-out model can be beneficial for certain classrooms though it has a number of drawbacks. Among the main advantages of this model is the individual approach to every learner, opportunities to group students of different age and language level, diagnosing students’ needs and implementing the strategies for filling the gaps in their knowledge. The drawbacks for which this model is criticized and can be inappropriate for certain classrooms are the time limits of the push-out lessons, the separation of the second-language learners from their peers, psychological aspect of perceiving the push-out as the remedial instruct ion, the tome required for the collaborative efforts of the language and core curriculum teachers and the expensiveness of the program. The alternative to the above-mentioned push-out form is the push-in model of bilingual education in which a teacher comes to a general education classroom for conducting lessons and providing support to students have difficulties with perceiving the curriculum information in the majority language. The goal of this model is improving students’ language competence and enhancing their understanding of the course materials at the same time. The length of the push-in lessons can vary depending upon the needs of a particular classroom. This collaborative model of co-teaching would be much more effective if the core curriculum and language teachers devote time to discussing the materials and defining their common objectives and strategies. This model is less costly than the push-out lessons and can be used at schools with only a few second language learners (Lacina et al. 2010-2011). The push-in model has its advantages and disadvantages which need to be taken into consideration before choosing this model for certain school environment. The main advantages of the push-in model include preventing the risks of making mistakes instead of using the remedial instruction, making the curriculum content appropriate to the students’ age and cognitively challenging to them. The disadvantages of this model are the additional burden of collaborating and training for the teaching personnel, the lack of opportunities for the second language learners to practice their language skills at class because they can be ashamed of their peers speaking the majority language and the lack of individual instruction for the learners experiencing language difficulties. Issues surrounding bilingual education With the loss of some minority languages and the current socio-political situation in the world, the problem of bilingual education and student s’ facility in a second language have become important. The spread of the English language and its official status of the global language used for business, the opportunities of teaching English as a foreign language and promotion of bilingualism for the school curriculum are considered by a great number of governments. Most issues surrounding bilingual education system revolve around which model of bilingual education is most appropriate to be used. Opponents of bilingual education programmes find significant fault in the way the programmes are structured. For instance, critics argue that learners who do not speak English are entrapped in programmes which, instead of teaching English, endeavour to retain the native language of the students. In the United States, opponents of bilingual education programmes often equate the case for bilingual education which existed in the country’s schooling system in the 1900s. Then, the immigrant students were prohibited to speak the ir native language at school. The preference was given to the English immersion model, while the proponents of bilingualism stated that â€Å"students who did not speak English readily learned it and entered the educational mainstream†. The prejudicial attitude towards immigrants had a significant impact upon the debates concerning the bilingual education models. Since language is the primary identifier of immigrants, there tends to be restrictions imposed on the use of the â€Å"foreign† language by the immigrants in their new country. This is especially so in times of war and to a lesser extend during times of economic hardships. Since language is very closely associated with national identity, immigrants are forced to even abandon their native languages during such times as a proof of their allegiance to their new country. Yet another major issue surrounding bilingual education has a basis on unrealistic expectation of immediate results. The limitation of some studi es is expecting second language learners to go through tasks which would be difficult even for the researchers themselves. The non-native English-speaking learners are unfairly expected to accomplish this while also learning other demanding academic subjects like science and mathematics. Their second language proficiency is unfairly matched to that of their peers who happen to be native speakers of English. Conclusion The discussion above clearly shows that immense opportunities accrue from bilingual education. Both native and non-native English-speaking learners are not only allowed to develop their oral and written skills in English, but they are also enabled to master academic content materials. Initially showing lower academic achievements, students with bilingual learning background not only compensate for it in the course of time, but even surpass the academic progress of their peers. Moreover, Learners in bilingual education systems have been found to out-perform their peers in monolingual education programmes in both linguistics and general academics at advanced levels of learning. All-in-all the benefits to bilingual education by far surpass their proven as well as perceived limitations. For this reason, authorities in increasingly multicultural societies (thanks to globalisation) should seriously consider introducing full bilingual education systems or, at least, incorporate major elements of bilingual education systems into the existing monolingual education system. References Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. (4th ed.).  Belmont, MA: Multilingual Matters. Cummins, J. (1979). â€Å"Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children.† Review of Educational Research 49, 222–251. Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st Century. Belmont, MA: Multilingual Matters. Lacina, J., Levine, L., Sowa, P. (2010). Learning a second language: Program models in Texas, Flor ida and the United Arab Emirates. Childhood Education 87(2),  106–112. 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