At a Crossroads: Is English-Only Gaining New Ground in U.S. Education Policy?

Authors

Joao Goebel, National Louis UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article explores the implications of the recent Executive Order declaring English the official language of the United States, situating it within the historical context of English-only ideology and its impact on multilingual learners. While framed as a unifying policy, the order revokes Executive Order 13166, reducing federal protections for language access and echoing past efforts to marginalize non-English languages in schools. Drawing on precedents from 19th-century monolingual policies to Proposition 227, the article argues the order signals a renewed shift toward restrictive, subtractive approaches, offering an "educated guess" about their potential return and consequences. The analysis considers broader impacts on multilingual learners, immigrant communities, and educators, warning that such policies risk perpetuating linguicism, the systemic devaluation of languages other than English (Obondo, 2007), and eroding linguistic diversity. In contrast, shifting policy toward additive models provides a pathway that values bilingualism as both an educational right and a societal resource.

Recommended Citation

Goebel, Joao (2025) "At a Crossroads: Is English-Only Gaining New Ground in U.S. Education Policy?," SPACE: Student Perspectives About Civic Engagement: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/space/vol8/iss1/3