Bilingual education in the media: Addressing the controversy in Madrid

Abstract

This article provides an up-to-date account of the evolution of Content and Language Integrated Learning under the so-called Madrid Bilingual Program (MBP), which serves as an illustrative case of the large-scale implementation of this approach in the compulsory school system. Since its initial introduction in 2004, the gradual expansion of this program across the network of public schools in the region has shifted from a predominantly celebratory tone to harsh critique, as portrayed in different media articles. Clickbait headlines have stirred public opinion, portraying a complex educational scenario where views appear to be polarized across different political and educational sectors. The controversies that presently affect the MBP are documented in the following four levels: (1) linguistic - i.e., the choice of English as a medium of instruction; expectations of language proficiency; (2) social - i.e., equity/inequity issues affecting schools and students; (3) pedagogical - i.e., subject learning and academic performance; and (4) professional - i.e., teacher training and language assistants’ qualifications. The ultimate aim is to articulate the areas of contention faced by the MBP to date. For this purpose, viewpoints depicted in the media by different organizations, including trade unions, platforms of collective action and stakeholders (local authorities, school administrators, teachers, parents, researchers) are juxtaposed with investigations conducted on the MBP. This leads to a discussion of the possibilities and challenges - present and future - faced by this program in the region, as well as the outline of some considerations for the sustainability of CLIL in Madrid’s public schools.

Keywords: CLIL, Bilingual Education, media, controversies, headlines