The last “Read to the Top!” event of the summer hosted by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was bilingual, with U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis reading the Spanish version of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson read The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, in English.
Duncan hasn’t said anything publicly that I’m aware of about bilingual education since becoming secretary, but he has promoted bilingualism on occasion, such as in his July 28 speech to the National Council of La Raza. I interpret his decision to make the “Read to the Top!” event bilingual another pitch for the value of bilingualism.