AbstractIs bilingual-bicultural education a vehicle for Limited English Proficient (LEP) children to learn the English language or an obstacle to their learning? The author addresses this question by reviewing changing language policies in the United States and ongoing controversies surrounding this issue. He posits that bilingual education is an educational tool for initiating formal learning from a position of strength for the learner. Becoming literate in the first language provides a cognitive foundation for second-language learning. Making use of the learner's native language to facilitate reading and writing skills in the first language reduces the learner's negative associations with initial formal learning and promotes psychological nurturance critical for success in lifelong learning. Failure to honor the learner's native language in initial learning has negative consequences for both the learner and society. The learner is more likely to become a dropout statistic, and society loses the learner's potential contribution. The author presents school social workers with background and a framework for examining the questions and potential merits of bilingual education as a dropout prevention vehicle. Federal legislation that prescribes program alternatives are presented. Potential school social work roles in the context of the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) school social work study “The Human Factor: A Key to Excellence in Education” are discussed.