Duncan touts advantages of bilingualism Education Week His comments aren't likely to ignite a new battle in the bilingual education wars, but U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan over breakfast gave perhaps his clearest statements to date on the benefits of dual-language development and instruction, especially for students who are English-language learners. English learners, he said in a meeting with reporters, come to school with a major asset — their home languages — that educators should capitalize on, especially in the early grades. Source: NABE.org