English learners (ELs) represent a growing share of the student population in the United States, yet are often sidelined in federal education policy discussions. At present, an uneven approach has yielded sharp differences in ELs' educational experiences, with some states prioritizing bilingual education models and others emphasizing…

Children adopted from foreign countries, especially those who were in an orphanage, may experience greater difficulties than culturally or linguistically diverse children who do not come from such a background. Delays in learning language and, consequently, slower cognitive and social development, can undermine the academic success of these…

Sixty years ago, federal guidelines regarding the instruction of special populations in American public schools were nonexistent. Racial minorities, language minorities, women, the poor, and those with physical and mental disabilities had not been identified as groups that needed special protections. Much has changed since then. Federal…

The state of California educates over six million or twelve percent of the nation's student population. Approximately three million are Latino and 1.5 million are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). English Language Learners are significantly underperforming in math and reading compared to White students in all grade levels. The…

With the increasing number of undocumented workers entering the United States and the costs associated with educating their children, bilingual education may soon become the target of opponents of illegal immigration. Furthermore, recent leftist shifts in Latin American governments have provided an impetus for an educated biliterate population…

The John Jay Elementary Secondary Education Act Title VII Bilingual Program was implemented at John Jay High School, a comprehensive high school in Brooklyn, New York. This program was designed to offer bilingual, instructional, and supportive services to 9th and 10th grade foreign language dominant high school students. The program served 260…

The content of the 1988 Bilingual Education Act, which is part of Public Law 100-297 (the Hawkins/Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments) and which reauthorized bilingual education through September 30, 1993, is examined. The 1988 reauthorization was the fourth reauthorization of the original Bilingual Education Act of…

Deals with language minorities in the United States through discussion of the special English instructional programs needed for them, the legislative and judicial mandates on such programs, and three controversial issues: (1) the goals of such programs, (2) who the programs should serve, and (3) the most pedagogical approach for bilingual…

The bilingual program of the Auxiliary Services for High Schools (ASHS) provides an alternative educational system in New York for students who are bilingual or speak no English but do speak Spanish, French, Italian, Greek or Chinese. The program's primary purpose is to prepare pupils for the General Education High School Equivalency (HSE)…

The Bilingual Program in the James Monroe High School in the South Bronx in New York, was designed to offer bilingual instructional and supportive services to ninth through twelfth grade high school students under funding from Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The program was designed to provide a model for replication by…

This manual describes the Kolehion Mandikike English-Chamorro bilingual/bicultural education project in Guam. Begun in 1970, the project is located at Price Elementary School in Mangilao and Torres Elementary School in Santa Rita. A general overview of the project is presented here, along with a discussion of training for staff members, materials…

This report reviews the bilingual program of a New York City school district (with large concentrations of students of Chinese and Hispanic backgrounds) whose goals were the training of bilingual personnel, the development of a bilingual-bicultural curriculum, and the development of a bilingual resource center. Discussed are: the implementation of…

Changes in the legislative history of specialized education for students of limited English proficiency are described in this paper, beginning with the authorization of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 and going through the reauthorizations of the Act in 1974, 1978, 1984, and 1988. Important events surrounding the legislative action are also…

After reviewing recent legal decisions on bilingual education, this report describes the goals and requirements of a bilingual program in a New York City community school district with a large number of Spanish speaking pupils, and the methods by which these goals were to be attained. The training and responsibilities of staff are discussed, with…

The Effective Transition of the Bilingual and Bicultural Student program was funded to offer academic subjects bilingually in grades 9-12, to train staff to carry out program goals, and to provide supportive services to program students. The program offered instruction in English as a Second Language, native language arts, social studies, science,…