The value of transitional bilingual education (TBE) is discussed in the context of two competing theories of second language learning: (1) first language (L1) knowledge facilitates second language (L2) learning, and (2) the best way to learn English is to maximize time spent using it. First, the facilitation theory is examined in light of recent…

The multiethnic situation in American schools in the 1980s can be compared to that of Britain in the 1960s, when a sudden influx of non-English-speaking children in great numbers taxed the resources of an educational system dedicated to the English language. Arguments favoring multicultural education are increasing in both countries, and the need…

The position taken in this paper is that the basic debate concerning the effectiveness of bilingual education has been totally "socially naive." A study investigated the concept that the ethnolinguistic vitality of a community determines the quality and quantity of linguistic contacts with one's own linguistic group and with other…