Mandarin Chinese is the fastest growing foreign language by number of students in the world [Ding and Saunders 2006. "Talking up China: An Analysis of China's Rising Cultural Power and Global Promotion of the Chinese Language." "East Asia" 23 (2): 3-33], but little is known about how it is taking hold in compulsory education in…

Describes five types of schools presently functioning in Catalonia, a Spanish state with its own language existing alongside Spanish. The typology accords with the role of Catalan and Spanish in instruction and in student activities. The expected evolution of this situation is discussed along with a description of the Catalan-education project.…

Describes the process for developing a bilingual curriculum for Guatemala's four largest Mayan language groups. The process took into account the Mayans' maintenance of a distinct linguistic and cultural identity. The results of this experimental curriculum and the current direction of bilingual education in Guatemala are discussed. (Author/CB)

Discusses the role of the Chinese language and people in Japan, focusing on the historical impact of the Chinese language and culture on Japan, Chinese schools in Japan, and local Chinese immigrant communities. (20 references) (MDM)

The conditions of the development and the present status of the mother tongue in the Finland-Swedish compulsory school are discussed from an investigation under progress. The aims, contents, and methods are examined from both cognitive and affective points of view in the curricula that have governed teaching in the compulsory school. (Author/CB)

Examines the growing influx of English loan words in Japanese, describing the structural and semantic changes that English loans go through in their Japanization process and the roles that they are expected to play. The social factors that drive the influx are also examined. (seven references) (MDM)

Focuses on the issue of Black native languages in the educational system in the context of curricular reforms emanating from the multicultural education movement. Examines how multicultural education has dealt with the needs and concerns of African Americans and Haitians. Looks at well-publicized African American and Haitian educational events in…

The subject of bilingualism is especially important in Bruni, a country with a multilingual population and a bilingual education policy, and it was felt that an international conference which examined bilingualism and bilingual education in a variety of 'development' contexts would be useful in reviewing and fine tuning of Bruneis' already…