As the 1968 Bilingual Education Act (BEA) reaches its 50th anniversary, we provide a critical historical review of its contradictory origins and legacy. By distilling the BEA's history into three periods that we label "power to the people," "pride for the people," and "profit from the people," we demonstrate that the…

Because Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States and are projected to become the largest minority during the 1980's, the education system must be more responsive to their needs. Fewer Hispanic children enroll in school than do non-Hispanics, many of them fall behind in school, and they have higher attrition rates than…

Recent court decisions are reviewed to clarify what schools must do to help non-English-speaking children. Court decisions indicate that: (1) educational programs must be theoretically and practically effective; (2) labeling and grouping procedures must not intentionally discriminate; and (3) teachers must be adequately trained. (PP)

This report includes papers by two educators concerning the education of Hispanics in the United States. Jose Hernandez addresses the issues of Hispanic demographic patterns and migration and the implications of these factors for educational planning and policy. Rafael Valdivieso focuses on the Federal role in Hispanic desegregation, discussing…

Whether bilingual education programs continue to be model projects for demonstrating viable alternatives for the education of Hispanics or general programs to correct deficits in the education of our children, the selection of students for participation in the programs and the training of teachers for these programs are serious responsibilities.…

The bilingual education movement, begun in the 1960's and virtually mandated by the 1974 Supreme Court Lau vs. Nichols decision, is highly controversial due to public perceptions of bilingual programs; the apparent departure from traditional school language policy; and the concept of bilingual education as a strategy for realizing the social,…

There is no inherent conflict between bilingual education and desegregation; only lack of creativity and lack of commitment deter implementation of bilingual programs in racially balanced schools. A review of literature related to the Brown v. Board of Education and Lau v. Nichols decisions revealed that bilingual education and school…

This resource for program planning offers guidelines for providing Nevada's limited-English-speaking (Spanish-speaking and American Indian) students with equal access to quality education. The following chapters are included: (1) "Educating Limited-English-Speaking Students: The Record," (2) "State Board of Education Position on…

Sponsored by 10 State departments of education (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming), the Project participants met in San Antonio, Texas, on November 17-19, 1976 to discuss bilingual/multicultural education. Since Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas have had significant experience in this field and…

This position paper gives the results of informal surveys carried out by the Bilingual-Bicultural Task Force of the California State Department of Education. Only 60 to 65% of the teachers in the state bilingual programs are judged bilingual and 50% bilingual-biliterate. Almost all of the teacher aides are judged bilingual, and a large percentage…