Community District Number 24 in New York City made successful inroads into meeting the educational needs of children learning English as a second language. Meeting such needs helped to contribute to the stabilization of this large residential area. Initially, the government responded to the needs of these students by providing funds for the establishment of bilingual and bicultural programs in three elementary schools at the primary level. All personnel in the program (teachers, assistant teachers, professional assistants, and resource staff) were bilingual. Native English-speaking and Hispanic children were grouped together in both English and Spanish classes. Spanish-speaking students were selected on the basis of performance on a rating scale. The curriculum consisted of reading, mathematics, and language instruction, with provisions also being made for the bilingual teaching of social studies, art, and science. With the aid of a strong curriculum, adequate staff, and community support, the bilingual program was evaluated as being successful on the basis of two major outcomes: (1) the rapid development of bilingual fluency in both the English- and Spanish-speaking groups and (2) the elimination of difficulties for non-English-speaking pupils, traditionally handicapped by a severe retardation in school achievement during the period of transition to the mastery of English. (BJD)