The "Lau v. Nichols" ruling shows the importance of tailoring programs for local multilingual learners. We used longitudinal data from one school district in California to assess the relationship between attending a school with a language support program and English language arts (ELA) achievement. We found that students labeled an…

The term "newcomers" is commonly used to describe students who have recently arrived in U.S. schools. Depending on usage, newcomers may mean students in their first 6 months in U.S. schools, in their first 4 years, or anywhere in between. A majority arrive speaking little to no English, most are from socioeconomically disadvantaged…

In 1974, the United States Supreme Court ruled in "Lau v. Nichols" that 1,800 Chinese-speaking children in the San Francisco public schools were entitled to English-language instruction or other support to help them understand what was happening in their classrooms. Thirty-six years later, state and local responsibilities to public…

Discusses the definition, recipients, and effectiveness of bilingual education; traces the legal history of the concept and the various attempts in search of a constitutional right to bilingual education; and summarizes the present interpretation by courts. (MLF)

In the wake of the 1974 decision handed down by the Supreme Court in Lau v Nichols, there has been a burgeoning of training programs, workshops, conferences, and graduate programs in bilingual bicultural education. This paper examines some of the sources of these developments and attempts to put theory and practice into historical, cultural, and…

In 1978 a controversial evaluation found no difference in achievement between Hispanic students in transitional bilingual programs and those in regular classroom programs. The authors present an argument favoring the use of stuctured immersion programs instead of bilingual programs. (MD)

This collection of short articles focuses on bilingual education for Hispanics. The lead article cites statistics concerning the education of Hispanics, the segregation of Hispanics in schools, and the educational level they are likely to attain. The second article presents a historical perspective on bilingual education in American schools and…

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…

This document, presenting a statewide racial and ethnic survey by determining the distribution and composition of student enrollments and school personnel in local districts, is said to represent the most comprehensive effort attempted by Oregon's Title IV Unit, whose purpose is said to lie in improving the quality of services to target clients,…

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,…

This paper presents a brief historical overview and summary of the various approaches and recent developments in the field of bilingual education. The controversy that exists with respect to the different approaches to bilingual education has prevented the development of national goals and guidelines and the preparation of adequate evaluation…

This manual deals with the Lau Center's technical assistance approach for assisting school districts in their efforts to develop an educational master plan to meet compliance guidelines of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as it pertains to limited or non-English-speaking students. The following areas are addressed: (1) impact of "Lau v.…

The articles included in these proceedings are presented in order to give some insight into the meaning and scope of bilingualism and bilingual education. The volume is divided into sections respresenting the following five areas of concern in bilingual education: philosophy, legal aspects, language and linguistics, culture, and techniques and…

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…