Using comparative data from two Navajo community-school contexts, this article details the conditions within these and similar contexts that enable schools to authentically use and validate the local language. Six social engineering strategies are presented as a means to build dual-language programs. (seven references) (MDM)

Examines federally funded bilingual education programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives from a language planning perspective. It is argued that federal programs represent an exoglossic (externally orientated) policy that can contribute to language loss. Indigenous communities need to develop endoglossic (community-orientated) policies that…

Analyzes three public controversies related to California's Proposition 227: English as endangered language versus students' right to appropriate education, bilingual education versus structured English immersion, and local control and professional volition versus state-mandated English-only education. Outlines an advocacy framework applicable to…

Examines potential ways to view bilingual education in a more liberatory perspective. Summarizes the global, historical context of bilingual education, and outlines principles and features of six models of formal bilingual education. Discusses how language use in school can empower or disable language minority students. Views bilingualism as a…

An autobiographical narrative of a Puerto Rican bilingual teacher reflects on the social and educational impact of bilingualism, biculturalism, and bilingual education on her life. It also aims to redefine the American dream to more adequately reflect the contemporary multicultural character of a bilingual American. (Author/SV)

Suggests abandoning the inequitable practice of requiring language-minority and international students to demonstrate English proficiency before pursuing a U.S. college degree. Proposes a model that incorporates multilingual student recruitment, use of sheltered techniques and supported academic instruction, English for academic purposes (rather…

Reviews an anthology that provides undergraduate and graduate students with theoretical and practical discussion on various ideological convictions in the fields of multiculturalism and bilingual education. Discusses theoretical conflicts and ideologies affecting the field of multiculturalism, and the more immediate effects of politics on teaching…

In the United States today, other languages and bilingualism receive no more respect than in 1954 when Mexican American children had to spend years in "pre-primer" classes before entering first grade. The rush to dismantle bilingual education programs has proceeded without any evidence of program failure. Without true equity and respect…

Reflects on the public debates over bilingual education since passage of the Bilingual Education Act 30 years ago. Focuses on ambivalence toward bilingual education and bilingualism, demonstrated by the failure of colleges and universities to train adequate numbers of qualified bilingual teachers and by those who value learning a…

A Mexican American teacher/administrator describes her experiences with bilingual education as a limited-English-proficient child, college student, bilingual teacher, graduate student, district administrator, teacher of bilingual teachers, and employee in a federal technical assistance center, and traces the impact of Title VII (the Bilingual…

This book assembles a wide range of research on children's language development, interprets it with analyses of how bilingualism affects that development, and, above all, breaks the myths surrounding bilingualism and bilingual education. The urgency about introducing language minority children to English immediately in schools, and about…

Argues that the historical development of U.S. bilingual education policy largely results from a morality based on economic and social interdependency. Explores strengths and limitations of that morality. Develops the construct of a spiritual morality that combines the powers of intellect, emotions, politics, and spirituality in support of…

Proposes that the unique features of electronic text can interact with the special skills, abilities, and diverse experiences of English language learners to help us better understand both the goals, processes, and special characteristics of the bilingual experience and the acquisition of electronic literacy skills. (Contains 29 references.)…

Criticisms against bilingual education policy are myopic and focus on nostalgic notions of Americanization and assimilation. Bilingual education supports heritage-language students' cultural identities and expands their contexts of choice, thus developing their self-determination and preparing them to participate in democracy. Federal policies…

In light of the articles in this issue, this article discusses the role that language planning plays in the building of communities and nations, focusing on American Indian language and bilingual education. Also examined is the impact of the Native American Languages Act on the maintenance of indigenous language and cultural resources. (four…