Despite the ethnic and linguistic diversity found in California's public schools, or because of it, in 1998 voters approved Proposition 227, a ballot initiative designed to dismantle bilingual education programs in the state. By the 2003-2004 school year, the California Department of Education reports that statewide 8,908 teachers were providing…

This article examines colonial language policies and practices at the government Central School, Hong Kong--the so-called Eton of the East--in the second half of the nineteenth century. The article, which draws on a range of unpublished primary sources, seeks to enhance our knowledge of an important episode in Hong Kong's educational history and,…

The implementation of Alaska's bilingual-bicultural education policy in the Lower Kuskokwim School District, which serves a predominantly Eskimo population, was investigated. The research objectives were to describe policy implementation, analyze problems with implementation, and explain why the local programs diverged from the intent of state…

Traces the historical background of language diversity in the United States. Argues that the desire to maintain English as the common language of the United States will be brought about more effectively through the American tradition of persuasion and democracy than through linguistic legislation. (ARH)

A history of the influences and pressures shaping the evolution of bilingual education legislation in Texas (1965-73) illustrates how different and opposed political factions and philosophical views have shaped programs to teach language minority children such as Mexican Americans. (MH)

Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study uses an ecological approach to examine how student interactions within a dual-language school context may offer affordances for increased linguistic and conceptual understanding. Using qualitative analysis of student discourse, this paper focuses on data from recorded interactions between pairs of…

The advancement of a theory of bilingual education that has to do with the elaboration of conceptual and analytic frameworks for the purpose of describing, interpreting, and understanding the essential underlying principles and elements of bilingual education is needed as a foundation for policy formation. This paper aims to construct a framework…

Presents an overview of bilingual education in the United States, with particular reference to the Spanish-speaking. (AM)

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…

Argues that educational research does not support the effects of transitional bilingual education as a superior instructional practice for improving the English-language achievement of limited-English-proficient students. Real studies are needed of the effectiveness of intensive English language instruction. (SLD)

The establishment and growth of Irish-medium education has been central to the revitalisation of the language in Northern Ireland in recent years. Historically, the struggle by the minority of Irish speakers in the region to provide all-Irish schools has been both the goal and the engine of renewal and expansion during a period of community and…

Discusses demands for changes in attitude concerning bilingualism and multilingualism in an era of international migration and European integration. Reviews European, especially German, history from the time of the Wiemar Republic prior to World War II to identify educational arguments regarding bilingual education. (CFR)

Demonstrates the presence of a minority group elite in the contemporary bilingual education movement. The bilingual education program elite insists that students of limited English proficiency be taught exclusively in bilingual education programs and only by certified bilingual teachers even though bilingual education has not been demonstrated to…

The work of CODOFIL (the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) is described. (Text is in French.) (PMP)