This is the first annual report of the National Advisory Council on Bilingual Education summarizing the condition of bilingual education in the U.S. and the administration and operation of Title VII. The Council recomends, in summary: (1) that communication among groups in bilingual-multicultural education be continuous; (2) that states be…

Bilingual education (BE) has long been established in Mexico, Peru, the U.S.S.R., the Philippines, and a number of other nations in order to teach both the vernacular and official languages. In the United States, BE has received increased attention since the passage of the National Bilingual Education Act and Title VII legislation. Evaluation…

A survey of the current language situation in India from a historical perspective, and an analysis of assumptions concerning language development. It is concluded that present government policies are ambivalent, giving lip-service to narrow definitions of mother tongues while directing resources toward the development of more broadly defined…

U.S. educational policies reflect an economic need to socialize immigrants and minority group members to fill undesirable, low-status jobs. Transitional bilingual education programs prevent immigrant children from attaining academic fluency in either their own language or English. (JOW)

Native American bilingual education programs in reservation schools and in rural, off-reservation areas serving a dominate Indian population are possible and provide valuable services. In urban areas, problems like geographic spread of the Indian population and a plurality of cultural/linguistic groups may prevent successful implementation. (MCK)

Reviews the role of bilingual education litigation in the formation of educational equity policy. Assesses the nature and role of research on minority group language achievement. Lists fourteen suggestions for future research needed in bilingual education. (MD)

Discusses contradictions in Federal educational policy regarding mainland v island Puerto Ricans. Reviews recent information on the educational status of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics. Holds that the government has a legal obligation to develop a systematic bilingual education policy and to resolve the segregation of ethnic and language…

Traces the development of Australia's educational policies toward Aboriginal children since important legal changes in 1967. Focuses on developing bilingual education, maintenance of culture and native language, and the movement toward Aboriginal self-determination. Suggests that the apparently inactive 1970s was a time of reflecting on…

Investigates changes in Hong Kong government's medium of instruction policy amid political, economic, and sociolinguistic changes in the last three decades. Explores the possible impact of the Chinese-medium instruction policy proposed in the wake of change of sovereignty on English-language learning. The theoretical underpinning of the study is…

Discusses the political schism that has driven public policy toward how to educate English language learners in the United States. Highlights some of the effects of Proposition 227--the California initiative that replaced bilingual education with structured immersion--such as calling attention to the educational needs of language minority…

The dominant paradigm in research on bilingual education is limited, yielding little for educational policy. Recommends an alternative paradigm, highlighting strengths and limitations of each, examining how they are employed in the bilingual education debate, noting policy-relevant findings from each, and concluding that only the alternative…

This report was written at the request of the Latino caucus of the California State Legislature and was completed as the debate surrounding Proposition 227--a measure requiring a substantial cutback in special services to limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in California public schools--was getting underway. The impetus for the report was to…

The purpose of this study is to understand how teachers negotiate decisions about goals and instruction for language minority students and how these decisions play out in classroom interactions. Much of bilingual education research focuses on program evaluation and implementation and, consequently, overlooks the critical role teachers play in the…

If first language maintenance is considered to be a goal of bilingual-bicultural educational programs, then alternative evaluation strategies are called for that will examine the "politics of speaking" in terms of determining the extent to which the informal or "hidden" curriculum and social organization of the program was inadvertently…