Bilingual Education:
History, Politics, Theory, and Practice 

By James Crawford
Bilingual Educational Services, 
4th ed., 1999
341 pp.; $26.95 (paperback) 
Click here for
ordering information

               

A comprehensive report on the state of bilingual education – its pedagogical promise as well as its political predicament. A generation after its revival in the United States, instruction that builds on (rather than seeking to replace) children's native language has never looked better in educational terms. Yet it has never been more vulnerable to attack from ideological enemies in Congress and the English Only movement. 

This bestselling introduction to the field, completely revised and expanded for the 1990s, incorporates the latest developments in legislation, research, pedagogy, and school reform. Bilingual Education provides the context – in history, politics, research, and program experience – for assessing today's policy debates.


Reviews of Earlier Editions
"A fascinating glimpse into this complex policy issue [by] one of the most seasoned and astute observers of the politics of bilingual education. ... I plan to keep a  copy to lend to anyone I run across who is possessed by the many  myths about bilingualism and language policy in the U.S."
– Kenji Hakuta, Stanford University, American School Board Journal

 
"Interesting, informative, and exceedingly well-written. ... A valuable resource  for practitioners, policymakers, and others."
– G. Richard Tucker, Carnegie-Mellon University, NABE Journal

 
"An excellent review of recent research and theory." 
– Jim Cummins, Ontario Institute for  Studies in Education,
Empowering Minority Students

 
"Incisive ... superbly written and exquisitely organized. ... The 'fraud or libel' proceedings which U.S. English threatened ... indicate that this book pulls no punches. ...  Should be sent to every legislator and schoolboard member in the U.S.A."
– Joshua A. Fishman, International Journal of the Sociology of Language

 
"A noteworthy addition to the literature."
– Carlos Ovando, Indiana University, Harvard Educational Review

 
"The best documented, most complete, and most useful book on the issues facing bilingual eduators today. ... A 'must' for reading lists  and for the training of bilingual teachers."
– Jim Goss, Texas Tech University, TABE News

Contents

Introduction 

HISTORY

1. Bilingualism in America: A Forgotten Legacy

2. The Evolution of Federal Policy

POLITICS 

3. English Only or English Plus? 

4. The Bennett Years 

THEORY

5. The Effectiveness Debate 

6. Basic Research on Language Acquisition 

7. Alternatives to Bilingual Education

PRACTICE 

8. Theory into Practice: The Case Studies Project 

9. Indian Bilingual Education 

10. California: Coping with Diversity

11. Two-Way Bilingual Education 

POLICY

12. Language Policy and School Reform 

13. Disaster at the Polls

APPENDICES 

A. Glossary of Program Models 

B. Title VII (1994) 

C. National Education Goals (1994)

D. "English Language Empowerment Act" (1996)

E. California's Proposition 227 (1998)

F. Sources and Suggested Reading 

Index