Better Chance To Learn Bilingual Bicultural Education

This report was prepared for submission to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. It reviews the California State Department of Education's administration of state and federally funded bilingual programs and identifies specific Department policies and practices that may affect the success of district-level programs for language-minority students. Following introductory and background material on the Advisory Committee, populations, programs and legislation, the bulk of the report deals with the following: (1) the California State Department of Education's monitoring responsibilities; (2) recent developments in the Department of Education; (3) impact of the legislature; (4) findings and conclusions; and (5) recommendations. The basic finding is that the Department of Education has failed to ensure that California's non- and limited-English-speaking students receive equal educational opportunities. The report offers 20 recommendations dealing with a survey of the population in question, services for the state's language-minority students, Department coordination and personnel, bilingual project onsite reviews, enforcement, and legislative review of the Department's administration. Three appendices provide relevant population and program data. (CFM).

This report focuses on issues relating to the development and implementation of educational programs for and placement of national origin minority students identified as having limited English proficiency. It examines the present-day barriers that prevent students with limited English proficiency from having an equal opportunity to participate in educational programs. The report evaluates and analyzes the Office for Civil Rights' (OCR) implementation, compliance, and enforcement effort for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Lau v. Nichols.