Bilingual Education at the Graduate Level and Its Relevance to a Culturally Pluralistic America.

Overview & Synopsis

Directors of 67 bilingual education university programs and centers were surveyed to ascertain: philosophical aspects on what professionals regard as the basis for groundwork to accomplish educational aims in bilingualism/ biculturalism; various approaches applied to bilingual education; any specific direction where bilingual education should be heading; ramifications of institutional behavior; any viability of state support through legislation. There was a 31% response and a strong rationale was indicated for bilingual education in America. The following conclusions on bilingual/multicultural education in America were reached: approaches are changing from compensatory to two-way enrichment; cultural factors are becoming increasingly essential for enhancement of cognitive and affective development; bilingual/multicultural education provides tremendous advantages for universal improvement; further development and dissemination of curriculum materials is needed; there is no national policy providing direction to the states on determining effective criteria; there is a lack of adequate instruments for assessing students with limited English speaking ability; there is more emphasis on Masters and Doctoral degrees in bilingual/multicultural education; research in this field is becoming more prevalent and this is necessary to meet future trends. (AN)