COLORADO REPORT ON EDUCATION FOR BILINGUAL CHILDREN

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A KEEN REALIZATION OF THE VALUE IN THE EDUCATION OF POTENTIALLY BILINGUAL CHILDREN HAS COME ABOUT AS A RESULT OF TWO STRONG FORCES--THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRINCIPLES OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND THE RECOGNITION THAT BILINGUALISM CAN BE AN ASSET OR A HANDICAP DEPENDING ON THE EDUCATION THE CHILD RECEIVES IN BOTH LANGUAGES. THIS REALIZATION HAS LEAD TO TWO MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECTS IN COLORADO. THE FIRST PROJECT, "THE ACCULTURATION AND EDUCATION OF RURAL QUAD-ETHNIC GROUPS FOR MAXIMUM CHOICES IN THE LARGER SOCIETY," HAS AS ITS ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CURRICULAR FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH TEACHER AND STUDENT TOGETHER MAY RESEARCH AND RESOLVE PROBLEMS OF CROSS CULTURAL, -LINGUISTIC, AND -CONCEPTUAL INTERFERENCES. THE SECOND PROJECT IS TITLED, "A PROJECT IN AN AUTOTELIC RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT NURSERY SCHOOL FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY DEPRIVED SPANISH AMERICAN CHILDREN." ITS MAJOR THESIS IS THAT THE COMMON CYCLE OF CHILDREN FROM DISADVANTAGED FAMILIES (WHO ENTER SCHOOL WITHOUT THE EXPERIENCES PREREQUISITE FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS, FALL PROGRESSIVELY BEHIND OTHER CHILDREN, USUALLY DROP OUT BEFORE ACHIEVING FUNCTIONAL LITERACY, AND RETURN TO SLUM HOMES TO REAR THE NEXT DISADVANTAGED GENERATION) CAN AND MUST BE BROKEN BEFORE THE CHILD ENTERS THE FIRST GRADE. THIS REPORT WAS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS, EL PASO, TEXAS, NOVEMBER 10-11, 1967. (ES)