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González, Josué, M. (Ed.) (2008) Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Pp. 1008 + xxvii         ISBN 9781412937207

Reviewed by Cynthia Crosser
University of Maine

December 24, 2008

The Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education is a compendium of information on bilingual education in the United States. Bilingual education in this context is defined as the use of two languages in the teaching of curriculum content in K-12 schools. Other definitions are used in education outside the U.S. Readers interested in examining bilingual education from an international perspective should see the Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education (1998), which complements the current work.

The goal is of bilingual education in the United States education is to integrate and assimilate children into the use of English. American schools did not always provide bilingual education; it was traditionally considered the family’s responsibility to prepare children to be taught in English. However, this view began to change when the Civil Rights Act (1964) eliminated intent as a criterion for proof of discrimination. The Bilingual Education Act (1968) created a mechanism for providing grant money to help meet the needs of students between the ages of 3 and 18 with limited English-speaking ability. However, participation in this program was voluntary. The Supreme Court ruling on Lau v. Nichols (1974) and the subsequent passing of the Equal Educational Opportunity Act (1974) were more influential in increasing bilingual education in the United States. Plyler v. Doe (1982) expanded educational expectations by mandating the education of undocumented/illegal immigrants. The No Child Left Behind Act (2002) combined bilingual and immigrant education grants and established accountability for short and effective training programs by requiring students with limited English proficiency to be tested in reading and language arts in English after they have attended school in the United States for three years.

This two-volume Encyclopedia work is edited by Josué González, Professor of Education and Director of the Southwest Center for Education Equity and Language Diversity at Arizona State University. González, who has published extensively on the subject of bilingual education, limits the scope of the encyclopedia to informational pieces without editorial comment. The exceptions to this are topics that González believes cannot be covered without acknowledging the controversies that drive the field. Essay entries that combine information with expert opinion are labeled as such and begin with an identifying note. Entries are signed and listed alphabetically. Contributors’ names and affiliations precede González’s introduction in the first volume. A reader’s guide organizes the entries into the following categories: Family, Communities, and Society; History; Instructional Designs; Languages and Linguistics; People and Organizations; Policy Evolution; Related Social Sciences; Teaching and Learning. While the organization into categories is useful, an asterisk next to entries in the reader’s guide specifying controversial topics would have been beneficial. A comprehensive index in the second volume provides allows users to search for narrow topics.

Readers looking for background information will find the appendices especially useful. They include an annotated list of relevant legislation and court cases, full text for the Bilingual Education Act (1968) and Lau v. Nichols (1974), two opinion pieces, and statistics on Title VII funding from 1969 to 1995. One of the opinion pieces argues against English as an official language. This complements one of the entries that argues for English as an official language. Part of the decision to list one view as an entry and the other in the appendix was González’s assessment that the entry favoring English as an official language was more realistic in explaining the history and current status of bilingual education in the United States.

Topics covered in Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education range from “Critical Period Hypothesis” to “Proposition 227 (California)” to “Southeast Asian Refugees.” Relevant individuals are also covered, including: Nancy Hornberger, Stephen Krashen, and Bernard Spolsky. All entries are followed by a See Also section with related topics and Further Readings with references.

While all of the entries are informative and well-written, the most interesting ones are the special essays combining information with expert opinion. González, the editor of the current work, contributed the essay “Spanish, the Second National Language;” and Colin Baker, co-editor of Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, penned the essay “U.S. Bilingual Education Viewed from Abroad.” González points out the difference between a national language and an official language. His essay provides important background information on the role of Spanish in the United States. Colin points out that while the bilingual research conducted in the United States has had a tremendous impact internationally, it has been less effective in influencing educational practices within the United States. Baker believes that the role of the United States as a superpower and the role of English as a unifying national force within the United States are responsible for this difference.

The Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education is an important resource. It is comprehensive in coverage and accessible to general readers. The inclusion of controversial topics is handled with care and demonstrates a clear understanding of the current and historic policies towards bilingual education in the United States. All academic and public libraries should consider this a necessary purchase.

References

Baker, C., & Prys Jones, S. (1998). Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Philadelphia, PA: Multilingual Matters.

Bilingual Education Act, Pub. L. No. 95-561 (1968).

Civil Rights Act, Pub. L. No. 88-352 (1964)

Equal Education Opportunity Act, Pub. L. No. 93-380 (1974)

Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 (1974)

No Child Left Behind Act Pub. L. No. 107–110 (2002).

Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982)

About the Reviewer

Cynthia Crosser is a Social Science and Humanities Reference Librarian/Education and Psychology Subject Specialist at the University of Maine. In addition to her M.S. in Library Studies from Florida State University, she has an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Florida with a specialization in language acquisition and an extensive background in developmental psychology

Copyright is retained by the first or sole author, who grants right of first publication to the Education Review.

Editors: Gene V Glass, Kate Corby, Gustavo Fischman

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