Title VII, The Bilingual Education Act: A study of the evolution of United States federal policy since 1968 to the year 2000

In today's fast moving global society it is of utmost importance to be able to communicate with people from other cultures who speak a language different from our own. To be able to relate to diverse groups and speak other languages could be of great benefit in meeting this need. Bilingual education could be a valuable asset concerning this urgent need.; This study is a policy analysis in a historical context. The goal of the study was to examine federal policies related to bilingual education and to analyze them in terms of their contribution to equality of educational opportunity for the limited English proficient students in the United States.; The techniques of historical and policy analyses were used to examine the evolution of Title VII: The Bilingual Education Act, from its genesis to the year 2000 by relying on studies meeting high professional standards. Relevant literature in scholarly job and books written by experts in the field of bilingual education, public documents, and legislation were scrutinized. The study investigated: (1) the events that were attributed to the enactment of Title VII, The Bilingual Education Act; (2) the educational impact of Title VII on the education of non-English speakers and on the nation; (3) the evolution of funding for bilingual education; and (4) the federal policy impact on teacher training programs in institutions of higher education.; The study concluded that there is a vast inequality in the distribution of funds between the English speaking and the non-English speaking population. Educating policy makers and the public in general on how people learn a second, third or more languages would help level off the inequality in educational opportunity for limited English proficient students. Minimizing the amount of ignorance, which has clouded the benefits, and the potentials of bilingual education will enhance the process of policy making.