The National Council of Teachers of English, with 77,000 individual and institutional members worldwide, is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of  education. Its membership is composed of elementary, middle, and high school teachers, supervisors of English programs, college and university faculty, teacher educators, local and state agency English specialists, and professionals in related fields.

The Council promotes the development of literacy, the use of language to construct personal and public worlds and to achieve full participation in society, through the learning and teaching of English and the related arts and sciences of language.

National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096

President Jerome C. Harste

Phone:  217-328-3870, 800-369-6283
Fax: 217-328-0977
Email: public_info@ncte.org
Web: http://www.ncte.org

               On Bilingual Education

                   1999 
                   The NCTE Annual Business Meeting in Denver 

                  Background:
                   In June 1998, bilingual education in California was dealt a severe
                   blow when voters approved Proposition 227, a statewide ballot
                   initiative that requires children “to be taught English by being
                   taught in English.” Fallout from this initiative is spreading rapidly
                   beyond California’s borders to other states that are choosing
                   either to adopt Proposition 227 in its entirety or to propose some
                   subset of it. These propositions are especially dangerous to the
                   future of bilingual education because they move beyond much of
                   the existing legislation that asks, "Should bilingual education be
                   reformed?" to legislation that asks, "Should bilingual education
                   be eliminated?" 

                   These ill-advised attacks come at a time in education when
                   educational research tells us that children and adolescents who
                   enter school as non-English speakers adjust socially and do well
                   academically when they can understand and participate in
                   classroom activities (Collier, V., & Thomas, W.P., 1989; de
                   Stigter, T., 1999). In addition, the research shows that the more
                   quality time students have to study and learn in their native
                   language, the better they do later socially and academically in
                   classes taught entirely in English (Cummins, J., 1991; Krashen,
                   in press). From a more far-reaching perspective, our commitment
                   to bilingual education speaks to the pluralist and humane society
                   we choose to build. Be it therefore 

                  Resolution:
                   Resolved, that the National Council of Teachers of English 

                      1. Encourage its members to advocate for state and national
                          language policies that continuously examine and improve,
                          not eliminate, bilingual education; 

                      2. Support the development of teacher education programs
                          that produce competent bilingual/biliterate teachers who
                          are well prepared to handle the moral, academic, cultural,
                          and political aspects involved with bilingual education; 

                      3. Encourage and promote bilingualism and biliteracy among
                          all teachers; 

                      4. Encourage and promote appreciation and respect for
                          bilingualism and for language variations and differences; 

                      5. Disseminate research on effective bilingual schools and
                          programs; 

                      6. Create ways to feature effective bilingual schools; and 

                      7. Work constructively on the above resolutions with other
                          organizations concerned with bilingual education. 
 

National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096

Phone:  217-328-3870, 800-369-6283
Fax: 217-328-0977
Web: http://www.ncte.org

                  On Developing and Maintaining Fluency in
                More than One Language 

                  1997 
                   The NCTE Annual Business Meeting in Detroit 

                  Background:
                   Literacy transfers across languages. Current research confirms
                   the fact that English language learners acquire English more
                   easily if they are literate in their native language. Validating and
                   supporting their native language and culture empowers students,
                   resulting in academic and social benefits. Proficiency in more
                   than one language is a decided intellectual and emotional
                   advantage. Exclusion of students' language, culture, and
                   experience from the classroom places students at a
                   disadvantage in classroom interaction and can hinder their
                   successful acquisition of English. Be it therefore 

                  Resolution:
                   Resolved, that the National Council of Teachers of English
                   continue to oppose any legislation that establishes any language
                   as an official language and thus limits students' ability to
                   maintain their first languages while acquiring literacy in new
                   languages. 

National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096

Phone:  217-328-3870, 800-369-6283
Fax: 217-328-0977
Web: http://www.ncte.org

The following is a mirror copy of :
http://www.ncte.org/resolutions/bilingual821982.html

National Council of Teachers of English

 

                  On English as a Second Language and
               Bilingual Education 

                  1982 
                   The NCTE Annual Business Meeting in Washington, DC 

                  Background:
                   Continued debate on the question of how best to effect
                   second-language learning without causing students to lose the
                   richness and cultural values inherent in their first language
                   prompted NCTE to form a committee of specialists in language to
                   study the issues involved in two different instructional
                   approaches. The following resolution distills the central ideas of
                   the report of the NCTE Committee on Issues in English as a
                   Second Language and Bilingual Education. Be it therefore 

                   Resolution:
                   Resolved, that the National Council of Teachers of English 

                      1. emphasize the desirability of preserving a student's first
                          language and its cultural ties, since the first language is
                          considered a base upon which the student adds control of
                          English and some familiarity with its literature and the
                          culture within which that literature developed; 

                      2. reaffirm the values and continuity of English as a national
                          language and support the English language as a basic
                          component within bilingual education; 

                      3. support the rights of students with limited English
                          proficiency to receive equal educational opportunity; 

                   that NCTE 

                      1. urge that teachers of English in bilingual-education
                          programs have preparation, if not certification, for teaching
                          English as a second language; 

                      2. encourage English teachers of any non-English speaking
                          students to become familiar with the aims, methods, and
                          materials of bilingual education; 

                      3. urge that teachers in bilingual-education programs be
                          proficient speakers/listeners and readers/writers of each
                          language for which they have a teaching responsibility; 

                   that NCTE disseminate the position statement of the
                   Committee on Issues in ESL and Bilingual Education which
                   explains and elaborates these statements of belief and principle;
                   and 

                   that NCTE assume a wider responsibility for working
                   constructively with other organizations concerned with bilingual
                   education and teaching English as a second language. 

National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096

Phone:  217-328-3870, 800-369-6283
Fax: 217-328-0977
Web: http://www.ncte.org

Fellow Citizens: 

The Arizona English Teachers Association, dedicated to furthering the teaching of English, believes that strong English literacy, along with supportive parental involvement, are two critical factors in the academic success of language minority children. Ironically, the initiative sponsored by "English for the Children" is dangerously misleading on both counts. 

First, its one-year limit weakens English instruction. American teachers, who have helped to make English the world's most international language, know that English learners can quickly develop some fluency in spoken English. However, reading and writing English at grade level is a much more gradual process. English and bilingual education teachers have learned through experience that three years of special instruction--Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Level English--is the minimum amount of time required for students to attain sufficient reading and writing skills. Instead of this proven three-year program, the initiative gives students only one year before they are forced into regular classes where teachers may not have the time or expertise to deal with their unique needs--or would have to slow instruction for other students. 

Secondly, it reduces parental involvement. All parents have a right to be involved in decisions affecting the type of instruction offered in public schools. Thus, we oppose any law that would ignore parents' wishes and dictate only one method of instruction for all students. Moreover, the initiative prohibits certain students from applying for waivers and gives school officials the unprecedented power to reject parental requests "without explanation or legal consequence." 

Reports on California's experiment, initially positive, now are quite troubling. One-year plans purport to help immigrant children yet actually limit their success in American schools and limit parental choice. Arizonans should reject this punitive measure. 

Arizona English Teachers Association
Mary Setliff-Hodge, AETA President 
Salvador Gabaldón, AETA Executive Liaison