ABSTRACT
Celia [teacher] holds up two books, one in Spanish and one in English. She tells the students, who are all sitting on the rug, that they are going to take a vote to decide which one they are going to read. As she holds up the Spanish book, Jesus calls out in an angry tone, “Th is is boring.” Luis, imitating Jesus’ angry tone says, “I hate this.” Celia: What do you hate? Jesus: Spanish. Celia: (with a look of incredulity) ¿Què habla tu mama? [What does your mom speak?] Jesus: (defi antly) Spanish. Celia: Th en you have to like it. You have to be proud of tu idioma [your language]. (Stritikus,
2002, p. 97)
Th e question of how to best educate Latino students frequently centers on issues of language of instruction: Should students be taught in the language they know best? Should Spanish be maintained and developed? Or, should students be immersed in English-only instructional contexts? While there are pedagogical aspects to these questions, the answers have frequently been shaped by legal decisions and policy directives. Understanding the political and legal context is crucial for understanding the educational opportunities for Latino students.
