ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two Japanese schools in Santiago, Chile, that cater to preschool and elementary school children of Japanese background. Following M. Ekholm and U. P. Trier and M. B. Miles and K. S. Louis, it also examines the factors that contribute to the stability of these schools. In terms of the students, the chapter explores the relationship between legitimacy and issues of fit or appropriateness of instruction. Additionally, it considers the role that foreign governments and other external entities play in institutionalizing heritage language (HL) instruction and defining what it means to be a speaker of the HL. Research identifies autonomy of schools as one of the important factors contributing to the continuity and stability of innovations over time and across institutions.
