A model for the evaluation of bilingual education

In this article a model is proposed to deal with bilingual education that maps relevant factors on a single, multitiered and integrated structure. Around the circumference of each tier we place factors that may have an influence on or may be affected by a specific bilingual education program, grouped according to general category (psychological, sociological, economic, political, religious, cultural, geographical, demographic, historical, Linguistic, and so on). In the center of the circle are located educational factors. The first tier represents the situation of the community (any relevant socio-educational entity, ranging from a village to a nation or larger) before a bilingual program is established. The second tier sets out all the possible rationales for a bilingual program, including the explicit or unstated goals of those who have planned or who control the program, and it allows for several layers in cases where various people might have different or competing goals for the same program. The third tier incorporates the factors under the control of those administering the program: it consists of the operations in whatever area that affect the program: it goes beyond educational factors, and includes for instance language development activities, new political structures, and changes in socio-economic situation. The fourth tier is similar to the first, but represents the situation in the community after the program has been in operation for some time. The paper concludes with a brief sketch of the situation of bilingual education on the Navajo Reservation and in Micronesia. It is argued that only a model as complex as this will make it possible to recognize the features underlying the many different bilingual programs in the world today.