California Referendum Mandates "English Only." The lead story in a Rethinking Schools report on the so-called "English for the Children" initiative slated to go before California voters on June 2, 1998, which would ban bilingual instruction and impose an English-only mandate on all classrooms. Includes a breakdown of the initiative's key components and analysis of what its passage would mean for bilingual education and local control.

Number of Language-Minority Students SkyrocketsAn analysis by the National Association of Bilingual Education details the tremendous growth of this population.

History of Bilingual EducationBilingual education has been a fixture in U.S. schools for almost 150 years. Background on this history, important court cases,and why the "English for the Children" initiative could end up costing California billions in federal school aid.

Resources on the Unz InitiativeWhere to call, write or Web-surf for more information on the "English for the Children" referendum.

Reading, Writing and Censorship: When Good Books Can Get Schools in Trouble
By Barbara Miner
Censorship is alive and well in U.S. schools, often as part of a larger effort by conservatives or religious fundamentalists to impose their ideology on public institutions. Rethinking Schools takes an in-depth look at the ongoing struggle over what children can and can't read in school.

There's a lot more inside this issue.