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Question #1 What have been the policies on the teaching of English in Puerto Rico for the past 114 years?
Construct a timeline to answer this question. -
Discovery of the Americas to the time until the United States took over the island.
From the time Christopher Columbus discovered America, until the time the United States took over the island, in 1898, Puerto rico's main language was Spanish. The schools were basically religious and were rarely offered to people with a less desireable economic background. -
Spanish - American War
School instruction before the Spanish-American War was based on Europian educational modules uner the influence of General Eulogio Despujol. Pedagogical schools of law were created, for auxiliary, rural, kindergarten and adults, and education was extended to the poor. When America took over Puerto Rico, there was two major changes; religious teachings were eliminated and free education was established. -
United States Provisional Court
The United States Provisional Court declared that all United States Agencies with the General Order 880 signed n June 27th, 1899 would be conducted in English. -
Spanish and English Taught
Spanish and English both were taught in the schools. spanish for the first two years, concentrating on reading and writing. English reading comprehension was taught in the second year. The last three years of elementary school, two class periods of English was administered for United States History and English classes. -
Foracker Act
Puerto Ricans were to be educted according to the ideals of the United States. English was the means of communication. President McKinley appointed Dr. Martin Brumbaugh as first commisioner of Education in Puerto Rico. He achieved a Transitional Bilingual"policy. Spanish was the language for all classes and English was given as a subject in all grades. -
Spanish Ruled Out Completely
Commisionaer Roldan Faulkner ruled out Spanish completely and English was substituted as the primary language for all grades. -
Teachers Protested
Teachers protested against the teaching of "/English Only"in schools. They vindicated that the English language was interfereing with the students'education. -
Investigations Were Conducted.
Paul G. Miller, the commissioner of Education, conducted investigations on the learning problems of the students, because the population was deficient in the language arts, listening, speaking, reading and writitng. Miller changed Spanish to the language of instruction in the first through fourth grades. English was taught as a special subject. Both languages were provided in the fifth grade, and later English was the only language taught in schools except in Spanish class. -
The Jones-Shafroth Act
The "Jones" Act imposed upon the citizens of Puerto Rico the United States Citizenship. Many people, such as , poets, educators, and public figures resisted the idea of forced citizenship. -
Jose Padin re-enstated Spanish
President Theodor Rooselvelt appointed Jose Padin as commisioner. He re-enstated Spanish as the means of instruction fro the first through the eigth grades. Double periods of English were given in the eight grades to the twelfth grade. -
Americanization was Reaffirmed
President Teodore Roosevelt appointed Blanton S. Winship as governor. Americanization was re-affirmed and Egnlish became the language of instruction. -
Jose Gallardo restricted English to Secondary Level
Jose Gallardo restricted English to the secondary level, and consequently school officials lacked the money expertise and the iniciative to enter into bilingualism. -
Commissioner Mario Villarongo declared English as a Subject
The island was proclaimed a Commonwealth. Commisioner Mariano Villarongo declared English as a Second Language a subject and Spanish as the language of instruction for the first through the twelfth grades in the public schoo system of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico still upholds to this policy. -
Luis Muñoz Marin's "Carta Circula"
Luis Muñoz Marin issues a Circular Letter Number 10 on August 6th of 1949 making Spanish the means of instruction in the public schools. -
Department of Instruction Attempts to Restrict English classes.
The Department of Public Instruction tried to restrict English classes to two periods a week. The islanders opposed this action throughout the island. -
Education Reform Policy
Curiculum was directed toward the intellectual development and critical thinking skills. Priority ws given to moral education and development of values. This was then renamed E.C.A. (exploration, conceptualization, and application) -
Organic Law
The Organic Law # 68 mad Spanish the medium of Language ta the public schools and English was the taught as a second language. -
Pedro Rosello proclaimed Both Spanish and English to be used.
Governor Pedro Rosello proclaimed that both languages con be used. -
Twenty First Century Bilingual Schools in Puerto Rico
Governor Luis Fortuño implemented the concept of bilingual schools in 32 schools in Puerto Rico, in Kindergarten, First and Second grades. -
Question #2 Have the policies been consistent or inconsistent? Explain
The policies have been inconsistent. Every political change that has occured on the island, a change in the policy for the language instruction changed. The only consistency that I noticed in the instruction of English as a Second language was when all schools were teaching English as the only means of instruction, the students who were taught Ënglish Only", to this day speak English. Whereas, the students that have only one period of English, only have used English for special purposes.
