Policies Regarding the Teaching of English in Puerto Rico During the Past 114 Years
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The United States conquested Puerto Rico Island on July 25 of 1898. After the conquest, the first change of the language policy occurred; all subjects had to be taught in English.
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President Mckinley sent a commisioner of education to the island. Comissioner Brumbaugh decided that the language taught in the secondary schools was going to be English. In the previous grades classes were taught in Spanish.
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In 1902 the Official Language Act was approved. This Act gave official status to English and Spanish.
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In this year, the Official Language Act was revoked by Theodore Roosevelt's Commisioner. He decided that English was the only language of instruction in all grades.
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During this period a more nationalistic trend was observed. All classes were being taught in Spanish from first grade to fourth grade.
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Commissioner of Education José Padín established Spanish as the medium of instruction from first grade through eighth grade. There was an English class, but all the other classes were being taught in Spanish.
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President Franklin Roosevelt named Blanton S. Winthrop governor of Puerto Rico. This governor changed the language policy again, and in this occasion established English as the language of instruction in all grades.
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On this year, the language policy changed again. This time the policy was that English was going to be taught only in the secondary schools. Elementary school classes were in Spanish.
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For the first time in the history of Puerto Rico a governor was elected. His name was Luis Muñoz He brought his new language policy. He established that Spanish was the way of instruction in all grades, but included English as a second language as a one period class a day.
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Governor Rafael Hernández Colón signed the law "Spanish Only". This law made Spanish the only official language in Puerto Rico.
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This law revoked law number 4 from April 5, 1991 and established one more time English and Spanish as the official languages of Puerto Rico.
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English and Spanish are still the official languages of the Island. Governor Luis Fortuño announced his "Bilingual Generation Program". He aims to have all public school students to be fully bilingual in ten years.
