Key Issues in the Management of Bilingual Education

Abstract

The exponential growth of bilingual and plurilingual education in public schools in Spain has been seen by many as an opportunity for real development of communicative competence among learners. The adoption of this type of program by schools, however, has not been without controversy, and just one of these challenges lies in the complex world of the management of bilingual teaching and learning. Based on part of a larger study supported by the Ministry of Education and the British Council in Spain, this chapter aims to contribute in some way to this process of reflection on the management of bilingual education. Taking into account recent research as well as expert opinion, the areas discussed include enabling factors, such as those of school leadership and coordination as well as the development of policies of planning, delivery and assessment of learning. In addition to these factors, we also attempt to identify some of the key indicators of success for bilingual programmes and suggest ways in which realistic and meaningful objectives may be established, controlled and revised for continuous improvement. The aim, then, is essentially to provide decision-makers within bilingual and plurilingual schools with a number of initial questions for reflection and as a means to help consolidate strong points and detect areas of improvement.