Puerto Rico Language Policy Timeline

1898-1900

Oct 17, 1898

Dr. John Eaton and Dr. Victor Clark establish that Puerto Rican teachers should learn English to obtain better opportunities on being hired.

1900-1902

Oct 17, 1900

The educational policy proposed that Spanish will be kept and English was going to be learned as a special course.

1902-1904

Oct 17, 1902

The use of English increased with the vision of making it the official language in Puerto Rican schools.

1905-1913

Oct 17, 1905

Spanish is suppressed. The English language is used as the teaching tool in all grades of the School System.

1913

Oct 17, 1913

Spanish language was used in First grade in courses such as Hygiene, Health, and Reading.

1915

Oct 17, 1915

A proposal was presented to make mandatory the use of Spanish as the teaching tool.

1916-1934

Oct 17, 1916

Spanish was established as the tool for teaching from First to Fourth grade and English was going to be used in half of the provided courses from fifth to twelfth grade.

1921-1930

Oct 17, 1921

Lic. Juan B. Huyke emphasized on the use of English inside and outside the classroom to both students and teachers.

1930

Oct 17, 1930

Dr. Jose Padin presented the use of English as a foreign language for educational purposes and use Spanish as a tool for instruction. English was taught as a second language.

1936

Oct 17, 1936

Commissioner Jose M. Gallardo tried to implement Bilingual Programs unsuccessfully because people thought that using more English was going to lead to assimilation and not using it meant being "Anti-American".

1942

Oct 17, 1942

Spanish until sixth grade prevailed and English was taught as a course.

1948

Oct 17, 1948

Spanish used as a tool for instruction until ninth grade.

1949-1950

Oct 17, 1949

Dr. Mariano Villarongo established the use of Spanish at all school levels and English as a course. (Policy that we have nowadays in most schools in Puerto Rico)

1970

Oct 17, 1970

Funds were solicited to address students who return from the United States to Puerto Rico, the Bilingual Education Program.

1972-1976

Oct 17, 1972

Padre Rufo and Papa Juan XXIII Bilingual Projects take place in Puerto Rico under the "Partido Popular Democratico" government.

1978

Oct 17, 1978

The USA Congress authorized that Bilingual Education projects had a better focus on teaching Spanish to returning students.

1984

Oct 17, 1984

The Bilingual Education Program, already established, stops being a program and their projects were transferred to the English Department.

1993

Oct 18, 1993

Projects from Bilingual Education become autonomous.

2012

Jan 18, 2012

Bilingual Projects take place in Puerto Rico. BEC 21 project for Elementary Schools and ES21 for Middle and High Schools.