Puerto lang

Puerto Rico Language Policy Timeline

  • 1898-1900

    1898-1900

    Dr. John Eaton and Dr. Victor Clark establish that Puerto Rican teachers should learn English to obtain better opportunities on being hired.
  • 1900-1902

    1900-1902

    The educational policy proposed that Spanish will be kept and English was going to be learned as a special course.
  • 1902-1904

    1902-1904

    The use of English increased with the vision of making it the official language in Puerto Rican schools.
  • 1905-1913

    1905-1913

    Spanish is suppressed. The English language is used as the teaching tool in all grades of the School System.
  • 1913

    1913

    Spanish language was used in First grade in courses such as Hygiene, Health, and Reading.
  • 1915

    1915

    A proposal was presented to make mandatory the use of Spanish as the teaching tool.
  • 1916-1934

    1916-1934

    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

    1921-1930

    Lic. Juan B. Huyke emphasized on the use of English inside and outside the classroom to both students and teachers.
  • 1930

    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

    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

    1942

    Spanish until sixth grade prevailed and English was taught as a course.
  • 1948

    1948

    Spanish used as a tool for instruction until ninth grade.
  • 1949-1950

    1949-1950

    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

    1970

    Funds were solicited to address students who return from the United States to Puerto Rico, the Bilingual Education Program.
  • 1972-1976

    1972-1976

    Padre Rufo and Papa Juan XXIII Bilingual Projects take place in Puerto Rico under the "Partido Popular Democratico" government.
  • 1978

    1978

    The USA Congress authorized that Bilingual Education projects had a better focus on teaching Spanish to returning students.
  • 1984

    1984

    The Bilingual Education Program, already established, stops being a program and their projects were transferred to the English Department.
  • 1993

    1993

    Projects from Bilingual Education become autonomous.
  • 2012

    2012

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