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Dr. John Eaton, Former Commissioner of Education of the United States and his assistant Dr. Victor Clark established that teachers in Puerto Rico should learn English and those who were ready they would have preference to be hired.
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The Department of Public Instruction was created with an assigned Commissioner. Between 1900-1902 educational policy was to retain the Spanish and acquire English.
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There was an increase in the use of English in schools with the idea of making it the official language of Puerto Rico schools.
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The Official Language Act granted official status to both English and Spanish.
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The Official Language Act was revoked whenTheodore Roosvelt's Commissioner of Education re-established English as the medium of instruction in all grades.
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Spanish Language is suppressed and the English language is used as the medium of instruction in all grades of the School System.
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Spanish was inducted in first grade for some classes, such as hygiene and health and it was recommended that the reading process was done in Spanish.
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A project was presented to make mandatory the Spanish language as the medium of instruction.
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It was established that the Spanish was the teaching vehicle from 1st to 4th grade and English was used in half of the subjects in the 5th grade and the other half in Spanish and likewise for grades from 6th to 8th grade.
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Linguistic controversy continued. World War I breaks, Puerto Ricans are granted citizenship and is required in schools to explain to students the acts of patriotism.
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This was a very difficult time for Puerto Rico from the point of view of economic, social and educational. The Commissioner Dr. Jose Padin was the first to expose that English is a foreign language from the educational point of view and he gave emphasis to English as a second language with many enrichment programs. As a result Spanish was adopted as the language of instruction in the teaching of geography, history and mathematics and leaving the English as a special subject from 1st grade.
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The language policy again shifted toward asimilation when Blanton S. Winthrop named governer by President Franklin Roosevelt, made English the language of instruction in all grades.
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At that time the Commissioner Jose M. Gallardo was named Commissioner of Education. The President of the United States complained that Puerto Ricans had not learned English and wished that all instruction was in English so that the next generation would speak English. The Commissioner of Education tried to implement a bilingual program, but many public protests were made and it was not permitted.
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Winthrop's policy was modified in which English was established as the language of instruction in secondary schools.
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Another shift toward nationalism occured by the Popular Party candidate and first elected Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, who established Spanish as the language of instruction in all grades. English was to be taught for one period a day as a second language.
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Spanish prevailed until 6th grade and the English continued as a subject.
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The vernacular was used as a teaching vehicle up to 9th grade.
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The Commissioner of Education, Dr. Marian Villaronga ended the lengthy discussion of bilingualism.
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Decree the vernacular teaching at all levels of the public school starting in the school year 1949-1950.
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In the United States was signed the Bilingual Education Act or Title VII by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
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From the decade of 1970 in the Department of Education of Puerto Rico has requested funds to meet the needs of the students that are returning from the United States.
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In the schools "Padre Rufo y Papa Juan XXIII" bilingual projects were implanted by the Popular Party government.
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Since 1978 the U.S. Congress authorize that bilingual education projects in Puerto Rico could have the focus toward learning Spanish for the functioning of the students that returned to the education system in Puerto Rico.
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In the power of the "Partido Nuevo Progresista" under the leadership of the Honorable Carlos Romero Barcelo, the Bilingual Education program is transferred to projects as part of the English Department.
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"Spanish Only" was a legislation approved as, Law Number 4, April 5, 1991 by the Popular Party .
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Bilingual Education projects are autonomous and a Director in Property is appointed to lead the Bilingual Education Program.
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The "Spanish Only" law was revoked and substituded for Law Number 1, January 28, 1993, a Pro Statehood Party Language policy which established both English and Spanish as official languages on the island.
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Puerto Rico begins with the Bilingual Education for the 21st Century, BEC 21 project for Elementary Schools and ES21 for Middle and High Schools.
