Abstract
The 2000 U. S. Census shows that Latinos (residents of Latin American origin) account for 13 per cent of the total national population. In California 32 per cent of the population are Latinos, making them the single largest ethnic minority there and of the 1.51 million EL (EnglishLearner) students in the state's public schools, 83 per cent speak Spanish as their first language. The bilingual education at these schools is thus offered mainly to EL children of Latino background.
