National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education

For more than 30 years, educators across the United States seeking information related to the education of English language learners (ELLs) and bilingual education looked to the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE) for information and other resources. This entry provides a thumbnail history of NCBE and its eventual transition into the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) during President George W. Bush's administration.

Although the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1968 provided the national impetus for bilingual education in the United States, not until 1974, under Section 742(c)(3) of Public Law 93–380, the reauthorization of Title VII, did Congress give the authorization to “establish and operate a national clearinghouse of information for bilingual education, which shall collect, analyze, and disseminate information about bilingual education … and related programs” (Pub. L. No. 93–380).

Two more years passed before an agreement was signed by the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the Office of Bilingual Education (OBE) in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (DHEW) assigning responsibility to NIE for the implementation of this clearinghouse, NCBE. That same year, a series of six national assessment conferences were held across the country in San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; San Antonio, Texas; and Miami, Florida. These meetings allowed federal planners to share information about the clearinghouse concept with potential users, primarily education practitioners working with ELLs in the nation's schools. The gatherings provided an opportunity for attendees, who were representing states with the largest numbers of limited- or non-English-speaking students in their schools and the most likely clients of the clearinghouse, to present their information needs.

The suggestions and recommendations made in 1976 for the proposed clearinghouse included establishing a national advisory board, a mission statement with wide distribution, and a national scope, supportive of all bilingual efforts in the nation; such scope was not expected to duplicate or bypass existing bilingual projects. Regarding information gathering and dissemination, the clearinghouse was expected to aggressively seek national and international information without screening out any information that differed from official policy. All information was collected, categorized, and prepared for quick retrieval. Regarding the clearinghouse's audience, recommendations addressed directly reaching individuals, professionals, parents, teachers, protagonists and antagonists, and industrial and commercial users of bilingual education. It was also suggested that the clearinghouse provide services free of charge, particularly in the first years, later incorporating sliding fee scales; these services would include having a public relations function, publishing a periodic newsletter, possibly a professional journal, and other specialized reports.

The topics considered for the clearinghouse to address included the following: curriculum materials; [Page 575]tests and their evaluations; data collected on research projects, surveys, and census; information on sources in bilingual education; training materials for bilingual education; federal legislation and guidelines; funding sources for research and training; effective classroom practices and unpublished ideas; human resource files; court cases and decisions; parental and community involvement; bilingual education for handicapped, special, and gifted education; international data; research reports; and demographic data and studies. A last suggestion addressed the involvement of professional, multilingual, and multiethnic personnel from the field.

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