Richard Donato is an Associate Professor of Foreign and Second Language Education and chair of the Department of Instruction and Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. His publications include studies of early foreign language learning, sociocultural theory and foreign and second language learning, and classroom interaction. In addition to his work in North America, he has worked in Mali and in Thailand.

This volume documents a sixteen-year longitudinal study of two elementary schools in which Spanish and Japanese foreign language programs were implemented and evaluated. Evaluation of the programs involved documenting children's language development, assessing the attitudes of various constituents, and examining critical issues related to the introduction and successful operation of a well articulated sequential foreign language program in schools. The volume concludes with a discussion of possible reasons why over time certain sequential foreign language programs flourish and grow while other programs are reduced or eliminated from the school's curriculum. Parallels with the theory and practice of environmental sustainable development are used as a framework for this analysis.

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Tale of Two Schools

Chapter 2 Program Development and Implementation: A Contrastive Story

Chapter 3 A Comprehensive Model of Program Evaluation

Chapter 4 Documenting Language Program Achievement

Chapter 5 Documenting Language Program Development: The Views of Parents, Children and their Teachers

Chapter 6 The Sustainability of Early Language Learning Programs

Chapter 7 Emergent Themes of Successful Programs

Chapter 8 Summary and Conclusions