John Chapman Papers

The materials in the John Chapman collection deal primarily with the federal bilingual education program which was first authorized by the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. The act became Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and first received funding in 1969. The Bilingual Education Act was reauthorized in 1974, 1978, 1984, 1988 and 2002. Chapman collected the materials in the collection while working for the Department of Education. The collection includes two sets of budget books, compilations of federal education laws, Department of Education files, and an almost complete set of press clippings documenting what was said about bilingual education in U.S. newspapers.

The John Chapman collection is divided into four series: Policy Development, Administrative and General Files, Laws and Regulations, and Collected Material.

Policy and Development series includes committee files of the Title VII Part C Research Committee in charge of coordinating the Department of Education's bilingual education research agenda. The series includes reports of research studies funded by the Department, arranged alphabetically (contract number and year contract began is included when available). Also included are two sets of budget books; one set was specifically prepared for budget hearings and the other set was prepared as a resource. The resource budget books were called Yellow Books by the staff and may include but are not limited to: memos, questions and answers regarding the budget, and testimonies. If the budget analyst in charge of a program was not present other budget analysts could answer questions by using the yellow book. The budget books are organized chronologically.

Legislative Proposals files may include but are not limited to memos, clippings, notes, questions and answers in preparation for the bilingual education legislative hearings, press releases, bill copies, reports, and statements/testimonies made by interested individuals (e.g. CABE, MALDEF, NEA, and businessmen).

Files regarding the Secretary of Education William J. Bennett's Bilingual Education Initiative include memos, correspondence, bill analysis, press releases, hearing notes, and statements by interested individuals (e.g. MALDEF, NABE, NCLR, and LULAC).

Administrative and General Files series includes files from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) regarding the bilingual education program as well as Department of Education files, information on education for immigrant children, and reports from the National Advisory Council for Bilingual Education (NACBE) to the Commissioner of Education/Secretary of Education. Other reports on the condition of bilingual education in the United States from the Commissioner/Secretary of Education to Congress are also included.

Laws and Regulations series includes some files regarding the Lau v. Nichols court case, bilingual education opinions by the Department of Education's Office of General Counsel (OGC), and a compilation of federal education laws.

Collected Material series includes articles, newsletters, reports, and other published material related to bilingual education. This series includes a set of press clippings from 1974 through 2002 documenting what was being said in U.S. newspapers about bilingual education, Hispanics and immigration. The clippings from 1974 to 1984 are not inclusive. Other collected material include a series of reports from the United States Commission on Civil Rights Mexican American Education Study series.

Common abbreviations include: