English as a Second Language: 25 Questions and Answers.

Phi Delta Kappa continues to be an excellent source of up-to-date information on a variety of significant topics for professional educators through their "fastbacks," a series of brief, inexpensive publications designed for busy teachers and administrators.

And this newest addition to the series is representative. The author supervised an ESL program in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, from 19861991. In this area, the population of second-language learners grew from fewer than 20 students in the early 1970s to nearly 1,000 for the 1992-1993 school year.

This fastback responds to some of the most common and frequently asked questions about English as a second language. Instructional leaders in school districts that are encountering second-language learners for the first time will find some useful starting points. The book's 25 questions are drawn from the author's own experiences and those of his colleagues across Wisconsin and the Midwest.

The publication's direct question and answer format covers most of professionals' major concerns, beginning with defining goals and ending with the type of inservice training needed by regular teachers involved in ESL programs. The answers are designed to articulate general principles that state departments of education and school districts can shape to meet their own needs. The fastback ends with a list of related books and articles, as well as publishers and distributors of ESL materials.

This fastback would be appropriate for use in preservice classes as well as in parent information centers. Readers not familiar with the fastback series may find others on the list of available titles that will be helpful as they strive to keep up with the many changes taking place in education.