The Chicago Board of Education has responded to the educational needs of its 572 non-English speaking Vietnamese refugee students with two programmes for learning English: TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) and Bilingual. While the former allows more students to be served, the latter has the advantage of utilizing the refugee Asian students' primary language. Cul tural problems in the regular class prompt placement in the bilingual classes. Critics say that the use of non-English speaking students' native language slows their full assimilation into the mainstream of American culture. Al though parents favour the bilingual approach, the dispersement of the Asian refugee student population throughout the system makes it difficult to pro vide needed services.
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