A major focus of language programs in many parts of the world is preparing students of limited proficiency in a second or foreign language to cope with school instruction in the new language. In many urban settings, there are large school-age populations of children with minimal or restricted proficiency in the school language. The options available at the school level vary according to school or district policy, school and teacher resources, and the age, background, and numbers of children involved. Students may receive an intensive language program before being mainstreamed, or they may enter classes that parallel regular classes in subjects such as science or social studies but are designed for students with limited proficiency in the school language.

In their mainstream classes, these students are expected to progress in school work at the same rate as other children of their age, despite not having a full command of the linguistic medium through which school subjects are being taught. In designing language programs that enable such students to make a successful transition to the mainstream classroom, many issues arise. What is the nature of the mainstream classroom? How can the second language curriculum support the mainstream curriculum? What demands does content learning place on students of limited proficiency in the school language? In this chapter the nature of these problems will be examined, drawing both on analytical reviews of research on classroom learning, as well as on observations of second language students in mainstream classroom settings.