The great variety of cultural and legal backgrounds of present-day immigrants to Chicago and the lack of adequate resources with which to fund programs has made assimilation a difficult challenge. Chicago schools are committed to provide bilingual programs to students with limited proficiency in English and 75 bilingual programs have been developed. Although plans call for citizenship instruction in students' native languages, there are no programs or materials available. Programs for adults usually focus on teaching enough English to meet basic needs. Learning about the American legal system is rarely emphasized, yet this is a crucial need because so many students, both young and older, come from societies with legal systems different from that of the United States. Some programs, such as the Citizens Information Service, begun by the Illinois League of Women Voters, have tried to provide such information but more must be done. A possible way to improve citizenship education is by using concrete cases, such as the case of Walter Polovchak (the 12-year old who refused to return to Russia with his parents), to provide useful information about the American legal system. A format designed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation for use by teachers in bilingual programs is described. Appendixes contain a list of 18 major bilingual programs taught by language and a sampling of curriculum materials on United States history and citizenship. (IS)