Past and current education and language policy in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), which was formerly the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific, is discussed. Although under U.S. Navy administrative control since 1947, FSM is currently being divided into independent nations. The area has been influenced by colonization by Germany and Spain as well as by Japanese domination which ended with World War II. Over the last three decades, educational policy has vacillated between English-only instruction and primary language instruction as a tool for transition to English. Despite the fact that English has become a lingua franca in the Trust Territory and in FSM, the educational system has not developed approaches to develop English proficiency for Micronesian students. Overall problems of administering schools in a nation of diverse and distant islands are exacerbated by the multiplicity of languages and cultures, lack of standardized and disseminated orthographies, and insufficient or inadequate materials. Additional problems include lack of English proficiency among Micronesian teachers, resistance to primary language instruction on the part of Micronesian policymakers, and lack of consistent funding or support for bilingual education. (Author/SW)