The background, design, results, and implications of an investigation of bilingual education, based on programs in Boston, are examined. The goals of the investigation were to: (1) portray bilingual schooling in practice; (2) provide an educational critique of bilingual schooling; (3) analyze the issues; and (4) review bilingual research, evaluation, and recommendations. An in-depth study was conducted at Boston's Rafael Hernandez Elementary School, which was observed for 3 weeks. Minor studies of three other Boston bilingual programs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels were also conducted. The analysis involved a study of bilingual policy and politics in Boston, based on interviews and documents, supplemented by secondary bilingual data from the existing literature. Rafael Hernandez Elementary School is described through a visiting observer's reconstruction of events and experiences, followed by detailed information about the Hernandez school in action. A more structured and less detailed account of the three supplementary schools, which offer bilingual programs as an adjunct to a mainstream curriculum, is provided. The concluding section considers: language, teaching, and bilingual schooling; curriculum development and reunification; an overview of politics and bilingual education; and linguistic minorities in Britain. An appendix discusses the research design and methods. (SW)