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This article presents case studies on language education policy in Hawaii. The first case study concerns the loss of an indigenous language, Hawaiian, to an immigrant language, English. The second involves the linguistic assimilation of the Japanese, an immigrant population. One problem which seems to be characteristic of many programs of bilingual education is the lack of a clearly defined vision for bilingual education as it relates to the general education goals of the school systems within which these programs function. This may be a problem in either the interpretation or articulation of the broader educational policy goals. Perhaps too often, programs of bilingual education are viewed merely as programs designed to assist departments of education in meeting federal regulations. This is an unfortunate legacy of bilingual education, for it obscures the program's relationship to broader educational goals concerned with issues of language development, culture, academic achievement, and the role of language education in society. Any language education policy reflects the social, political, and economic context of public education. Furthermore, the effect of that policy on society extends beyond the generation receiving direct services under it, for it influences what members of that generation bring with them to the task of educating their children.