This document presents some ideas about initial reading instruction in bilingual education. The bilingual programs created in 1969 seek the creation of equal educational opportunities through the use of instruction in a native language to children who speak a language other than English. Such programs attempt to teach two languages concurrently and to deal with subject matter instruction in both languages. The problem of teaching reading skills to accompany the oral language skills is a current topic of research. One reading theory states that the ability to understand what is read depends upon the child's experience with like subject matter as well as his comprehension of the language in which it is written. The "Initial Reading in Spanish" project produced a detailed, descriptive analysis of procedures used to teach Spanish-speaking children in Mexico to read in their native language. Evaluation of student achievement in the experimental use of the Mexican reading instruction methods in the United States indicates success in learning to read in both Spanish and English. (Author/VM)