This study, undertaken from 1983-84 through 1988-89, compared the relative effectiveness of two alternative programs (structured English immersion and late-exit transitional bilingual education) with that of the program typically funded through the Bilingual Education Act, the early-exit transitional bilingual education program. The characteristics of each instructional program and the success with which each meets the needs of limited-English-proficient students are detailed. The report is in two volumes. The first volume describes the design and methodology of the study. An introductory section gives an overview of language learning options for limited-English-proficient students, and subsequent sections discuss data collection, data analysis, and characteristics of the programs examined and the participating students. The second volume presents the study's analyses and results, including conclusions arrived at concerning the relative effectiveness of immersion and the traditional program type in one- and two-program schools, intra-program analyses of late-exit transitional programs, comparison of programs, districts, and the norming population, and conclusions. Both volumes contain considerable data in tabular form and substantial lists of references. (MSE)