This article advocates for a sociocultural perspective on foreign language education policy and practice in state education systems. The article's geographical focus is on selected countries in Asia, though the general arguments may also be applicable to other countries. It examines factors underlying the divergence between policy intentions and educational outcomes in contexts where English is the first, compulsory foreign language in schools and is typically seen as important to economic development in a globalized world. The article also explores inequality of achievement in the contexts under discussion, where the teaching of English can often be characterized as an impediment to educational success for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. A basic premise of sociocultural theory applied to foreign language education is that one cannot separate learners and teachers from the social worlds they inhabit. Hence, the article argues for educational policy and the consequences for practice to be viewed from an 'ecological perspective', one in which what happens between learners and teachers in classrooms can only be understood meaningfully when viewed as part of a social world which includes the school, the local environment, the wider society and the myriad of elements which comprise its social culture and cultural practices.