From the beginning, the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism has contained a rich stream of United States papers in two senses.

First, almost every number contains one or more articles on languages in contact in the United States. These papers range from historical analyses of bilingual education in United States to the effects of the No Child Left Behind (2001) legislation. Particular themes include the language education of immigrant children, the achievement of bilingual children, and the changing nature of bilingual education in the United States. This particular stream is an important contribution that United States scholars make to an understanding of bilingualism and bilingual education in the United States for two audiences: internal United States readers and those outside the United States who want to understand this fast-changing political and educational context.

Second, many scholars writing on global issues, and on bilingualism and bilingual education in different countries around the world have an important role in informing and contributing to the scene in the USA. They are increasingly choosing this journal to share their research with their colleagues in the USA and beyond. Thus, the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism has become a major journal for scholars who wish to contribute both to the national agenda and to themes of international importance.