Cordasco, Francesco; Roederer, Louis (1984). Needed: A New Language Policy in the U.S. USA Today, v113 n2470 p67-69 Jul. American schools have a long way to go to catch up with the levels attained in most European schools, where students reach near fluency in English besides learning another foreign language or two. English has become a world language; however, there is still a need for foreign languages to be taught. (RM)…

Johnson, Cameron (2003). A Perspective of the Effectiveness of Project Based Bilingual Curriculum in Personal Empowerment of the Adult English Language Learner: A Case Study. This case study offers a perspective on the effectiveness of project-based bilingual curricula in empowering the adult English language learner. The purpose of this study is to examine the English acquisition process of adult Latina women who participate in a project based bilingual language program. The program uses techniques that include different learning modalities, instructional methods, and the appreciation of language building through real world experiences and skills. The sample population includes four Latinas, ages 21 to 34 years, with varied levels of English language acquisition. These students are enrolled in a community adult school in northern California that offers English classes. Data collection procedures include 8 weeks of classroom observation, information collected from student surveys, and informal and formal conversations. Participants reported that bilingual project based learning, in this setting, serves as an important motivation factor and an aid in… [PDF]

Jacobs, Dolores (1997). Science Explorers Translation Project. This paper describes a pilot project of Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico) to translate a science education curriculum for junior and senior high school students into Navajo. The project consisted of translating a video, a teacher's guide, and an interactive multimedia product on the 1993 hantavirus outbreak in the Four Corners area (adjacent areas of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado). The video presents a medical mystery and tells the story of how the virus was identified and treated. The focus of the story is the medical community; how their methods contributed to eventual understanding of environmental and physiological reasons for the outbreak; and cultural, social, and economic impacts on local communities. The teacher's guide contains classroom activities that lead students through an investigation illustrating the real issues that scientists face. The translation project began through discussions with an advisory group of teachers on the Navajo Nation…. [PDF]

Cohen, Rachel Chazan; Joseph, Gail E. (2000). Celebrating Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Head Start. Noting that the dramatic demographic changes in the United States in the last 30 years require that Head Start programs learn how to access new populations, encourage their participation, and tailor programs to meet their unique needs, this study was commissioned to better understand the diversity in language and culture of the Head Start population. The study's objectives were to describe the Head Start population, describe the services developed to address unique needs of children and families from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and describe barriers faced by programs as they address the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used, including the annual self-report survey of programs, additional surveys sent to programs nationwide (1,413 returned of 2,000 sent), and site visits to 30 programs, including 58 classrooms in 1995. Among the major findings are the following: (1) over two- thirds of Head Start children are… [PDF]

Peterson, Paul E.; Rabe, Barry G. (1983). The Role of Interest Groups in the Formation of Educational Policy: Past Practice and Future Trends. Teachers College Record, v84 n3 p708-29 Spr. A review of major federal education programs indicates that educational interest groups have played a modest role in shaping policy. Typically, these groups have ridden existing political and judicial currents to pass programs, and then have concentrated on maintaining their interests. Future roles are discussed. (PP)…

Renton, Alice (1998). Cultivating the Natural Linguist. Spotlight: Montessori–Multilingual, Multicultural. Montessori Life, v10 n2 p31-33 Spr. Describes Montessori's vision of young children as natural linguists and how home and school can support children's natural abilities in one or more languages. Presents five basic principles of second-language acquisition–related to educational environment, the acquisition process, components of proficiency, and cultural context and time–and describes how they can be successfully met in a Montessori environment. (KB)…

Freeman, David; Freeman, Yvonne (2000). Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners. Talking Points, v12 n1 p2-7 Oct-Nov. Presents key questions reflecting research in first/second language acquisition and whole language principles: is curriculum organized around \big\ questions?; are students involved in authentic reading and writing?; are students given choices?; is content meaningful?; do students work collaboratively?; do students read, write, speak, and listen during learning?; are students' primary languages and cultures valued?; and do learning activities build self-esteem? (RS)…

Begay, Mary Helen; Bradley, Brian; Bradley-Wilkinson, Evangeline; Gamble, Armanda; Heimbecker, Connie; McCarty, Nellie; Medina, Catherine; Nelson, Bernita; Nelson, Jacob; Pettigrew, Bobbie; Prater, Greg; Redsteer, Denise; Sealander, Karen; Smith, Jody; Snyder, Maria; White, Sherri; Whitehair, Marsha (2001). Early Childhood Intervention Partnerships on the Navajo Reservation with an Emphasis on Special Education. Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD) is located in the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. In addition to serving over 2,600 K-12 students, KUSD collaborates with the Navajo Nation and the Kayenta community to provide three early childhood education programs: Acceptance Belonging Caring (ABC) preschool, Navajo Nation Head Start, and Child Care Occupational Parenting Education Center (COPE). Program staff, support facilitators, and parents completed short surveys about the three programs, including provision of special education services. ABC and Head Start shared many similarities and differed from COPE in various ways. ABC and Head Start enrolled children aged 3-5, offered special education intervention services, and advocated a fully inclusive environment. COPE, on the other hand, provided child care vocational training for high school students and extended child care services to all community members, including free services to teen parents attending school. COPE did not offer… [PDF]

Wexler, Henrietta, Comp. (1981). 1982 Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs–Parts I and II. American Education, v17 n10 p5-30 Dec. Part I gives information necessary to begin the process of applying for federal funds administered by the Department of Education. Lists program title, authorizing legislation, eligible applicants, and contact information. Part II adds 32 programs affected by the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981. (SK)…

Ornstein, Allan C. (1981). Curricular Innovations and Trends: Recent Past, Present, and Future. Peabody Journal of Education, v59 n1 p46-53 Oct. Curriculum innovations and trends are examined in past, present, and future perspectives. Past curriculum innovations include team teaching, educational television, and computer assisted instruction. Present innovations include career education, ethnic education, and environmental education. Future curricular trends may include lifelong learning, values education, and international cooperation. (JN)…

Wexler, Henrietta, Comp. (1980). 1981 Guide to Department of Education Programs. American Education, v16 n8 p17-48 Oct. The guide gives information necessary to begin the process of applying for federal funds administered by the Department of Education (ED). For each ED program, lists program title, authorizing legislation, eligible applicants, and contact information. (SK)…

Huguet, Angel (2006). Attitudes and Motivation versus Language Achievement in Cross-Linguistic Settings. What Is Cause and What Effect?. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v27 n5 p413-429. In the bilingual contexts of two regions of Spain, Asturias (Asturian/Spanish) and Eastern Aragon (Catalan/Spanish), and given the relationship between language attitudes and linguistic proficiency, our study has two objectives. Firstly, the attitudes to the two contact languages are described. Secondly, the variables that can explain such attitudes are studied. A questionnaire that had been successfully implemented in other areas was adapted and applied to a sample of 231 pupils in Asturias and 163 pupils in Eastern Aragon, all in their second year of secondary schooling (aged 13-14). In each case, the results showed globally favourable attitudes to both languages in contact, although these are determined by (1) a significant influence derived from attending Asturian lessons in Asturias or Catalan classes in Eastern Aragon and (2) the subjects' home language. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.)… [Direct]

Walker, Barbara J. (1989). A Reading Strategies Program for Native American Students. Four aspects of the interactive reading process, the parallel compensatory behaviors of bilingual students, and an instructional approach that reflects the needs of these students are described. Focus is on a reading strategies program for Native American students whose cultural environments vary greatly from the cultural environment of the public school and its curriculum. The interactive view of reading holds that readers interpret the author's meaning using their prior knowledge, purposes for reading, and the contextual constraints of the literacy event. The four aspects continuously interact while readers construct meaning. It is noted that bilingual students are at risk at every point in the model. An instructional program is described that was devised at the Eastern Montana College Reading Clinic for bilingual readers where teachers explained strategic reading (goal setting), modeled prediction making, coached students with strategy-based questions, and shifted assessment to… [PDF]

Evans, Charlotte; Zimmer, Kyra (1993). "Kids R Bi-Bi": Sign Talk Development Project. Sign Talk Development Project (STDP) is a four-pronged project that grows out of needs identified through the program of Sign Talk Children's Centre (STCC). STCC is a bilingual/bicultural day care for children of deaf parents in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The center offers programming in two languages, American Sign Language (ASL) and English; and in two cultures, Deaf and Hearing, for children ages 2 to 5 years. Videotape and naturalistic data collected during the first year of the STDP are discussed. The percentage of children with language delays at STCC is 20%, significantly lower than that reported at the time of the initial assessment in 1988. Results are discussed with respect to hearing children of hearing parents; deaf children of deaf parents; deaf children of hearing parents, and hearing children of deaf parents. The future of the STDP is discussed. (Contains 2 references.) (Author/JP)… [PDF]

Goldstein, Brian A.; Iglesias, Aquiles (1998). Phonological Production in Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers. Approximately 10 percent of Latino preschoolers are at risk for developing communication problems unrelated to second language acquisition. Many of these children are Spanish-speaking and have difficulties in producing speech sounds in their native language. One of the services afforded Latino preschoolers by speech-language pathologists is the assessment and treatment of phonological disorders. Providing these services is a challenge because many Latino children served are Spanish-speaking. The purpose of this paper is to provide normative data on phonological development and disorders in Spanish-speaking children and to briefly outline assessment and intervention techniques. Normative data are presented with regard to common and uncommon phonological patterns in Spanish-speaking preschool children. The paper then offers four principles to be followed when assessing the phonological skills of Spanish-speaking children: (1) use an assessment tool designed specifically to assess… [PDF]

Shiu, Stephen (1979). Supplement for Chinese-Speaking Students for Curriculum Guide in Reading. Level F. Working Draft. This supplement to Chicago's standard curriculum guide in reading is for use with primary level Chinese-speaking students. It is designed to help students to develop the skills needed to function in a regular English program of instruction. Teaching/learning strategies are presented in Chinese. Objectives, teacher directions, and other pertinent information are in English. There are numerous references within the activities to culturally relevant stories, proverbs, and other materials that help to perpetuate students' cultural heritage. Sample units are followed by a section on the fundamental skills of Chinese word learning, in which objectives and skills are listed, teaching/learning strategies are suggested, and answers and/or criteria are given. Next comes a section on objectives common to Chinese and English for comprehension, study skills, and literature. Finally, there is a section on key objectives in Chinese, also for comprehension, study skills, and literature. (CMG)…

Krol, Virginia Surdacki; Rychlinski, Anna M. (1980). Supplement for Curriculum Guide in Reading: Polish-Speaking Students. Levels GH. Working Draft. This supplement to the Chicago public schools' regular reading curriculum guide is for use with Polish-speaking students at two primary (grade 3) reading levels. Teaching strategies refer the teacher to Polish texts and to literary and historical selections which reflect the students' Polish heritage, and reading guide references to American customs, traditions, and folklore are translated into Polish. For each of the two reading levels dealt with, the supplement presents four sections dealing with word attack, comprehension, study skills, and literature. For each section, skills, subskills, and objectives are listed, teaching/learning strategies (using both Polish and English) are suggested, and answers and/or criteria are given. A bibliography of mostly Polish items is provided. (CMG)…

Krol, Virginia Surdacki; Rychlinski, Anna M. (1980). Supplement for Curriculum Guide in Reading: Polish-Speaking Students. Levels EF. Working Draft. This supplement to the Chicago public schools' regular reading curriculum guide is for use with Polish-speaking students at two primary reading levels. Teaching strategies refer the teacher to Polish texts and to literary and historical selections which reflect the students' Polish heritage. In addition, reading guide references to American customs, traditions, and folklore are translated into Polish. For each of the two levels addressed, the supplement presents four sections dealing with word attack, comprehension, study skills, and literature. In each section, skills, subskills, and objectives are listed, teaching/learning strategies (using both Polish and English) are suggested, and answers and/or criteria are given. A bibliography of mostly Polish items is provided. (CMG)…

Robertson, Douglas J.; Trepper, Terry Steven (1975). The Effects of I.T.A. on the Reading Achievement of Mexican-American Children: A Follow-Up. Reading Improvement, 12, 3, 177-83, F 75. Indicates that i.t.a. can be an effective tool in teaching bilingual Mexican-American children to read. (RB)…

(1990). Two-Way Language Development Programs. ERIC Digests. Two-way language development programs are full-time programs that use two languages, one of which is English, for the purpose of instruction. Ideally, these programs are composed of elementary or secondary students half of whom are native speakers of English and the other half of whom are native speakers of the other language of instruction. Subject matter is learned through both languages, enabling students to become proficient in a second language. The objectives of two-way language development programs include the following: language minority students will become literate in their native language as well as in English; language majority students will develop high levels of proficiency in a second language; both language groups will perform academically at their grade level, develop positive attitudes toward the two languages being learned and toward the communities they represent, and develop a positive self-image. Two-way programs are different from transitional and immersion… [PDF]

Bennett, Ruth, Ed.; And Others (1986). Yurok Sentences. A handlettered collection of approximately 220 commonly-used expressions and sentences in the language of the Yurok Indians of northwestern California includes common English equivalents as well as word-for-word translations. (LFL)…

Chasin, Karen; And Others (1984). The Transition Program for Refugee Children. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1982-1983. The Transition Program for Refugee Children (TPRC) is designed to provide target students with the linguistic and cultural skills necessary for a successful transition into the educational and societal mainstream. In 1982-83, the program served 885 students in 18 New York City high schools. TPRC funds–provided under the Refugee Act–supported classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) or content-area instruction with an ESL approach. Because the Refugee Act funds were limited, amounting to six full-time teacher positions distributed across the 18 schools, such monies necessarily were combined with funds from other sources in individual schools. As a result, the extent and kind of services actually provided varied from site to site. In addition, funds for 1981-82 and 1982-83 were combined and were allocated late. This report presents the assessment instruments and procedures and the results of testing to evaluate student achievement in 1982-83. The data provided suggest that TPRC… [PDF]

Reveron, Wilhelmina W. (1988). Bilingualism: A Comprehensive Bibliography. A bibliography on bilingualism contains over 100 citations of articles, papers, monographs, and books in seven categories: theory, general issues, second language acquisition, communication disorders, assessment, treatment, and issues in education. (MSE)…

(1986). Project BECA. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, 1983-1984. OEA Evaluation Report. Project BECA, in its first year of funding, provided instruction in English as a second language and native language development, and bilingual instruction in mathematics, science, history, economics, industrial arts, recording keeping, typing, and bookkeeping to approximately 290 Spanish-speaking students in grades 9 through 12 at a high school in Bronx, New York. Supportive services to program students included a counseling/career awareness workshop series and individual counseling session as needed. Quantitative analysis of student achievement data indicated that: (1) overall, students met program objectives for English language achievement; (2) students demonstrated statistically significant gains in native language skills; (3) students' overall passing rates in business and industrial arts courses were over 75% in both semesters; (4) attendance rates of program students were significantly higher than the schoolwide rate; and (5) there was no correlation between attendance rate…

de Porcel, Antonio; And Others (1979). Studies in Bilingual Evaluation, Work Unit I: Bilingual Prediction Project. Final Report. The final report of the Bilingual Prediction Project presents a review of the project from its inception in 1975 through completion in 1979. The main goal was to predict a student's academic ability in English. A prediction index was constructed in two stages. The first stage was a description of the target population and their school setting, as well as isolation of the variables most strongly associated with success in the monolingual program. Techniques and instruments to identify and measure variables associated with success were developed and tested. The second chapter of the report includes a description of the conception and development of the prediction model. Several attempts were made to develop a model using expectancy tables and regression analysis. The small sample size of the target population was a severe limitation for the use of these procedures. The third chapter is theoretical and deals with problems of validating indices constructed through the prediction model….

Bachman, Lyle F. (1981). An Experiment in a Picture-Stimuli Procedure for Testing Oral Communication. As part of the evaluation of a 5-year longitudinal research and development project in individualized language learning, several alternative methods for testing oral English production were tried out. The Bilingual Syntax Measure was selected for adaptation because of the relative effectiveness of its visual component in eliciting responses. Adaptation of the test for native Thai-speaking upper elementary school children included modification of the content of the questions as well as the scoring procedure. A stratified random sample of 100 seventh grade students were tested. Individual tests were tape-recorded, randomized, and prepared for rating. Raters included five native speakers of English and one native Thai-speaking English teacher. Both interrater correlations and internal consistency estimates of reliability were acceptable, while predictive validity correlations with measures of other language skills were highly significant. Content validity is claimed in that the test…

Niyekawa, Agnes M. (1980). Biliteracy Acquisition and Its Socio-Cultural Effects. Professional Papers N-1. Research on factors related to the sociocultural effects of balanced biliteracy involving a European language and an Asian language is reviewed. Becoming biliterate and fluently bilingual in a European and an Asian language involves several complications not involved in acquiring two European languages. The biliterate in such a situation must learn two different orthographies and learn to apply sociolinguistic rules to interaction in two widely different cultures. The review focuses on children who are learning to read in a second language following a change in country of residence. The topics discussed include the linguistic relationship between the first and second languages, orthography, exposure to written material, the effects of age on second language learning, and the sociocultural effects of biliteracy. Balanced biliteracy is difficult to achieve when the second language is that of the dominant culture. However, the benefits of balanced biliteracy include pride in ethnicity… [PDF]

Hall, Gene E. (1980). Evaluation of the Delivery of Services: A Concern-Based Perspective For the Design of Evaluations. R&D Report No. 3126. Change process research had developed some practical tools and concepts which can assist in the determination of essential variables for an evaluation design. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Project at the Texas Research and Development Center in particular has developed specific measures which can be applied directly: "Levels of Use of the Innovation" measure evaluates to what extent a program is actually being used, while "Innovation Configuration" describes what adaptations, if any, have been made in the program. The need to view any program within a time frame necessary for it to be considered fully installed has also been a valuable contribution from the change process research. The two CBAM measures can also be used to establish what this time period is. Taking into account the three dimensions of time for implementation, levels of use, and description of use, evaluation designs can be far more specific about what they portend to evaluate and can… [PDF]

Bruning, Roger; Morariu, Janis (1984). A Contextualist Perspective of Language Processing by Prelingually Deaf Students. The problem of English language-processing by 30 prelingually deaf high school students is examined from a contextualist perspective. The influence of language mode (print or sign) and syntax–English or American Sign Language (ASL) on recall, preference, and comprehension was approached through the processing of meaningful and coherent passages of similar content, length, and syntactic complexity. It was hypothesized that the four language contexts (signed ASL, signed English, print ASL, print English) would produce differential effects on the encoding and retrieval of the propositions embedded within the passages. Results showed greater propositional recall from ASL than from English for all language contexts. The study demonstrates both that the syntax component of language context plays a major role in facilitating access to meaning, and that implications exist for a bilingual approach to language acquisition with ASL as the primary vehicle for the development of English…

Weitzner, Martin (1976). Central ESEA Title I Remedial Services for Eligible Nonpublic School Pupils: English as a Second Language. The Nonpublic School Program English as a Second Language was designed to provide remedial instruction in the English language with emphasis on oral English for those eligible non-English speaking pupils enrolled in Title I nonpublic schools. It operated in 89 schools and served over three thousand pupils in grades kindergarten through twelve. The program's major objective was that of enabling pupils in the program to achieve statistically significant improvement in their English language competency and fluency. The program provided language experiences employing an audiolingual approach to small groups of students, ranging in numbers of four to eight. These pupils received instruction for approximately 45 minutes a day, and for between two and five days per week. A wide variety of learning materials and audiovisual equipment was employed by the program. The program administrators provided ongoing training which tied the various program elements together. In addition, the operation… [PDF]