Bedore, Lisa M.; Pena, Elizabeth; Rappazzo, Christina (2003). Comparison of Spanish, English, and Bilingual Children's Performance across Semantic Tasks. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v34 n1 p5-16 Jan. A study compared 47 Spanish-speaking, predominantly English-speaking, and Spanish-English bilingual children's performance on a battery of semantic tasks. Children in all three groups achieved similar average levels of performance. The profiles of bilingual children in each language were somewhat different from those of the other children. (Contains references.) (CR)…

Estes, Thomas H.; Richards, Herbert C. (2002). Knowledge of Orthographic Features in Spanish among Bilingual Children. Bilingual Research Journal, v26 n2 p295-307 Sum. A Test of Spanish Word Features was developed to determine if Spanish orthography contains graphophonemic features similar to English. Test administrations to bilingual children in grades 1-5 found that spelling features in Spanish were internally consistent (reliable) but varied little in complexity compared to English. There was little evidence that children mastered Spanish spelling features in any particular order. (SV)…

Figueroa, Richard A. (1989). Psychological Testing of Linguistic-Minority Students: Knowledge Gaps and Regulations. Exceptional Children, v56 n2 p145-52 Oct. The literature on testing has documented the existence of persistent anomalies in test scores of bilingual students. School psychology, which is test-dependent and test-defined, has an inadequate technology and knowledge base to deal with the testing of bilingual students, leading to error and misdiagnosis exacerbated by lack of viable testing regulations. (Author/MSE)…

Ortiz, Alba A.; Wilkinson, Cheryl Y. (1989). Adapting IEPs for Limited English Proficient Students. Academic Therapy, v24 n5 p555-68 May. The study of Individualized Education Programs developed for 203 limited English proficient Hispanic elementary students found that a student's bilingualism and level of English proficiency exerted little influence on selection of instructional goals. Native language or English-as-a-Second-Language instruction was infrequently incorporated into special education services. (DB)…

Gonzalez, Virginia (1994). A Model of Cognitive, Cultural, and Linguistic Variables Affecting Bilingual Hispanic Children's Development of Concepts and Language. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, v16 n4 p396-421 Nov. Verbal and nonverbal classification tasks were administered in Spanish and English to 30 bilingual children, aged 6-7. Results indicate the positive influence of bilingualism on cognitive development and support a model in which bilingual children construct two representational systems–one, nonverbal and universal across languages; and a second, verbal and influenced by culture and language. (Author/SV)…

Padron, Yolanda N. (1992). The Effect of Strategy Instruction on Bilingual Students' Cognitive Strategy Use in Reading. Bilingual Research Journal, v16 n3-4 p35-51 Sum-Fall. Two teaching methods were used to enhance the use of cognitive reading strategies among 89 Hispanic bilingual students in grades 3 through 5. Although there were differences in the use of cognitive reading strategies by grade and treatment group, instruction in cognitive strategy use decreased the use of weak reading strategies and was more beneficial than additional reading instruction. (TD)…

Pearson, Barbara Z. (1993). Predictive Validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for Hispanic Bilingual Students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, v15 n3 p342-56 Aug. College grade point averages after 4 semesters and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were compared for 200 Hispanic (predominantly Cuban American) and 892 non-Hispanic White students at the University of Miami. Mean SATs were significantly lower for Hispanic students (about 45 points on average, both verbal and math), despite equivalent college grades. (KS)…

Villas-Boas, Adelina (1998). The Effects of Parental Involvement in Homework on Student Achievement in Portugal and Luxembourg. Childhood Education, v74 n6 p367-71. Details a study investigating the effect of well-designed homework activities on 6-7 and 11-12 year-old students' second-language acquisition and literacy skills in Portugal and Luxembourg, and whether parental involvement in these homework activities enhances students' learning. Highlights findings that strongly suggest this is so. Includes examples of homework activities assigned and descriptions of the second-language acquisition projects. (JPB)…

Irvin, Judith L.; VanNess, Jill (1997). Linguistic Minority Students in Middle Schools. What Research Says. Middle School Journal, v29 n1 p57-58 Sep. Explains the linguistic stages through which young adolescents progress as they acquire a second language and describes the differences between academic and social language. Considers implications for middle level educators developing appropriate programs and lessons for linguistic minority students. (JPB)…

Crandall, Margaret (1998). Two-Way Talk. American School Board Journal, v185 n1 p23-25 Jan. Describes the instructional strategies used by teachers in two-way bilingual immersion programs. Also describes benefits of the programs. Sidebars include guidelines to implement an effective two-way bilingual immersion program and a discussion of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs. (LMI)…

Kruth, Kirsten; Restrepo, Maria Adelaida (2000). Grammatical Characteristics of a Spanish-English Bilingual Child with Specific Language Impairment. Communication Disorders Quarterly, v21 n2 p66-76 Win. These case studies describe and compare the language characteristics of two bilingual children (age 7), one with specific language impairment (SLI). Results found the child with SLI produced significantly more morphosyntactic errors and less variety of grammatical forms and sentence types in both languages, and demonstrated significant first-language loss. (Contains extensive references.) (Author/CR)…

Pennington, Martha C. (1999). Bringing Off-Stage "Noise" to Centre Stage: A Lesson in Developing Bilingual Classroom Data. Language Teaching Research, v3 n2 p85-116 May. Explores different ways of transcribing a fragment of classroom discourse, showing how these ways determine the resulting analysis and what emerges from it. Identifies three distinct "frames" of classroom interaction, which are referred to as lesson, lesson-support, and commentary. (Author/VWL)…

Fetissoff, Kira; Kry, Jeannie; Skilling, Aryn (2008). Improving Social Skills In Elementary Students Through Classroom Meetings. Online Submission In the action research project report the teacher researchers targeted 70 elementary students in third- and fifth-grade classrooms that demonstrated a lack of social skills necessary to work cooperatively in a classroom. The purpose of the project was to improve the social skills in children. The three teacher researchers who conducted this action research project taught at two different schools. One was a fifth-grade teacher and one was an art teacher at Site A, while the third teacher taught third grade in a bilingual program at Site B. The study was conducted February 11, 2008 through May 16, 2008. In order to document poor social skills, the teacher researchers utilized three data collection tools: a parent survey, a teacher survey, and a student survey. The surveys were distributed, completed, and returned between the dates of February 11, 2008 and February 18, 2008. Data was also collected through the use of an observation checklist. The data revealed that students demonstrated… [PDF]

Lo Bianco, Joseph (2000). One Literacy…Or Double Power?. This paper argues against Australia's "One Literacy" (English only) movement, explaining that in recent years, there have been efforts to clear the curriculum of non-literacy subjects and activities, and noting the difficulty of determining what is and is not a curriculum distraction. It also notes that elementary students' English language reading and writing performance on standardized tests is unacceptably low and that some people feel that literacy performance is not being measured in ways sensitive to social factors. The paper suggests that to track the effect on languages and literacy of this literacy crisis, it is necessary to consider what fits under the terms "languages" and "literacies" and then trace which kinds of languages and literacies have not done well under the crisis. It examines problems for "One Literacy" (e.g., community languages in which the maintenance of linguistic and cultural heritage, and uninterrupted conceptual… [PDF]

Barnhardt, Ray; Kawagley, Angayuqaq Oscar (1999). A Long Journey: Alaska Onward to Excellence in Yupiit/Tuluksak Schools. Case Study. As part of a larger study of systemic education reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines the school improvement process undertaken in Yupiit School District (YSD). YSD consists of three Yupiaq villages in southwest Alaska that joined together in 1984 to form the Yupiit Nation and to run their own schools. In 1992 a district-level leadership team, trained in the Alaska Onward to Excellence school improvement process, called the first community-wide meetings to discuss the values and beliefs that should be passed on to the next generation. The district team then compiled community values and beliefs, drew up a draft mission statement, and listed tentative student goals. After extensive community feedback, the YSD school board adopted the following student goals: knowledge of Yup'ik values, culture, and subsistence skills; preparation for work and further education; respect and positive attitudes toward life, learning, and community; development as law-abiding citizens; and… [PDF]

(1975). Bibliography of Selected Materials: Multi-Cultural Themes. This bibliography lists books, resource guides, articles, bibliographies, audiovisual materials, periodicals, and curriculum guides dealing with various ethnic groups. A large section of this bibliography presents annotations of documents about American Indians. (CJ)…

Morgan, Marilon; Sanders, Kathryn A. (2002). Developing an Interfaith Trialogue: Creating Multi-Cultural Study Abroad Experiences That Enhance a Community's Understanding and Awareness of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Faith Traditions through the Narrative Dimensions of Transformative Learning. In 1998, the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Metropolitan Ministry's Task Force on Religious Understanding, in partnership with the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, and three local universities, began planning an interfaith study abroad experience in Israel for adult learners within the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith traditions. The planning committee envisioned an experience that would provide opportunities for exploration of the social, cultural, and religious symbols associated with the three faith traditions. The narrative of adult transformative learning became central to the study as a result of observing participants (n=45) in pre-trip meetings and during the actual study abroad trip. Group members participated in five mandatory pre-departure study sessions designed to educate members about the spiritual traditions and religious beliefs of the three faiths, as well as the political issues tied to these faith traditions. While in Israel,… [PDF]

Anderson, Charles W.; Palincsar, Annemarie S.; Vellom, R. Paul (1994). Scientific Reasoning in School Contexts. This study investigates the fate of claims made by middle school science students working in collaborative groups in a multicultural urban classroom and the concomitant effects on engagement and understanding. Given problems of a complex and open-ended nature in a learning community setting, students were challenged to establish group positions and to explain these positions to the classroom community. In the negotiation and collective validation processes that ensued, consensus as the basis of acceptability was held as the standard. Individual claims often became the claims of groups of students as the class worked together to separate data from "noise". The study shows how groups of students and individuals within groups came to understand a number of science concepts relating to the kinetic molecular theory and how their understanding related to the ongoing bargaining process surrounding roles within each group. The researchers noted that students who were active in a… [PDF]

Juarez, Pablo Hill (1996). The Republic of Mexico and the United States of America: The Mexican-American War — In Retrospect. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1996 (Mexico). The unit is intended as part of a world cultures curriculum taught at the 10th grade level. The lessons include: (1) "Mexico in Brief"; (2) "The Mexican American War 1846-1848"; and (3) "History and Educational Status of Americans of Mexican Descent (Chicanos) in the Southwest." Additional resources and a 32-item bibliography accompany the unit. (EH)… [PDF]

Adger, Carolyn Temple; Clair, Nancy; Millen, Elaine; Short, Deborah (1998). Implementing Standards with English Language Learners: Initial Findings from Four Middle Schools. This document aims to help teachers make the transition to standards-based teaching and learning. It describes the first phase of a 3-year applied research project on professional development for teaching to high standards in culturally and linguistically diverse middle schools. Standards-based teaching and learning requires teachers to reach a consensus on what students should know and be able to do, and to understand how to teach accordingly. This means that many teachers must make major changes in what they have been doing for years. These problems are especially acute for culturally and linguistically diverse schools. Preliminary findings include the following: teachers need long-term professional development to understand standards and their implications for teaching English language learners, and they need the necessary time to explore attitudes about language, culture, and race that might influence their teaching, as well as explore new ideas and connect them to classroom… [PDF]

(1999). The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing To Change Themselves and the World around Them. A young teacher attempted to engage a class of high-risk urban students by introducing them to books about intolerance and ethnic misunderstanding and developing their own awareness of discrimination and social bias through diaries that documented their own thoughts and feelings. Calling themselves the \Freedom Writers,\ these students arranged for visits from the woman who sheltered Anne Frank's family, and Zlata Filipovic, the author of a memoir of a child's life in Bosnia. Entries from the teacher's diary and entries from student writings are grouped into sections corresponding to eight semesters in the high school. (SLD)…

Carter, Christina E. (1997). Mixed Media: A Roundup of New Microform and Electronic Products. MultiCultural Review, v6 n3 p51-53 Sep. Reviews some microform research collections, ranging from government records to privately published historical materials. Topics reviewed include American Indians, educational reform in Japan, African American newspapers, women's issues, and various aspects of American history. (SLD)…

Nalty, Damon, Ed. (1988). The Middle Ages and the Middle Kingdom for the Middle Schools. Social Studies Review, v28 n1 p71-77 Fall. Provides examples of multidisciplinary approaches for teaching history and social studies to junior high students. Claire Zeni discusses art and architecture; Vilca Peggy Dunievitz illustrates the integration of student art projects into a history program; Ellen Santora covers the use of folklore; and Mary Ellen Wynne deals with the use of foods. (LS)…

Langman, Peter F. (1995). Including Jews in Multiculturalism. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, v23 n4 p222-36 Oct. Discusses reasons for the lack of attention to Jews as an ethnic minority within multiculturalism both by Jews and non-Jews; why Jews and Jewish issues need to be included; and addresses some of the issues involved in the ethical treatment of Jewish clients. (Author)…

Davis, Mary B. (1992). Developing a Native American Collection. Wilson Library Bulletin, v67 n4 p33-37 Dec. Outlines goals and guidelines for developing Native American collections in libraries. Prominent publishers of relevant materials are identified and titles for a core collection are discussed, including reference and Native American subject area materials. (EA)…

Willis, David B. (1992). Transnational Culture and the Role of Language: An International School and Its Community. Journal of General Education, v41 p73-95. Describes the environment and cultural at Columbia Academy, a private international high school in Kobe, Japan. Emphasizes the role of language and how second-language skills represent learned cultural competencies. Considers the influence of language use on group behaviors. Addresses the issue of transnationalism or transculturalism. (DMM)…

Kehrer, Grace; And Others (1990). Internationalizing Freshman Composition I and II through Literature and Film: A Cross-Cultural Approach. Community/Junior College Quarterly of Research and Practice, v14 n4 p359-70 Oct-Dec. Describes two cross-cultural composition courses offered at Valencia Community College using international readers and foreign films to help students gain insight on non-American cultures while learning about their own culture. Offers examples of reading and film worksheets, and discusses textbooks and assignments (e.g., student journals and research essays). (DMM)…

Kirp, David L. (1991). Textbooks and Tribalism in California. Public Interest, n104 p20-36 Sum. Discusses the recent controversy emerging over California's first serious attempt at rewriting traditional history texts from a more multicultural perspective. Analyzes the opposition to the idea of a common U.S. history and the solutions offered in its place. (CJS)…

Brent, June Elaine; Callwood, Gloria B. (1993). Culturally Relevant Psychiatric Care: The West Indian as a Client. Journal of Black Psychology, v19 n3 p290-302 Aug. Describes West Indian culture, including belief systems, family patterns, child-rearing practices, racial mixtures, and geography; and explains the importance of culturally relevant approaches to mental health services. The effective clinician must approach clients with an attitude of cultural relativity. (SLD)…

Clements, Evelyn (2000). Creating a Campus Climate in Which Diversity Is Truly Valued. New Directions for Community Colleges, n112 p63-72 Win. Highlights the development and implementation of a multifaceted program at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts. The program, which includes curriculum changes, new student organizations, international student fellowships, and orientation activities, was designed to create a more inclusive campus environment. Presents findings concerning the program's impact on campus climate and minority student retention. (KS)… [Direct]