(2002). "Critical Perspectives on Project Head Start: Revisioning the Hope and Challenge," edited by Jeanne Ellsworth and Lynda Ames. Book Review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v17 n1 p140-44. Describes Ellsworth and Ames' edited book as an eclectic collection including historical, ethnographic, autobiographical, empirical, and self-reflective texts. Maintains that although the book is an important contribution to the literature by placing current practices into historical and social context, thereby leading to a more critical view of the revered program, the work omits an economic view. (Author/KB)…
(1995). Prospective Teachers' Use of Diversity Issues in a Case Study Analysis. Journal of Research and Development in Education, v28 n2 p69-78 Win. Reports a study that examined the responses of education students to a case study in diversity. Three cohorts of students with different amounts of experience wrote responses to a teaching case. Researchers analyzed differences among groups' responses. Constructs from multicultural education were infrequently used by students in all groups. (Author/SM)…
(1998). The Educational and Cultural Implications of Maori Language Revitalization. Cultural Survival Quarterly, v22 n1 p27-28 Spr. Maori language revitalization in New Zealand has had government support since 1982. Programs include schools that teach entirely in Maori and are based on Maori philosophy and pedagogy, as well as immersion programs and bilingual classes. School programs are complemented by community-based adult and preschool programs. Teacher shortages, dialect problems, and intergenerational tensions are discussed. (TD)…
(1998). Indigenous Rights and Schooling in Highland Chiapas. Cultural Survival Quarterly, v22 n1 p41-403 Spr. Educational reforms in Mexico to preserve indigenous linguistic and cultural rights often originate in Mexico City and lack grassroots support. Although native language instruction improves literacy development and preserves culture, Native parents may reject it because Spanish is the language of status. However, some indigenous communities in Chiapas recently replaced government teachers with local community educators. (TD)…
(2007). National Implications for Urban School Systems: Strategic Planning in the Human Resource Management Department in a Large Urban School District. Online Submission, The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student Research, Spr. This article addresses several key ongoing issues in a large urban school district. Literature focuses on what make a large urban school district effective in Human Resource Management. The effectiveness is addressed through recruitment and retention practices. A comparison of the school district with current research is the main approach to the investigation. The most valuable resource in the education of students is the quality of the people hired for this specific assignment…. [PDF]
(2007). Quality of School Life and Attitudes to Irish in the Irish-Medium and English-Medium Primary School. Irish Educational Studies, v26 n1 p57-77 Mar. This research reports pupils' perceptions of their quality of school life in primary schools in Northern Ireland, investigated through development and use of a culturally adapted instrument with both experimental (Irish-medium) and control (English-medium) groups. A related issue examined via a second culturally adapted instrument was the pupils' attitudes towards the Irish language. Findings show that there is a significant difference in the perception/attitude profiles of both groups. However, the magnitude of the effects is small, with both sets of pupils being positively disposed overall towards their quality of school life. This is a noteworthy finding when the comparative under-resourcing of Irish-medium schools is taken into account. Findings also reveal that Irish-medium pupils have highly instrumental views of schooling. The research developed robust and culturally compatible instruments which offer a useful starting point for an examination of school effectiveness in the… [Direct]
(1993). Computerizing the Chinese International School Libraries. This paper describes the computerization of the libraries in the Chinese International School in Hong Kong. The Infant, Junior and Secondary libraries, with a staff of three professional librarians, one library assistant, and one audiovisual technician, needed an automated system which could support their bilingual curriculum. Two computer systems were evaluated which could input both Chinese and English language materials, and the V-LIB system was selected. This system consisted of six modules: (1) cataloguing and enquiry; (2) serials; (3) acquisitions; (4) item control; (5) loans and circulation; and (6) MARC interface. Three other options were an online public access catalog (OPAC); ideographic capability that allows handling of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese scripts; and an image interface. Special features of V-LIB include customization; user friendliness; security; local support; training; enhancements; and CJK capability–the ability to input and display Chinese,… [PDF]
(1994). Education & Recycling: Educator's Waste Management Resource and Activity Guide 1994. This activity guide for grades K-12 reinforces the concepts of recycling, reducing, and reusing through a series of youth-oriented activities. The guide incorporates a video-based activity, multiple session classroom activities, and activities requiring group participation and student conducted research. Constructivist learning theory was considered during the development of activities. The guide is divided into the following sections: (1) 12 elementary and middle school classroom activities; (2) eight middle and high school classroom activities; (3) school recycling programs; (4) trivia, facts, and other information; (5) listing of 338 supplementary materials (activity booklets, coloring and comic books, books, catalogs, curricula, extras, magazines, recycling programs, and videos); (6) listing of 39 environmental organizations; (7) approximately 1,300 California local government and community contacts; and (8) a glossary. Many activities incorporate science, history and social… [PDF]
(1993). Educating ESL Students for Citizenship in a Democratic Society. ERIC Digest. The growing population of "English-as-second language" (ESL) students in the United States need to learn how to cope with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the U.S. Because of this, civic education should pervade the curriculum for ESL students. This ERIC digest treats five facets of civic education for ESL students: (1) needs and goals, (2) content and curriculum materials, (3) use of cooperative learning, (4) use of outside resource persons, and (5) national organizations that provide resources for teachers. The process of acculturation is essential in the area of U.S. civic culture–government, laws, criminal and civil rights, and civic values. To live in any kind of harmony with U.S. institutions and to make a productive contribution to national democratic life, students from other cultures need both information about and experiences in the political system of the United States. The principles, practices, and values of U.S. constitutional democracy… [PDF]
(1992). Performance Assessment of Language Minority Students. Performance assessment of language minority students is a complex process that requires the application of theoretically defensible procedures that are carefully designed and systematically implemented. Due to the differences between language minority students in the schools and those English-as-a-Second-Language/English-as-a-foreign-language students typically studied by language testing researchers, performance assessment in the schools must involve utilization of procedures that are more authentic, more functional, more descriptive, and more individualized than those typically recommended by second language testing researchers. This paper proposes a descriptive approach to performance assessment that is theoretically defensible and psychometrically sufficient. The characteristics necessary for successful performance assessment, the assessment process, and actual assessment techniques are discussed. Responses to the paper by J. Michael O'Malley and Cecilia Naverette are appended…. [PDF]
(1994). Effective Bilingual and ESL Teachers: Characteristics and the Oral Language Proficiency Levels of Their Students. A study investigated the characteristics of elementary school (kindergarten and grades 1-2) teachers of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students and the oral language proficiency of students in the classrooms of identified effective bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers. The study involved (1) a district-wide survey of parents, teachers, and administrators to identify effective instructional characteristics of bilingual and ESL teachers and (2) measurement of the English and Spanish proficiency levels of students in relation to their participation in effective or very effective classrooms in six schools. Results indicate that while the students made statistically significant gains in two languages, there were no statistically significant gains associated with participation in very effective versus effective classrooms. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed. (Author/MSE)… [PDF]
(1989). Norming Study of the Language Assessment Battery and the Maculaitis Assessment Program–Practitioner's Report. In spring 1988, 103 bilingual/English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and ESL-only school districts in New Jersey participated in a study to establish norms for the Language Assessment Battery (LAB) and Maculaitis Assessment Program (MAC) in grades K-12. This manual is designed to provide local district staff with the study's results and to make recommendations for how bilingual/ESL and ESL-only districts can use the results for placement and evaluation. The manual consists of three main sections and appendixes. The first section presents the purpose of the study and a description of the sample population. The second section explains the methods used to establish cutoff scores for the MAC and both forms of the LAB. Section 3 contains information on how to use the norms and cutoff scores for placement and evaluation. Appendixes consist of a list of the study's participating districts, norm tables, and fall and spring cutoff scores. (MSE)…
(1986). Project Beacon 1985-86. OEA Evaluation Report. This report describes and evaluates the first year of Project Beacon, a bilingual program implemented at four high schools in Queens, New York, in 1985-86. Project Beacon provided instruction in English as a second language, in native language arts, in bilingual academic subjects, and in career-oriented subjects. It reached 570 Spanish-, Chinese-, and Korean-speaking students of limited English proficiency (LEP) in Grades 9 through 12. The project's basic goal was to help LEP students achieve proficiency in English, thereby preparing them to enter mainstream classes. Emphasis was placed on developing new curricula and instructional materials that would improve language skills. Overall, the project's instructional and non-instructional objectives were met. The schools' administrations were supportive; staff training was carried out as planned; the level of parental involvement was high; and a variety of instructional materials were created. Students tested well on English, native…
(1986). El Arco Iris (The Rainbow): a Bilingual Prekindergarten Instructional Television (ITV) Project. An exemplary prekindergarten television program, developed by the Brownsville, Texas Independent School District, is described. The program, intended for Spanish-speaking four-year-olds, is an alternative to providing an in-school program necessitating classrooms, teaching staff, materials, and equipment. The program prepares students for formal schooling, promotes parent participation, emphasizes the importance of education, and promotes maximum language development in both Spanish and English. The unique requirement of the program is parent participation. Parents and children attend the viewing of an instructional videotape and then are grouped separately; aides reinforce the lesson's objectives with the children while other aides discuss the lesson with parents and demonstrate at-home enrichment activities. Each videotape has three components: a lesson, storytelling, and a home activity. A video character acts as a friend to the children and elicits responses and questions during…
(1986). Project MAS 1984-1985. OEA Evaluation Report. This multi-site instructional program (Project MAS) provides instruction in English as a second language and native language arts, as well as bilingual instruction in mathematics and science to approximately 400 Spanish-speaking schools. It serves third through eighth graders at four sites in the Bronx. Its instructional and non-instructional (curriculum development, staff development, cultural enrichment activities, parental involvement) components are designed to meet two major needs of program students: to develop their English proficiency and to increase their knowledge of science and mathematics. The evaluation data suggest that Project MAS has met most of its goals. The statistically significant gains in English and Spanish proficiency, mathematics, and in reading (at three grade levels) fulfill the student achievement objectives. Non-instructional objectives were also met: staff felt the various training activities were very useful and the support services were highly…