(2001). Addressing the Discontinuity of Students' and Teachers' Diversity: A Preliminary Study of Preservice Teachers' Beliefs and Perceived Skills. Teaching and Teacher Education, v17 n4 p487-503 May. Surveyed preservice teachers regarding their beliefs about student diversity (types of diversity they considered important, benefits of classroom diversity, and concerns about their ability to teach in diverse classrooms). Results found that respondents were predominantly white, female, middle-to-upper class English speakers with limited exposure to and knowledge of diverse peoples who believed they could confront childhood prejudices. (SM)…
(2000). The Multicultural Science Framework: Research on Innovative Two-Way Immersion Science Classrooms. MultiCultural Review, v9 n3 p24-30,60-63 Sep. Reviews the different approaches to multicultural science teaching that have emerged in the past decade, focusing on the Spanish-English two-way immersion classroom, which meets the needs of Spanish speakers learning English and introduces students to the idea of collaboration across languages and cultures. Two urban two-way immersion classrooms in Texas and New York are described. (SM)…
(2001). Bridging Research and Practice To Develop a Two-Way Bilingual Program. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v16 n1 p133-49. A two-way bilingual program was developed for children in preschool through second grade. Observation identified gaps between the program that was planned and the one implemented; data indicated few differences in academic gains between the bilingual program and the English-only classrooms. Findings pose implications for how teacher-researcher partnerships can improve educational programs. (Author/KB)…
(2006). Teaching in the Margins: The Multifaceted Work and Struggles of Bilingual Paraeducators. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, v37 n1 p62-81 Mar. This article reports on one phase of a three-year ethnographic study of 20 bilingual paraeducators, drawing on photographic analysis and narrative inquiry. Enrolled in a credential program, paraeducators photographed "what your life is like as a bilingual paraeducator preparing to become a certified teacher." Participants later constructed and reconstructed their perceptions during individual interviews. The analysis revealed that in spite of their in-depth knowledge of the students' languages and cultures and their pivotal role in educating language minority students, these educators held marginal positions that were complex, multifacted, and fragmented…. [Direct]
(2006). Literacy Development in Elementary School Second-Language Learners. Topics in Language Disorders, v26 n4 p351-364 Oct-Dec. This article describes a series of studies that examine the development of literacy in elementary school Spanish-speaking second-language learners. Findings from the research that addresses our first question-regarding cross-language relationships-indicate that first-language reading skills are related to second-language reading skills, but that children must have first-language literacy in the skill for this relationship to exist; oral proficiency in the first language is not sufficient. In our studies that address the second research questions-bilinguals' early literacy development in kindergarten and first grade-Spanish-instructed bilinguals were more likely than English-instructed bilinguals or English monolinguals to treat diphthongs as 2 units, reflecting the influence of Spanish language instruction on English phonological analysis. Moreover, both English vocabulary and literacy instruction made unique, positive contributions to English spelling, whereas Spanish literacy… [Direct]
(1987). Cultural Diversity: Increasing Achievement through Equity. The socioeconomic future of the United States, and the State of California in particular, is linked to improving the educational achievement of its growing minority populations. Demographic trends and a fundamental shift in international trade will result in a national population that is one-third non-white by the year 2010, with a new emphasis on Asian culture. Minority students will comprise the majority in over 50 major cities throughout the country. Historically, public schools have responded to large waves of immigration with \Americanization\ programs, whose goals were to quickly and forcibly assimilate the new arrivals into the mainstream of American life by imposing an Anglo-centric curriculum, punishing students for using non-English languages, and denigrating immigrant cultural traditions. Educational equity must be assured for minorities, especially Blacks and Hispanics, if the development of a two-tiered social system composed of a highly educated white upper class, and…
(1988). Career Education for the Limited English Proficient. Trends and Issues Alerts. This document begins with an overview of trends and issues in the area of career education for limited English proficient persons. The overview briefly addresses: the projected shortage of young workers in the work force that will force employers to hire limited English proficient (LEP) individuals, the accompanying demand for higher skill levels in those jobs, the role of career education in integrating LEP individuals into the work force, the need for career counseling for LEP youth and adults, the areas of learning that must be incorporated into career education, and ancillary student needs such as transportation and child care. A list follows of sources of information on career education for LEP persons. Print resources available from ERIC are listed by author, with title, place of publication and publisher or source, date, and ED number. Similar information is provided for non-ERIC print resources. In addition, a listing is provided of organizations that can be contacted for… [PDF]
(1980). Evaluation of a Ukrainian-English Bilingual Program, 1978-1979. Edmonton Catholic School System. This report, fifth in the series, is an evaluation study of the Ukrainian-English Bilingual Program in the Edmonton Catholic School System. It examines three areas: (1) pupil academic achievement, (2) pupil cultural appreciation, and (3) perceptions of relevant groups toward the program. Pupils enrolled in the program in Grades 1 through 5 during the 1978-1979 school year participated in the study. These students were matched with control groups, and both groups were given achievement tests to evaluate academic progress. Questionnaires were used to determine the perceptions of parents, teachers, and principals. The major findings indicated that: (1) students in the bilingual program achieved as well in English language arts and mathematics as students in the regular program; (2) students had made very significant progress in learning Ukrainian; (3) parents and teachers indicated that students had acquired an appreciation of Ukrainian culture and an understanding of the Ukrainian…
(1980). Manual for Identification of Limited-English Proficiency Students with Special Needs. Report #11785. This manual, intended to assist teachers in identifying students with limited-English proficiency who may have special needs, concentrates on four areas: language, observation, testing, and learning problems. The main part of the manual has eight sections dealing with the following topics: (1) observation techniques and methods; (2) modifications in the regular classroom for specific learning problems and learning styles, including strategies for the non-reader; (3) discussion of learning problems in behavioral terms; (4) reading assessment and techniques; (5) the child's language patterns; (6) general testing procedures, including a discussion of types of tests, standardized testing, criterion-referenced testing and testing the culturally and linguistically different child; (7) Chapter 766, a comprehensive Massachusetts law that requires children with special needs to be provided with education in accordance with those needs; and (8) the teacher in an advocate role, with a list of…
(1980). Navajo World View Harmony in Directives for English Texts. An examination of 13 selected samples of the English compositions written by Navajo college students revealed much of interest for the developing concern over widespread classification of native Americans as failure-bound in college courses involving written English skills. Four culturally motivated text strategies were found to be typical and regularly relied upon by the students within speech act expectations and discourse patterning of units larger than the sentence. The four strategies, related to specific cultural norms, were described and exemplified in the following areas of investigation: (1) speaker/hearer role requirements, (2) implosive directional focus tendencies, (3) verbal and temporal reference disparity, and (4) repetition of information. The most preferable way to bridge the linguistic and cultural gap between Navajo and English was considered to be the utilization of a bilingual-multilingual native language approach in teaching. Until such courses become available…
(1976). Summer Educational Program for the Children of Migrant Agricultural Workers, 1976. [North Dakota]. During the summer of 1976, North Dakota's 10 migrant centers enrolled more than 2,500 migrant children, ranging from a few days to 18 years of age. All students were entered in the Migrant Student Record Transfer System. A basic remedial program emphasizing instruction in reading, language arts, and math with some time devoted to science and social studies was offered each morning. An enrichment program which included music, physical education, arts and crafts, home economics, and industrial arts was conducted during the afternoon. One center also offered a formal Spanish class. Most centers used self-contained classrooms during the morning. The enrichment program was entirely departmentalized. Materials which were readily adapted to individualized instruction were used in the basic subject areas. Where classes were too large, small-group instruction was used. A greater emphasis was placed on Spanish cultural awareness. A remedial-needs program was conducted for pupils with no…
(1986). Resource List on Immigration. Social Education, v50 n3 p195-98 Mar. Provides an annotated bibliography of print and audio-visual materials, including ERIC documents, designed to support instruction about immigration in elementary and secondary social studies classes. (JDH)…
(1997). Schoolwide Programs. Schoolwide programs form the centerpiece of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's vision of enabling programs to work together and support the overall reforms of states, school districts, and schools. A schoolwide program may now use Title I, Part A funds coupled with other federal education funds to upgrade the school's entire educational program rather than to target services only on identified children. This responds to findings showing that all children's performances are negatively affected in schools with high concentrations of poverty. Eligibility criteria dropped from 75 percent poverty to 60 percent in the 1995-96 school year and to 50 percent thereafter. This document serves as an introduction to understanding and implementing schoolwide programs. The following areas are discussed and illustrated with examples: (1) What is a schoolwide program? (2) What advantages schoolwide programs offer? (3) Which schools are eligible to operate schoolwide programs? (4) How a… [PDF]
(1982). The Federal Budget: Proposed Economic and Social Priorities Leave Little Room for Education. NEWSNOTES: Center for Law and Education, Inc., spec iss n27 p1-12 Mar-Apr. Outlines the latest Federal budget and regulatory proposals being discussed, examines the spending and taxation priorities on which they are based, and suggests alternatives for the funding of education and other human services. (Available from Gutman Library, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.) (Author/GC)…
(2001). Perspectives on Educational Language Policy and Its Implementation in African Classrooms: A Comparative Study of Botswana and Tanzania. Compare, v31 n3 p347-62 Oct. Examines debate over educational language policy in Botswana and Tanzania. Proposes that descriptions of classroom practice are necessary for effective educational language planning. Describes bilingual code switching and reliance on teacher-centered recitation routines. Argues that more creative and effective teaching and learning can be facilitated by explicitly bilingual pedagogies. (CAJ)…