(1994). Language, Power, and Pedagogy: Whose School Is It?. Peabody Journal of Education, v69 n2 p71-93 Win. A collaborative research/school improvement project between a university, Alaskan village, and school district caused conflicts about power and ideology. The article chronicles project planning meetings, noting that the school district eventually instituted Yup'ik as a language of instruction. (SM)…
(1990). Recognizing Diversity: A Need for a Paradigm Shift. American Behavioral Scientist, v34 n2 p263-78 Nov-Dec. Contends that accepting a paradigm shift by universities means learning to respect culturally diverse students and recognizing cognitive style differences. Argues for systematic change in colleges and universities to redefine themselves as culturally plural. Contends educators must develop cross-cultural communicative competence for effective instruction of ethnic minorities. (NL)…
(1998). The Paraeducator-to-Teacher Pipeline: A 5-Year Retrospective on Innovative Teacher Preparation Programs for Latinas(os). Education and Urban Society, v31 n1 p73-88 Nov. Describes a program for Hispanic Americans that recruits prospective teachers from the ranks of paraeducators and provides them with financial, academic, and social support to enable them to become credentialed bilingual teachers. The project involves a partnership among four Los Angeles (California) area universities, three school districts, the county, and teacher unions. (SLD)…
(1999). System Wide Reform: The San Francisco Unified School District Case. Bilingual Research Journal, v23 n1 p69-87 Win. The Language Academy initiative enabled the San Francisco Unified School District to transform remedial, compliance-based programs for English language learners into standards-based language-learning programs for all students. Administrators relied on stakeholder involvement, coherent policy, and quality program design to achieve their goal of fluency in English and another language for all students. (Contains 32 references.) (Author/TD)…
(1996). Citizens of the World: A Rural Oregon District Helps Hispanic Families Settle into the Community. Northwest Education, v1 n1 p14-17,39 Win. Draws on interviews with local citizens, Hispanic former migrants, and school staff to examine problems and successes associated with Hispanic integration into the community and schools of Mill City, Oregon. Emphasizes the efforts of educators, parents, businesses, and citizens to provide equitable education through cultural awareness, student-centered instruction, and parent and community involvement. (SAS)…
(2001). Has California's Passage of Proposition 227 Made a Difference in the Way We Teach?. Urban Review, v33 n3 p221-35 Sep. Examined how teachers were impacted by California's Proposition 227, highlighting changes in teaching styles and beliefs about the proposition and its effectiveness. Teachers had to change their teaching strategies to accommodate the new curriculum. They were not sufficiently trained for immediate implementation of English-only education. Teaching resources were not received in time, resulting in an unproductive teaching environment. (SM)…
(1993). Basic Education in the Lower Rio Grande Valley: Human Capital Development or a Colonial System?. This report describes economic, social, and political characteristics of the lower Rio Grande Valley with implications for the educational system, and presents preliminary findings on how south Texas schools are integrating new immigrant Mexican students. The lower Rio Grande Valley comprises four Texas counties and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. For economic reasons, the population is exploding on both sides of the border, and the percentage of young people is much higher than in Texas overall. With border restrictions quite loose, the valley is becoming a cultural and economic unit, and schools on the U.S. side are being flooded with new immigrant students. In addition to children who immigrate with their families, many older Mexican teenagers are choosing to cross the border, alone or with relatives, to seek American schooling. Texas schools may not discriminate against homeless students nor probe about their living arrangements. Interviews with recently arrived Mexican students… [PDF]
(1982). The Unimpressible Race. A Century of Educational Struggle by the Chinese in San Francisco. This book traces the history of the Chinese experience in America, particularly in the San Francisco area, from the California Gold Rush era of the 1850s to the construction of a new all-Chinese school in San Francisco's Chinatown district in the 1950s. The first five chapters of the book detail the withholding of school privileges from both immigrant and native-born Chinese by city and California State school officials from the 1850s through the early 1920s. Chapter 6 describes the transitional years from 1922-40 when segregationist tactics began to break down, and chapter 7 describes the improved status of the Chinese resulting from their struggle against the Japanese during World War II, and their significant economic and social progress during the next two decades. A concluding chapter summarizes the impact of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the 1974 Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court decision on educational gains by Chinese Americans through the early 1980s. Historical…
(1988). Estimates and Projections of the Limited English Proficient Adult Population in Need of Employment Training. A study estimated the size of the population of adults and out-of-school youth with limited English proficiency (LEP) who need vocational education and related employment services and projected the size of this population from the time of the study to the year 2000. Research procedures included a literature review, an analysis of 1980 U.S. census data, and projections of the population. Two measures, constructed from census data to assist in the analysis, were used to categorize individuals as either limited English-proficient or as English-proficient and also to categorize them by poverty status. The following are among the findings reported: (1) the flow of immigrants has grown steadily since 1965 until now it is almost as high as it was in the 1900s, with the most recent immigrants being less educated and skilled than those who entered 15-20 years ago; (2) the number of persons with LEP aged 16-64 was estimated to be 6.8 million in 1980, which is about 4 percent of the U.S…. [PDF]
(1982). A Study of the Effectiveness of the Teaching of the English Language in the Congo. African Studies in Curriculum Development & Evaluation. No. 53. While French is the official language of the Congo, the study of English is compulsory throughout the entire seven years of secondary education. A study evaluated the effectiveness of English education, focusing on the training, qualifications, motivation, and morale of the English teacher; the suitability, appropriateness, and design of existing instructional materials; and the general English curriculum. For the study, major foreign language teaching methods were reviewed and their relative effectiveness assessed. Data were obtained from English teachers, Inspectors of English language, and student teachers of English, by means of questionnaires, observation, and interviews. Responses provided information on attitudes on reasons for training as English teachers; length and content of training; staff quality; objectives of the teaching of English in the Congo; and recommendations for improvement. Questions were raised about the necessity for English instruction and the…
(1981). ESEA Title I Evaluation, Fiscal 1980: Activity Reports, Volume 1 and Volume 2: Statistical Tables. This is a two-volume evaluation report on the effectiveness of 55 Title I activities implemented during fiscal year 1980 in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools. The activities include reading and mathematics laboratory and pull-out programs, self contained and individualized programs, and programs serving special needs. Volume 1 ranks each activity on general effectiveness in improving pupils' cognitive growth as measured by standardized tests; makes recommendations for activity continuation, modification, or deletion; and provides a narrative evaluation of each activity. Each evaluation narrative describes (1) specific program activities; (2) organization and management; (3) instructional components; (4) pupil achievement; (5) cost effectiveness; and (6) conclusions and recommendations. Volume 2 presents tables of statistical data on pupil achievement in 53 of the programs, as indicated by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Information is… [PDF]
(1979). Physical Verbalization: A Motor-Language Based Developmental Program. Physical Verbalization (PV) is a program designed to encourage language/speech development by combining movement with appropriate verbal patterns. Using the normal developmental stages of listening/watching, imitating, and initiating, the program allows the child to \play\ with standard English in a nonthreatening and rhythmic fashion and to be less intimidated by the language. PV is useful for: (1) children who have demonstrated ability in the use of standard patterns of language and speech; (2) children who have had insufficient exposure in use of the oral communication skills of listening and speaking; and (3) children who show difficulty in attaining anticipated levels and for whom PV can become a diagnostic and remedial process. The program is applicable in English and non-English classes and has been field tested in urban bilingual classes, in inner city schools, and among children with language disorders and learning disabilities. (Author/MJL)…
(1976). Social Attitudes of South Texas Primary Students. A five-year program, part of the Experimental Schools Program in the Edgewood Independent School District, in San Antonio, Texas, was designed to improve the school performance of its predominantly bilingual Mexican American primary grade students by improving the attitudes of beginning students. Program changes to reverse students' anticipated low self-concept and negative attitudes included increasing the proportion of Mexican American teachers, taking students' learning characteristics into account, utilizing Spanish in instruction and classroom management, and utilizing Mexican American cultural curricula. The Purdue Social Attitude Scales for Primary Children, Experimental Edition II, in English and Spanish, was used for a one-year study of the program in the experimental schools and in comparison schools. The anticipated negative attitudes were not reflected in the students' test scores, and those of the experimental and comparison students were revealed as being usually…
(1981). Multi-Cultural Competency-Based Vocational Curricula. Clerical Clusters. Multi-Cultural Competency-Based Vocational/Technical Curricula Series. This document, one of eight in a multi-cultural competency-based vocational/technical curricula series, is on clerical occupations. This program is designed to run 36 weeks and cover 10 instructional areas: beginning typing, typing I, typing II, duplicating, receptionist activities, general office procedures, operation of electronic calculator, business math, accounting, and business English. A duty-task index lists competencies in each instructional area that the student should be able to perform at the end of the program. For example, in the duplicating section, a student should be able to (1) prepare the master for fluid duplicator, (2) operate a fluid duplicator, (3) type a stencil, (4) duplicate copies on a stencil duplicator, (5) produce a master copy from the thermo-fax for the fluid duplicator, and (6) produce a master copy for the stencil machine. In section 1, each instructional task area contains a list of performance objectives, evaluation criterion, performance guide,…
(1976). Early Reading. Georgetown University Papers on Languages and Linstuistics Number 13. The six articles in this journal deal with various aspects of early reading. The topics covered are: a preschool biliteracy project; early reading as language development; the techniques used in teaching children with normal hearing, hearing impaired children, and deaf children to read; preschool reading and speaking acquisition in two languages; and a working bibliography for research relating to early reading. (FL)…