Evans, Francis Benjamin (1969). A Study of Sociocultural Characteristics of Mexican-American and Anglo Junior High School Students and the Relation of These Characteristics to Achievement. Purposes of this study were to detect some of the sociocultural differences between Mexican American and Anglo junior high school students; to determine how the sociocultural characteristics of the Mexican American students were related to their language background; and to ascertain how characteristics of both groups were related to their achievement. The sample consisted of 126 male and female students, 87 of whom were Mexican American. Scales were developed from questionnaire and interview data to measure language background, self-concept of ability, achievement orientation, parental independence training practices, parental achievement pressure, social distance, and socioeconomic status. Student achievement was measured both by English and mathematics grades and by standardized tests. Observed sociocultural differences between Mexican American and Anglo students appeared to be due to ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic and other social conditions associated with this background…. [PDF]

Espinoza, Delia; Lopez, Santiago, III (1973). Modulo Navideno, Nivel Primario. (Christmas Module, Primary Level.). Four units are combined to form this primary level unit on Navidad (Christmas). It discusses and compares 3 cultures: the Mexican, the Chicano, and the Anglo-Saxon. The unit consists of: (1) "La Muneca Mas Bella de Wildrose", a story by Amado Nervo which shows children's feelings of love and tenderness; (2) the Mexican tale "El Regalo", a detailed panorama of a beautiful town — Taxco (Guerrero), Mexico; (3) the Chicano tale, "Recuerdos" which depicts the culture that is enclosed in the Mexican American people; (4) "El Angel Caido", a story, illustrated by children, whose principal objective is to demonstrate the Chicano child's art, sensitiveness, and imagination; and (5) a brief history of the origin of Navidad, the posadas, and the pinata. Objectives, a pretest and a posttest, a story, a vocabulary list of new words, and some suggested activities are given for each unit. The vocabulary, place, people, and history are characteristic of… [PDF]

Mattera, Gloria; Steel, Eric M. (1974). Exemplary Programs for Migrant Children. Since 1966, more than 1,900 projects have been funded by the 1965 Title I Elementary and Secondary Education Act Migrant Amendment and the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act for migrant children's problems of educational continuity, health, and other needed services. This paper describes various exemplary programs selected for comprehensiveness of services (both ages served and variety) and replicability in migrant or regular educational programs. The programs, separated into national, interstate, state, and local programs and special services, are: Migrant Student Record Transfer System; High School Equivalency Program; Texas Child Migrant Program; Interstate Cooperation Project; Texas Migrant Council – Mobile Head Start Program; California Plan for the Education of Migrant Children – Regional Plan; Florida Migratory Child Compensatory Program – Early Childhood Learning, Learn and Earn, and Language Arts Tutorial Programs; New Jersey Migrant Education – Recruitment Program;… [PDF]

Gersten, Russell (1985). Structured Immersion for Language Minority Students: Results of a Longitudinal Evaluation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, v7 n3 p187-96 Fall. A structured immersion program, coupled with an effective curriculum and empirically validated teaching procedure, was offered to elementary Asian students entering a California school. This approach appeared to have significantly better results, and its effects were maintained for up to two years after completion. (LMO)…

Schrank, Fredrick A.; And Others (1996). Comparative Validity of Three English Oral Language Proficiency Tests. Bilingual Research Journal, v20 n1 p55-68 Win. Examines three English oral language proficiency tests in terms of whether the tests measure basic interpersonal communication skills or cognitive-academic language proficiency. Suggests that oral language proficiency tests should be academic in nature if their purpose is to determine whether language-minority students can meet the demands of monolingual instruction in English. (LP)…

Short, Deborah J. (1994). The Challenge of Social Studies for Limited English Proficient Students. Social Education, v58 n1 p36-38 Jan. Asserts that changing demographic patterns indicate that the fastest growing sector of school-age children is the language minority group. Contends that, although social studies might seem to be the ideal curriculum area for mainstreaming students, the need for literacy skills often makes it difficult for limited English proficient students. (CFR)…

Diaz-Rico, Lynne T.; Smith, Jerilynn (1994). Recruiting and Retaining Bilingual Teachers: A Cooperative School-Community-University Model. Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, v14 p255-68 Win. Overviews the problems California schools have recruiting bilingual teachers and presents a recruiting model originating in the San Bernardino County Fontana School District in cooperation with a major university. Components of the model include well-defined staffing policies, a career ladder for bilingual teacher aides and support for teacher credentialing. (23 references) (CK)…

Jackson, Nancy Ewald; Lu, Wen-Hui (1992). Bilingual Precocious Readers of English. Roeper Review, v14 n3 p115-19 Mar. This paper describes the home and school experiences of 12 children from bilingual (mostly Chinese/English) homes who, before beginning first grade, demonstrated advanced ability to comprehend written English. Results demonstrate that lack of fluency in oral English should not exclude children from advanced instruction in reading. (Author/JDD)…

Speidel, Gisela E. (1992). When Children Don't Speak the Language of Instruction. Kamehameha Journal of Education, v3 n2 p93-107 Fall. Examines ways to adjust instruction to develop language while teaching specific academic content to students from different cultural and language backgrounds, focusing on students in Hawaii. Information is presented on adjusting instruction so that students will understand better, with emphasis on providing sufficient cues and information, motivating students, and providing opportunities to practice speaking. (SM)…

Camuto, Robert V. (1990). Public Money and Private Lessons: An Experiment in Choice Puts a City in the Spotlight. Religion & Public Education, v17 n3 p325-27 Fall. Discusses Milwaukee's (Wisconsin) project for school choice. Describes the program of public funding for private schools, vouchers, and parent-run schools for African-American and Hispanic students. Cites autonomy, small class size, and values instruction as advantages of the small private schools. Reports graduation rates are higher and reading skills better. (DK)…

Putney, LeAnn G.; Wink, Joan (1998). Breaking Rules: Constructing Avenues of Access in Multilingual Classrooms. TESOL Journal, v7 n3 p29-34 Spr. Presents vignettes from grade five, seven, and eight bilingual classrooms with a linguistically and culturally diverse student population, focusing on specific ways that teachers can aid students in constructing meaning in English, promote two-way communication between teacher and student and among students, foster social integration and second-language learning, and support parent participation. (MSE)…

Elgas, Peggy M.; Kretschmer, Richard R.; Moomaw, Sally; Prendeville, Jo-Anne (2002). Early Childhood Classroom Setup. Child Care Information Exchange, n143 p17-20 Jan-Feb. Discusses four components of the classroom environment found to play an important role in the successful participation of children learning English as a second language. Those components are: a physical environment that is organized, inviting, and accessible; inclusion of materials and artifacts from many cultures; opportunities for community building; and teachers that are interactive, supportive facilitators. (TJQ)…

Vergara, Hernando (1995). Design, Development, and Implementation of an Instructional Program for Kindergarten Teachers To Increase Their Basic Computer Skills through Word Processing Training. Kindergarten teachers are not receiving instruction in computer literacy, and the kindergarten curriculum does not include instruction in use of computers. A practicum project addressed the problem of bilingual (Spanish-English) kindergarten teachers who did not know how to use computer word processing programs. Major goals of the project were to increase teachers' computer literacy through their: mastery of word processing skills; creation of school-related documents, with graphics; learning of computer maintenance; and mastery of and comfort with computers for application in their teaching and classroom management. The computer instruction and training program that was designed and implemented for the project concentrated on increasing the word processing skills of the bilingual kindergarten teachers using instructional and educational technology. Twelve kindergarten teachers participated in the program. Analysis of evaluation data revealed that the bilingual kindergarten teachers… [PDF]

(1983). "Toward the Year 2000." An Examination and Discussion of Critical Multicultural Education Issues and Strategies Related to Washington State's Preparation for Entry into the 21st Century and Its Increasing Multi-Ethnic Population. In February 1983, a symposium was held to ensure that multicultural and equity education issues are not left unattended in Washington State's public schools as new educational challenges present themselves. Participants were 80 individuals representing a cross section of geographic areas, ethnic groups, and key professions from 21 different school districts and 21 different institutions. This report contains papers on the eight themes addressed by these participants: (1) "Discipline: Policies, Practices and Minority Students"; (2) "Computers, Minority Students and a Technology Gap Acceleration"; (3) "The Street Life Alternative" (which deals with the dropout phenomenon); (4) "Multicultural/Global Education in the Schools"; (5) "Multicultural/Basic Education"; (6) "Effective Schools within a Pluralistic Society"; (7) "Teacher Readiness in a Complex Multicultural Education Setting"; and (8) "Students Who Speak…

Whiteman, Henrietta (1986). Historical Review of Indian Education: Cultural Policies United States Position. Wicazo Sa Review, v2 n1 p27-31 Spr. Beginning in the year 1568, American Indians were thrust into an alien educational environment in which their languages–the very expressions of their tribal cultures–had no relevance or validity from the perspective of their teachers. The evolution of educational policy as it has affected Indians was initially tied to land transfer and acquisition, and it has been consistently assimilative in its orientation. The church, the federal government, and the schools could not and would not allow Indians to remain Indians. These three most powerful institutions in the United States all tried to change Indians, and they exerted intense pressure aimed at suppressing Indian cultures and Indian languages. The failure of the United States to educate Indian children continued until 1972 when Congress enacted the Indian Education Act specifically to meet the unique educational needs of American Indians at all levels of education. Indian involvement is a legislative mandate in the planning,…

Reyhner, Jon; Tennant, Edward (1995). Maintaining and Renewing Native Languages. Bilingual Research Journal, v19 n2 p279-304 Spr. Reviews research on maintaining and revitalizing American Indian languages, focusing on the interrelationship of language and culture; Fishman's theoretical paradigm for reversing language shift; national and tribal language policies; and examples of native language instruction at the early childhood, elementary, secondary, and tribal college level. Offers suggestions for teaching methods and community action. Contains 45 references. (Author/SV)…

Tellez, Kip, Ed.; Waxman, Hersh C., Ed. (2006). Preparing Quality Educators for English Language Learners: Research, Policy, and Practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Bks) This volume brings together a broad range of academics, school-based educators, and policymakers to address research, policy, and practice issues related to improving the education of English language learners in U.S. schools today. It emphasizes throughout that instructional improvements cannot be achieved via curriculum alone–teachers are key to improving the education of this large and growing population of students. The focus is on the quality of preparation and development of pre-service and in-service educators. Contributors include leading educators and researchers in the field and from nationally recognized professional development programs. Their recommendations range from promising new professional development practices to radical changes in current state and federal policy. This book is an important resource to help teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers address critical issues as they develop programs for English language learners. Following a foreword (D…. [Direct]

Carger, Chris Liska (1996). Of Borders and Dreams: A Mexican-American Experience of Urban Education. The story of Alejandro Juarez, Jr., a Mexican American youth, and his family's experiences in the parochial and public schools of Chicago (Illinois) portrays the problems that bilingual and bicultural children and their parents face. A further dimension was added by Alejandro's learning problems, which further complicated an already complex and frustrating relationship with the school system. The story begins when Alejandro is a shy and sweet fifth grader struggling with English and reading. As he progressed through school, from the parochial elementary school to a public high school, he encountered stereotyping and bias, difficulties with language, and the complications of his own difficulties with learning that made his school life even harder than the lives of his siblings. The support his family and his elementary school English-as-a-Second-Language teacher offered him were enough to keep Alejandro in school to a point. His eventual dropping out demonstrates that the devotion of…

(1993). Funding Policy for Language Programs = Politique de financement des programmes de langue. This policy statement, presented in both English and French, describes the funding support available for heritage language and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs for K-12 students in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The two parts of the statement, headed "Heritage Language Instruction" and "ESL for Students with Limited Proficiency in English," provide brief introductions followed by basic facts on student eligibility and basic facts on funding. The Heritage Language program consists of three courses: Heritage Language; Bilingual Heritage Language; and Enhanced Heritage Language. Funding provisions for each course are given. The purpose of support for this program is to enhance the English language development programs already in place in Manitoba schools. (LR)…

(1991). Asian and Arabic Mediated Enrichment Resource and Instructional Career Awareness (Project AMERICA). 1990-91 Final Evaluation Profile. OREA Report. An evaluation was done of the New York City Public Schools' Asian and Arabic Mediated Enrichment Resource and Instructional Career Awareness Program (Project AMERICA). During the 1990-91 school year, Project AMERICA operated at 2 high schools (Lafayette High School and Fort Hamilton High School) and served 408 Chinese-speaking Asian immigrant students, an estimated 60 percent of whom lacked all but the most basic literacy skills. The project phased out its Arabic-speaking component in 1989. Project AMERICA students received academic and career counseling as well as instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and content area subjects taught bilingually or with an ESL methodology. The project also provided support services and activities for staff development, curriculum development, and parental involvement. The evaluation was conducted using student and director questionnaires, test scores, and interviews. Analysis found that the project was fully… [PDF]

(1990). Bilingualism in the Computer Age, 1989-90. Final Evaluation Report. Bilingualism in the Computer Age, a project of the New York City (New York) Board of Education, completed its fourth year (the 1989-90 school year) and was evaluated. The project offered 241 limited-English-proficient Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to study career and vocational subjects while improving their English and native language skills at Morris High School in the Bronx. The results of the evaluation indicate that the program was fully implemented and that students received instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), content area subjects, computer skills, career education, and health awareness. The project also offered staff development and parental involvement activities. The project met its ESL, attendance, and dropout prevention objectives. It partially met its content area subjects and computer training objectives, but did not meet its NLA objectives. Findings also show that due to lack of statistical data, career awareness,… [PDF]

Archibald, Jo-ann, Ed.; And Others (1988). Ourselves, Our Knowledge. Establishing Pathways to Excellence in Indian Education Implementation: Challenges and Solutions. Selected Proceedings of the Conference of the MOKAKIT Indian Education Research Association (Winnipeg, Manitoba, October 17-19, 1986). This proceedings addresses issues within the area of Indian education. The papers are categorized into four sections. The section "Theoretical Contributions" includes papers that: (1) advocate a commitment to the future of creative ethnicity and a regard for the past of tribalism; (2) offer a framework as a means of better understanding the task of providing meaningful schooling to Indian children; and (3) describe myths and research and suggest empowering Indian communities to conduct research. The papers in the "Theory into Practice" section discuss applications of theory for educators, including: (1) designing a holistic framework of the child in the school-community environment; (2) a critique of existing school literature programs in which Native literature is absent; and (3) an integrated view of the Indian learning style, based on the theories of Alfred Adler. The third section, "Community-Based Contributions" contains: (1) a summary of the…

Carter, Barbara Ann (1988). The Feasibility of Adapting Office Technology Reading Materials for Foreign-Speaking Students. This paper investigates the economic feasibility of adapting office technology course work for students with limited English proficiency at a proprietary school. Learning guides, textbooks, computer-aided instruction, and documentation supporting the office software being taught were examined for possible adaptation. The following conclusions are reported: (1) all foreign-speaking students must be tested in English, math and reading comprehension before beginning the course; (2) instructors must spend extra time during the beginning of the course to establish a positive relationship with the students and familiarize the students with format, objectives, and procedures; (3) foreign students' learning style strengths can be used to compensate for their weaknesses; (4) supporting handouts and glossaries need to be developed; (5) the relationship of the course work to the real world needs to be emphasized and reinforced; (6) feasibility considerations include instructor labor and time…

Shore, Rima; And Others (1983). Clara Barton High School. Bilingual Project. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1981-1982. The report evaluates the Bilingual-Bicultural Project conducted in 1981-82 at Clara Barton High School, in Brooklyn, New York, for 50 Spanish speaking students with limited English proficiency (LEP). The project was designed to provide tutorial support to LEP students and to enable them to be placed in one of the more challenging health profession majors offered at the school. Additional help was provided to students in both English and Spanish language achievement, and in content area courses. The project also sought to help students to organize their studies, develop learning skills, and bolster their motivation to remain in school despite financial, cultural, and academic pressures. Quantitative analysis of student achievement among participants indicates that: (1) Spanish speaking students mastered 1.7 objectives per month of instruction; (2) program students demonstrated gains in pre- and posttest reading scores; (3) students in grades 10 and 12 demonstrated gains in… [PDF]

Taylor, Hugh, Ed. (1982). British Columbia Science Assessment 1982. Summary Report. This summary report is a condensation of the British Columbia Science Assessment 1982, General Report, summarizing and highlighting data and recommendations relative to the status of elementary and secondary science education in British Columbia schools. The report is divided into four major sections: (1) purposes and organization of the assessment; (2) attitudes and achievement of science students; (3) backgrounds and opinions of science teachers; and (4) recommendations. Achievement and attitudes of over 80,000 students were assessed at grades 4, 8, and 12, and included a sample of approximately 2,000 grade 10 students. In general, attitudes of students toward various aspects of science were quite positive. However, achievement, as judged by informed members of various panels, was rated low. Achievement measured including science processes, knowledge (recall and understanding), and higher level thinking. Sex-related and language background differences are also considered…. [PDF]

Franklin, Elizabeth Anne (1984). A Naturalistic Study of Literacy in Bilingual Classrooms. A naturalistic study of two bilingual first grade classrooms was conducted to gain an increased understanding of the cultural literacy instruction beliefs in society and to better understand the process by which literacy instruction beliefs influence the classroom. One Anglo and one Hispanic teacher working in different midwestern school systems were observed for four months. Both were considered competent bilingual educators, but each exemplified a different approach to teaching literacy. The Hispanic teacher was a strong proponent of the sight word approach and the basal reader from which she taught also emphasized this approach. The Anglo teacher taught reading from a phonics basal and personally advocated this approach. Strong cultural beliefs about how literacy most effectively develops guided the curriculum and instruction. The very strategies that both teachers attempted in order to simplify English literacy instruction frequently made the process more difficult for Spanish…

Frame, Laurence (1980). SOCMATICAS Teacher's Guide. Instructions for use of Socmaticas, a bilingual (Spanish-English), multicultural, multidisciplinary sports learning program are given in this teacher's guide. The program is based on the use of World Soccer team rosters (which include lists of players' names, ages, heights, weights, etc.) to teach English as a second language or Spanish. Students select favorite teams and use team roster data to complete over 300 learning activities in the subject areas of English/Spanish, mathematics, reading, social studies, history, and geography. The activities range from elementary to secondary levels and can be used in group or individual settings to develop cultural awareness and a positive self image. With complete Spanish and English texts, the teacher guide includes: teacher, teacher aide, and student objectives; North American Soccer League team addresses; sample letters that can be used to solicit free soccer team materials; directions for use of the learning activities; student and…

Lantz, Jean (1981). Yo Ciudadano: Un Curriculo de Experiencias para Educacion Civica. Nivel: Dos (Citizen Me: An Experiential Curriculum for Citizenship Education. Level: Two). Integrating concepts of basic citizenship education with community involvement, this experiential curriculum provides a means for developing decision making and critical thinking skills within the existing second grade social studies curriculum. The 10 lessons, translated into Spanish, cover the following concepts: friendly, unfriendly and dependable behaviors; friendship responsibilities; trust; individual, group and public ownership; loaned property; conflict over joint ownership; sharing use and responsibility of co-owned property; taxes; community helpers; public services, jobs and workers; authority; rules; penalties; law; police; crime; and helpful and harmful citizenship behaviors. The lessons aim to: develop the ideas that friendships do not last if people are selfish and inconsiderate, owners of shared property must find ways to share use and responsibility of property, some property is used and owned by everyone in the community, and some people are paid by everyone to…

Gutierrez, Merri (1981). Yo Ciudadano: Un Curriculo de Experiencias para Educacion Civica. Nivel: Cinco (Citizen Me: An Experiential Curriculum for Citizenship Education. Level: Five). Integrating concepts of basic citizenship education with community involvement, this experiential curriculum provides a means for developing decision making and critical thinking skills within the existing fifth grade social studies curriculum. The 12 lessons, translated into Spanish, cover the following concepts: responsibility, rules and laws, involvement vs. noninvolvement, crime and crime prevention, felonies and misdemeanors, and juvenile delinquents. The lessons deal with: (1) peer group pressure as it conflicts with a parent's restrictions; (2) the importance of rules and laws and how to apply them to effective good citizenship; (3) the issue of involvement vs. noninvolvement when confronted with a violation of the law; (4) crime in the community and what happens to someone who is charged with committing a crime; (5) serious crimes as felonies and their consequences; (6) the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor offense and their consequences; (7) how laws affect…

Coleman, Joyce H. (1978). Helping Young Children Develop Cognitive Skills in a Bilingual-Multicultural Environment. Bilingual/Bicultural Child Development Associate Pilot Project: Module VIII. This Child Development Associate (CDA) training module, the seventh in a series of 16, provides an introduction to cognitive development in young children for bilingual/bicultural preschool teacher trainees. Perceptual skills (visual, figure-ground, part-whole, spatial, auditory and tactile discrimination) and cognitive processes and concepts (remembering, discriminating, inferring, analyzing, evaluating and problem solving) are discussed in the first two sections of the module. Influences on cognitive development such as physical maturation, opportunities for learning, intelligence, cognitive style, culture, guidance in learning, personality and language are explored. Strategies for enhancing cognitive abilities in children are recommended; these include asking questions whose answers require the use of cognitive processes and verbally modeling thinking processes. A 6-step technique for teaching new concepts to preschool children is outlined. The module contains a chart of…