(2001). Success for ESL Students. Instructor, v110 n6 p30,32,106 Mar. Presents 12 ideas for meeting the educational and social needs of second language learners, including: assess student needs; empathize; foster a sense of belonging; assign a buddy; use sheltered English techniques; teach key words; read and reread books aloud; provide opportunities for success; keep track of language progress; value bilingualism; encourage family involvement; and foster appreciation for cultural diversity. (SM)…
(1996). Evaluation as an Aid to Innovation in Foreign Language Teaching: The \SPARE\ Wheel Model. Language Learning Journal, n13 p51-54 Mar. Describes how a request to help evaluate an innovative bilingual project in an international school led to positive changes in project implementation and a more constructive way forward for the main participants. The article presents a model, called a \SPARE wheel\ in order to emphasize the cyclical nature of evaluation. Results indicate the efficacy of the model. (five references) (CK)…
(1999). Identity and Career Choice among Mexican American and Euro-American Preservice Bilingual Teachers. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, v21 n4 p431-46 Nov. In-depth interviews with Mexican-American and Euro-American bilingual teaching candidates examined differences in reference group orientation, affiliative identity, and rationale for becoming a bilingual teacher. Mexican Americans had a strong Mexican affiliative identity and seemed personally compelled to maintain the language and culture. Euro-Americans were motivated by various individual reasons. Contains 22 references. (Author/SV)…
(2005). Dual Language Education: A Promising 50-50 Model. Bilingual Research Journal, v29 n1 p145-164 Spr. Dual language education programs have become extremely popular. Although these programs share common characteristics, they vary in several respects. Programs use different languages and include students with varying characteristics. For instance, many of these programs include students with fluent English proficiency and those with limited English proficiency; students identified with learning disabilities and those who are gifted; and students who are economically advantaged and those who are disadvantaged. Two basic dual language program models are the 90-10 and 50-50 models. This article describes a unique 50-50 model that divides language of instruction by content area as well as by time. The model has been successfully implemented in regions with high concentrations of Latino students. It does not require a 50-50 balance of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. In addition to describing the model, the authors report results of standardized tests, administered in… [Direct]
(2005). In the Classroom: What's a Teacher to Do?. Gifted Child Today, v28 n4 p38-39 Fall. This article describes the experiences of a second grade teacher who teaches in a heterogeneous bilingual classroom in a large district, and his assignment in a graduate class to conduct action research. This teacher was concerned about the academic performance and motivation of two gifted, but underachieving Hispanic boys in his class. Both of the students had been identified as gifted, based upon high scores on standardized and non verbal tests. Each demonstrated high cognitive ability both mathematically and verbally. After nearly a full year in the second grade class, both students had shown varying degrees of interest in learning and self-discipline. There was an apparent discrepancy between their scores on standardized tests and their actual performance on daily work in the classroom. They quite often seemed to coast and attempt to get by with the barest minimum of effort. Having looked at research that says \untreated\ underachievement becomes an entrenched behavior, one that… [PDF]
(2004). Latino Parents in the Rural Southeast: A Study of Family and School Partnerships. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, v96 n4 p29-33. This qualitative study examined the collective factors of parenting practices in the context of Latino family culture, parental involvement, and community-school relations among Latino parents and school personnel in three rural southeastern communities. A total of 75 respondents, including school personnel and Latino parents, participated in focus groups and individual interviews. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided to school personnel and family professionals who work with Latino families. (Contains 4 tables.)… [Direct]
(2003). Parents' and Teachers' Evaluations of the Communicative Abilities of Deaf Children. American Annals of the Deaf, v148 n4 p287-294 Fall. The authors compared evaluations by parents and teachers of the communicative abilities of deaf children. Such comparisons between parents' and professionals' assessments of the language development of children who are deaf can provide useful information on which to base ecologically valid intervention approaches. A secondary interest of the authors was to investigate the possible influences on language development of gender, the presence or absence of cochlear implantation, and communication modality (i.e., auditory-verbal or bilingual). The study included the mothers and teachers of 14 deaf children educated in auditory-verbal or bilingual programs. Two scales from a survey instrument, Profiles of the Hearing Impaired (Webster & Webster, 1995), were used. No significant differences between the teachers' and parents' evaluations were found. Gender, cochlear implantation, and communication modality were found to have no significant effect on the evaluations. (Contains 3 tables.)… [Direct]
(1978). Koyukon Athabaskan Dance Songs. Nineteen songs sung at potlach activities to honor the dead have been transcribed and compiled to foster greater understanding and appreciation among Alaskan school children of the place of songs in the life of the Central Koyukon Athabaskans who believe that singing and dancing allow emotional release from the sadness of losing a loved one. The songs, never directly naming the deceased person, tell of how much the person is missed by his family and friends and of the good deeds the person did when he was alive. The songs fall into three basic types: (1) the mask dance songs, sung with the typical Eskimo words accompanied by the beating of the hand drum; (2) the washtub songs, to which the people dance around a peeled spruce pole moving a piece of calico up and down with their hands; and (3) the stick dance songs, sung only during the proper time at the Feast for the Dead. Each song is presented with lyrics in Athabaskan and English, a brief history of the subject of the song and… [PDF]
(1992). Students with Limited English Proficiency: Selected Resources for Vocational Preparation. Volume 2. This volume of resource listings is intended to assist state and local administrators of vocational special needs programs, special needs educators, counselors, researchers, policymakers, and others in locating resources for developing or improving programs and services for youth and adults with limited English proficiency. Materials listed in this guide include 85 publications; 21 newsletters; 2 journals; 22 agencies, associations, and organizations; 18 centers for educational information and services; 9 clearinghouses; 3 computer-based information networks; and 7 databases. The entries are categorized by the following cluster headings of the common components of exemplary programs: program administration, curriculum and instruction, comprehensive support services, formalized articulation and communication, and occupational experience. Resources on general literature and model programs and practices are also included. For each entry, an annotation, the price, ordering information,… [PDF]
(1990). Instructional Technology. INAR/NACIE Joint Issues Sessions. National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Annual Conference (22nd, San Diego, California, October 15, 1990). This report summarizes a joint session held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues related to instructional technology in Native American education. The testimony pertained to an exemplary program at Hualapai School in Peach Springs, Arizona. The school, which serves 225 students in grades K-8, has over 90 computers and a video studio with three cameras. The computers provide reinforcement for classroom work, word processing capability within a whole language program, and the ability to create instructional materials in the Hualapai language and materials that are culturally relevant. The video equipment is used to make student productions, often in relation to a cultural environmental curriculum. In addition, elders have been drawn into the school to provide cultural education, such as an ethnobotany program in which elders demonstrate traditional harvest methods and uses of plants, while the… [PDF]
(1992). Alaska Native Languages Preservation and Enhancement Act of 1991. Hearing on S. 1595 To Preserve and Enhance the Ability of Alaska Natives To Speak and Understand Their Native Languages, before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session (Anchorage, Alaska, October 19, 1991). This Senate hearing received testimony expressing the concern that Alaska Native languages are dying, and suggesting ways to stimulate and improve Native language instruction in schools and community settings. The director of the Alaska Native Language Center (University of Alaska, Fairbanks) provided information about the history of suppression of Native languages in Alaska schools. Of 20 Native languages, only Central Yupik and St. Lawrence Island Yupik are still spoken by children. Village and tribal elders, chiefs, teachers, students, and parents discussed the following issues: the loss of cultures as children cannot speak with grandparents; the shared childhood experience of being punished in school for speaking Native languages; the need to train fluent Native speakers as language teachers and then pay them and treat them as professionals; the possibility of allowing Native languages to substitute for "foreign" languages in the curriculum; the need for Native…
(1995). Empowering Students and Their Families To Succeed through Innovative, Diverse, and Challenging Educational Programs. The Region XI Migrant Education Program, Pajaro Valley Unified School District (Watsonville, CA) serves approximately 6,300 students during the regular school year and 4,400 students during the summer. Virtually all students are Hispanics, and 47 percent are currently migrant. As a group, these students have at least three characteristics that put them at risk: interrupted schooling due to migration, limited English proficiency, and low academic achievement. The district provides a variety of instructional, health, and support services to migrant students aged 3-21 and their parents. This packet compiles various materials describing the district's programs and services. The district's education plan for 1994-95 identifies areas of highest need (language development, mathematics achievement, preschool and early intervention, dropout prevention, and dropout recovery), and outlines objectives, activities, and evaluation plans for instruction in basic and advanced skills, services to… [PDF]
(1973). Description of Bilingual Programs Funded by Title III, ESEA. This booklet presents descriptions of 3 bilingual programs funded by Title III, ESEA: The East Harlem Pre-School, the Bilingual Elementary School Program, and the Bilingual Resource Center. Program objectives are included. (SK)… [PDF]
(1991). Early Childhood Education in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. The expansion of early childhood education for American Indians and Alaska Natives has reflected the trend in the larger society. While efforts are being made to improve early childhood care and education for all children, deeper issues must be considered by Native Americans. First among them is the long history of forced assimilation and attempted acculturation of Native Americans into the mainstream society. Native American children must be allowed to maintain their Native identities and retain the unique strengths embedded in their cultures. Programs for young Native children must be designed within the context of each child's culture, home language, and family. Successful programs encourage parent involvement, use parents and community members as resources, offer parents educational opportunities, and link home learning with school learning. The current definition of readiness focuses the blame for early school failure on the child. Instead, schools should support the culturally… [PDF]
(1991). The Amish Child and Teaching Composition. Amish children are at a disadvantage in the rural public school because of their unique traditional upbringing and multilingual society. One of the greatest areas of risk is language arts. This document provides resources and instructional tips for teachers teaching writing to Amish children in rural elementary schools. The Amish are a linguistic, cultural, and religious minority all at the same time. Little research and information are available to public schools to help them meet the special needs of these children. These three types of minority status coupled with rural culture factors may produce invalid results on standardized tests. Eight steps are listed by which the teacher can reduce bias against Amish children, including development of cultural awareness, evaluation of the validity of standardized tests, and use of more appropriate student evaluation methods. English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students need not be proficient in speaking it in order to learn to write in it….