(1988). Models of Vocational Training for Limited English Proficient Adults. This document describes various models of vocational training directed specifically at adults with limited English proficiency (LEP). An introduction explains how the information was obtained (through interviews with staff and officials at state agencies that administer such programs in six states). Section 2 presents a conceptual framework of vocational training for adults with LEP, which involves language, vocational, and support services components. Each of the next three chapters explains one of those components in detail. Chapter 6 describes three typical programs and identifies the program practices of each within the overall conceptual framework. A short summary and a nine-item bibliography conclude the document. (CML)… [PDF]
(1988). An Analysis of Vocational Training Needs and Services for Limited English Proficient Adults. This document presents the major findings from a study of vocational training and other employment-related services for adults and out-of-school youth with limited English proficiency (LEP). An introduction describes the study and its purposes. Chapter 2 presents estimates and projections of the LEP population to the year 2000 and describes this group in terms of their English proficiency, race/ethnicity, age, education, year of immigration, geographic distribution and urbanicity, labor force status, income and earnings, type of household, and whether or not they are native born. Chapter 3 describes models of vocational training, addressing the language, vocational, and support services components. Chapter 4 presents the findings from six case studies conducted to examine services and policies concerning the provision of services to LEP adults in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas. Chapter 5 offers conclusions and recommendations regarding the federal role,… [PDF]
(1987). Multicultural Education. The volume provides papers presented in January 1985 at a symposium at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the subject of the various ways, means, and problems associated with providing a mainstream education for children of ethnic minorities in member countries of the OECD. The main thrust of the project was to analyze the consequences for education systems of the cultural and linguistic changes brought about by new lifestyles and forms of social organization. The papers are organized into the following four subject areas: (1) past and present: old problems, new issues; (2) cultural identities; (3) educational dilemmas; and (4) focus on the languages. Most papers are followed by one or more commentary. A final paper provides a retrospect on the information presented at the symposium. A bibliography follows each paper. (PS)…
(1975). Communicative Competence, Speech Acts and Discourse Analysis. Three papers intended as preliminary studies to bilingual professional curriculum development are included. "Speech Acts and Discourse Analysis," by Terry McCoy, represents an introduction to discourse analysis as a tool for the language teacher. The notion of a typology of speech acts is set forth, and models of discourse analysis by Sinclair/Coulthard and Candlin are discussed. In "Developing the Ability to Communicate in Work Situations," Giles Bilodeau discusses the relationship between linguistic competence and communicative competence. The goal of occupational language training for professionals is deemed to be the ability to handle office situations in a second language with the same ease as in the first language. The development of such competence is outlined in a structured series of considerations and recommended class activities. Finally, in "Approximative Systems, Communicative Competence and the Speaker's Freedom," Michel Lange deals with…
(1979). Understanding The Lau Decision. In a question and answer format, this booklet describes the Lau v. Nichols decision in which the Supreme Court ruled that the San Francisco Unified School District was guilty of discrimination because non-English speaking students were not given special language instruction. The booklet presents the basis for the Lau decision, describing a Department of Health, Education and Welfare memo which interpreted Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as making school districts responsible for providing equal educational opportunities to national origin minority group children deficient in English language skills. The impact of the decision is explained in terms of the Lau Remedies, the guidelines set to assist school districts in compliance. The requirements of the Lau Remedies are described, as well as descriptions of appropriate programs. The Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 is also explained as an additional guarantee that non or limited English speaking students receive…
(1977). The Integration of Migrant Children Into Pre-School Education. This working paper was prepared by the Council of Europe Programme Adviser for Pre-School Education for a symposium on "the integration of migrant children into pre-school education". The symposium aimed to identify and suggest appropriate pedagogical measures which should be taken to facilitate and improve the integration of migrant children into preschool education. The activities of the council of Europe in this area during 1970 to 1974 are discussed as well as four case studies on aspects of the compensatory role of preschool education. In addition, there are sections on preschool education in the Netherlands, France, Sweden and The Federal Republic of Germany. These sections include information on the way preschool education operates, general trends in the respective countries, and government policy, focusing particularly on the problem of migrant children. The paper concludes with an outline of the main problem areas to be discussed at the symposium. (MS)…
(1974). Evaluation of the Impact of ESEA Title I Programs for Migrant Children of Migrant Agricultural Workers. Volume I–Executive Summary, Summary of Findings, and Recommendations. Final Report. The legislative mandate of Section 507, 1972 Education Amendments (PL 92-318), called for an evaluation and assessment of Title I (1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act) operations and their impact on migrant students. Emphasizing a comprehensive description of program activities, the study did not attempt to measure educational quality by quantitative techniques, other than by some attitude questions asked of teachers, teacher aides, migrant students, and parents. The sampling plan provided an in-depth view of program activities in California, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington. Analysis method was to: (1) compile answers by subject and type of respondent; and (2) aggregate the data by State. Measures of central tendencies in response to questions were also derived and reported. The report is in 4 volumes; this volume (I) contains the contractor's executive summary, findings, recommendations, and the U.S. Office of… [PDF]
(1973). Texas Migrant Labor. Annual Report, 1972. Organized under a 1943 Federal grant and later constituted as a state agency, the Good Neighbor Commission of Texas is charged with coordinating the work of Federal, state, and local government units in improving travel and working conditions of migrant farm workers. A basic responsibility is surveying conditions and determining problem areas related to migrants. In 1971, the 62nd Legislature gave the Commission the responsibility for developing, in coordination with state agencies, specific programs to meet the needs of agricultural workers and their families. The Commission's efforts are the basis for this 1972 annual report. An overview of Texas migrant labor describes the emergence and final domination of the seasonal agricultural labor force by Spanish speaking people. The following are discussed: Texas agriculture and migrant labor, alien labor and immigration, technical-vocational education in Texas, and consumer state concerns. Current developments in education, housing,… [PDF]
(1994). The Fourfold Gap: Preparing Teachers for Educating the Culturally Different. European Journal of Teacher Education, v17 n3 p241-51. Frequently, teachers from dominant cultural groups confront diverse students. Teachers must learn to handle problems caused by the differences. The paper presents a model of a fourfold gap between teachers and students (linguistic, cognitive, cultural, and social), using examples from Israeli schools. Suggestions for counteracting possible negative effects are offered. (SM)…
(1977). Language Assessment Scales, LAS I, for Grades K-5, English/Spanish. Second Edition. Language Assessment Scales, LAS I, are designed for children in grades K-5. LAS I accommodates ethnic and linguistic differences and provides direct language activities taken from the popular culture of both English- and Spanish-speaking peoples. LAS I consists of two independent tests, one in English and the other in Spanish, presented largely on tape. It provides a picture of oral linguistic ability based on the child's performance over four linguistic subsystems: phonemic, lexical, syntactic and pragmatic. The phonemic section measures both the decoding and encoding of the English and Spanish phonemic systems with particular emphasis on the most distinctive and difficult sounds. The lexical section consists of a number of words of varying levels of difficulty, which the child identifies through pictures. LAS I uses two methods to measure syntactic ability: identification of the picture illustrating the sentence heard and retelling of a story. For the pragmatic system, the teacher…
(2011). How to Reach and Teach English Language Learners: Practical Strategies to Ensure Success. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley This book provides practical strategies and tools for assessing and teaching even the most hard to reach English language learners across the content areas. Syrja offers educators the latest information on working with ELLs (including using formative assessments) and provides a wealth of classroom-tested models and measures. These tools have proven to be effective with ESL students at all levels, including Long Term English Learners (LTELs). Throughout the book, the author shares powerful research-based strategies and clearly illustrates how they should be implemented in the classroom for maximum impact. This book is filled with proven ideas and easy-to-implement tips for teaching ELLs. It is designed to be a practical ELL/ESL resource for classroom teachers. This value-packed guide offers educators accessible and research-based classroom strategies for reaching and teaching ELLs…. [Direct]
(2005). Effectiveness of "On Our Way to English" as a Program for Development of Reading and Oral Proficiency by Elementary English Learners: A Report of Randomized Experiments in a California and a Texas School District. Research Report. Empirical Education Inc. The authors were asked to find out whether "On Our Way to English" ("OWE"), a supplementary, text-based product to help elementary school students learn to read and speak English was more effective in a California and a Texas school district than the materials the districts already had in place. They conducted an experiment during the 2003-2004 school year. In the California study, a total of 384 English learners and 29 teachers participated. This included 6 bilingual classes and 21 immersion classes. In the Texas study, a total of 169 students and 20 teachers participated. This included 7 bilingual and 13 immersion classrooms. The findings from the two settings were similar: "OWE" is generally as effective as the control programs for reading proficiency and is generally more effective than control in improving oral proficiency. In California the value of "OWE" in promoting oral proficiency was greater in the immersion setting. In that setting,… [Direct]
(1995). Mutually Beneficial Teamwork between Bilingual and Mainstream Classes. A three-year program to bring together third-grade students in a self-contained bilingual classroom and a mainstream classroom is described. The project was designed to reduce the isolation of the bilingual students and prejudice toward them shown by mainstream students. During the first year, gym and music classes were combined, students were teamed in pairs or trios for science and social studies, and combined classes viewed and discussed curriculum-related films weekly. In the second year, combined gym and music classes were continued, adjacent classrooms were used, students from each class were paired for weekly lessons, new teacher training was undertaken, students wrote individual logs and paired to create a publication in English and Spanish. In the third year, these principles and additional lessons learned from experience about grouping students were implemented. As a result, students are getting along better, sharing work equally and working well together, and playing… [PDF]
(1996). A View from the Bottom Up: School-Based Systemic Reform in California. Volume III: Restructuring Ideas for Schools with Limited-English Proficient Students. This volume was intended to stimulate new thinking about how to restructure a school program to effectively educate students whose native language is not English. It favors calling such students "English Language Learners" (ELLs). The document provides specific examples of how some California schools have improved their educational programs for their ELL students. Part 1 includes descriptions of seven strategies that schools with ELL student populations have used in restructuring their educational communities. They include: (1) creating a school-within-a-school; (2) grouping students by language needs; (3) rewriting/integrating the curriculum; (4) teaching students about their community; (5) re-arranging how time is used; (6) teaching in ad hoc teams; and (7) fortifying grade-level teacher teams. Part 2 offers short descriptions of the efforts of three schools with diverse language populations engaged in restructuring strategies, which serve as a starting place for… [PDF]
(1994). A Profile of Content-ESL across the United States. A national survey investigated the extent and design of programs in which content instruction is combined with instruction in English as a Second Language (content-ESL). Findings are summarized here. Is was found that about 15 percent of all public schools, and all states, have such programs, with heaviest concentration in the south and southwest United States. Most are offered in early elementary grades, and most serve Spanish-speakers. Almost half use students' native languages in the classroom. Most participating students are from low-income families. Social studies, science, and math are the most common subject areas, but overall, over 100 subject matter types are taught. A large percentage use curricula and materials designed especially for them, teacher-made tests (particularly in secondary schools) and portfolio and progress assessment (especially in elementary schools), and teacher-designed materials. Different patterns of instruction were found at different instruction… [PDF]