(1996). The Effects of Instructional Conversations on the Language and Concept Development of Latino Students with Learning Disabilities. Bilingual Research Journal, v20 n2 p339-63 Spr. Five learning-disabled Latino elementary students read stories and participated in alternating lessons using traditional instruction (basal approach) or interactive instructional conversation (IC). Analysis of videotapes and of postlesson narratives constructed by each child found that IC resulted in more complex academic discourse, greater student engagement, and greater understanding of target concepts than did traditional instruction. Contains 30 references. (SV)…
(1989). Helping Minorities Read Better: Problems and Promises. Reading Research and Instruction, v28 n3 p84-91 Spr. Discusses reading instruction in non-English languages and describes the use of reading materials and methods based on students' cultural background. Describes three exemplary reading programs for minority students and offers a model of a responsive reading teacher who meets the needs of minority background students through locally appropriate reading materials. (MG)…
(1994). Language Acquisition and Gender for Limited-Language-Proficient Mexican Americans in a Maintenance Bilingual Program. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, v16 n4 p422-37 Nov. The acquisition of English and Spanish was examined among 298 Mexican-American students who were limited-English-proficient at the start of kindergarten and who participated in maintenance bilingual programs in grades K-3. Oral proficiency in both languages increased for both boys and girls and across groups that had differed in early Spanish proficiency. (SV)…
(1991). Assessment and Intervention Model for the Bilingual Exceptional Student (AIM for the BESt). Teacher Education and Special Education, v14 n1 p35-42 Win. This article describes a service delivery system for limited English proficiency students in regular and special education programs using problem-solving teams and criterion-referenced and/or curriculum-based assessment, with an emphasis on reciprocal interaction teaching. Goals include improved academic performance and more reliable referral of such students. (Author/PB)…
(1993). Beyond the ABCs. Hispanic, v6 n8 p62,64,66 Sep. Describes the problems facing schools with large Hispanic populations and the need for the federal government to develop specific policies directed toward improving the education of Hispanic Americans. Discusses the role of corporate and private support in working toward this goal. (LP)…
(2000). Gender and Language in Four Secondary, ESL Classrooms. Equity & Excellence in Education, v33 n1 p57-66 Apr. Investigated how program types and designs influenced student access to academic discourse in high school English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms using traditional, sheltered content, bilingual content, and holistic approaches. Notes language use according to gender. Students were granted differential access, by gender, to the amount and type of language they could produce based primarily on teachers' theoretical orientations. (SM)…
(1998). Visionaries Who Count: Educational Planners in the 90s. School Business Affairs, v64 n11 p32-35 Nov. Describes a case study of an educational planner in an Ontario, Canada, school district who successful managed a crisis involving crowded schools, shrinking resources, and an identified need for dual-language education. Understanding and effectively handling political processes, community relations, and local values were critical. A visionary planner provides the necessary direction and balance. (MLH)…
(1991). Promising Practices in Early Childhood Education. Volume I. This document describes programs that serve migrant preschool children and their families or that would be adaptable to the migrant population. Model programs illustrate trends in the direction of a \whole family\ approach to early childhood education, respect for the importance of proficiency in the child's first language with regard to developing skills necessary for later learning, and a concern for the integrity of the family. Program directors emphasized the importance of working cooperatively with other community agencies to optimize the services available to migrant families. Most of the 10 program summaries contain: (1) name and address of contact person; (2) description; (3) environment or location of the program; (4) curriculum or learning plan; (5) materials needed; (6) staff needed; (7) benefits and results; (8) problems; and (9) suggestions. Additional information provided in this guide includes a description and directory of the Migrant Education Even Start Program,… [PDF]
(1987). Teachers' Perceptions of Errors in Second Language Learning and Acquisition. A study examined prevailing views on the role of errors and on error correction held by teachers and other school-related personnel in contact with second language learners. An error perception inventory was administered to a group of school personnel (69 teachers and 18 other personnel) completing a graduate-level training program. Of these, 35 were bilingual and 52 were monolingual. The 15-item inventory measured, on a Likert-type scale: (1) degree of awareness regarding the pedagogical value of errors in developing second-language competence and performance; and (2) general attitudes toward error correction. Teaching status and classroom type were used as variables for data analysis. Results indicate that teachers in general have a better attitude toward second-language learners than other school personnel. Bilingual teachers did not demonstrate more awareness of the useful role of errors than did English-as-a-Second-Language or traditional classroom teachers. A 27-item…
(1989). Guidelines for Development of Application. Basic Skills Improvement Programs (ECIA Chapter 1 PL 98-211 and Chapter 212 Laws of 1975 as Amended). Fiscal Year 1989. Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) (P.L. 98-211 as amended) and New Jersey State Chapter 212 were enacted to provide financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) to expand and improve their educational programs to meet the special needs of educationally deprived children. Each eligible LEA must apply to the state educational agency (SEA) for state and federal funding and must describe its proposed program. These guidelines are intended to assist New Jersey LEAs in designing and implementing basic skills improvement (BSI) programs in compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations. The guidelines are in 11 sections. The first 10 sections correspond to the following parts of the Basic Skills Improvement Program Application for FY 1989: (1) cover page; (2) basic data (ECIA Chapter 1 only); (3) parent-teacher and nonpublic school consultation; (4) program needs assessment for compensatory education and for supplemental ESL and…
(1983). The Chicago Effective Schools Project. A Report of Evaluation Results–Fiscal 1983. Volume I. The Chicago Effective Schools Project (CESP) is a demonstration program, involving racially isolated schools (Black and Hispanic), designed to provide equal educational opportunity and excellent school programs in schools that cannot be desegregated. This report describes the program as it was implemented in fiscal years 1982 and 1983. The program description includes a brief review of the effective schools literature; major evaluation variables; program design and implementation; and program implementation in Hispanic and bilingual schools. Evaluation results summarized indicate (1) that the program was generally conducted as intended; (2) student achievement improved for most grade levels, and 20 of the CESP schools moved upward in the ranking of the Chicago elementary public schools; (3) most CESP students and their parents had positive attitudes toward the program, although a significant minority were ambivalent or negative toward certain of its aspects; (4) few students… [PDF]
(1989). Rationale and Strategies for American Sign Language Intervention. Research Series No. 193. A 4-year demonstration Total Communication Project was implemented at three schools (an elementary, a middle, and a high school) serving hearing impaired students. The goal of the project was for the six participating teachers to become consistent in their role modeling of English and American Sign Language (ASL), through weekly inservice on ASL and guidance in its appropriate use. Although English was the primary language of the classroom, ASL was used as an intervention tool. The paper describes: (1) techniques used for identifying classroom situations that call for the use of ASL, (2) discourse situations that influence the use of different language codes in total communication classrooms, and (3) guidelines for code-switching between English and ASL. The paper reviews the limited research on the effectiveness of ASL as an instructional tool, notes policy considerations, and offers a theoretical framework which sees ASL as a means of increasing deaf students' comprehension of… [PDF]
(1986). English Teaching Profile: Colombia. A review of the status of English language instruction in Colombia provides an overview of the role of English in the society in general and outlines the status of English use and instruction in the educational system at all levels (elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and teacher education). The following topics are covered: the characteristics and training of English language instructors, the type and availability of instructional materials, educational administration and planning in relation to English teaching, English instruction outside the educational system, British and U.S. support for the teaching of English, and commercial opportunities related to English instruction. Although English is the first foreign language of Colombia and is indispensable for business, commerce, professional reading, and advanced studies, it is accorded disappointingly low priority in secondary education and is very poorly taught. However, there is an increasing realization of the importance of…
(1983). Case Study on Teaching Materials for Spanish Language and Culture Classes for Migrant Children in France. (Part I, Lyon-Paris, France) The CDCC's Project No. 7: "The Education and Cultural Development of Migrants". As part of the Spanish government's attempt to provide cultural and linguistic education for the sizable Spanish population in France, it organized the design of instructional materials especially suited to the 64,614 children of Spanish migrant workers living in rural and urban France. The materials were intended for use by primary and lower secondary students in special supplementary courses in language and culture supervised by the Education Department of the Spanish Embassy in Paris. A survey of the written and oral skills of a sample of 900 Spanish children from all parts of France preceded the design of the materials, which were intended to teach the Spanish language to a heterogeneous target audience drawn largely from Galicia, Andalusia, and southeastern Spain. The flexible materials were developed for four school levels (second and third primary years, last two primary years, first and second secondary years, third and higher secondary years) and were grouped into five…
(1982). A Guide to Working with Minority Language Students in Special Education. This monograph provides special educators with guidelines to help them succeed in their work with minority language students. It emphasizes the necessity for bringing the social context into educational planning, in its discussion of such topics as the history of limited English proficient (LEP) children in special education, classroom needs of LEP handicapped children, methods of working with minority language parents, and issues in the assessment of LEP children. An introductory chapter discusses the diversity among LEP children and the achievement of LEP children in schools. An historical perspective on minority language students and special education focuses on the growth of ungraded classes for \backward\ children between 1900 and 1920, the rise of intelligence tests and their use on LEP children, overrepresentation of minority children in special education, and current efforts toward change. Classroom needs call for consideration of assimilationism versus pluralism, teacher…