(1974). [Kit of Materials for Needs Assessment and Evaluation.]. The items included in this kit represent a variety of needs assessment instruments and evaluation designs and methods offered by school districts in their plans for implementation of Article 3.3, Education Code Sections 13344-13344.4, school staff preparation in the history, culture, and current problems of racial and ethnic minorities. Some are appropriate for large districts, some for small. They show diverse thinking about objectives and measurement. They deal variously with the assessment of staff needs, with patterns of attitude and opinion, and with the evaluation of inservice content, presentation methods, and outcomes. Contents include: (1) A Statement on the Goals of Multicultural Education; (2) Form IR-303, Progress Report, School Year 1973-4; (3) Staff Opinion Survey, (4) A Personal Questionnaire for Teachers of Chicano Students (Baldwin Park); (5) Pre-Program Survey of Course Expectations; Post-Course Survey of Expectations–Fulfillment (Santa Cruz); (6) Multicultural… [PDF]
(1967). The Reading Problem of the Bilingual Child and a Solution. Book English is a THIRD Language to Bilingual Students. The problem encountered by bilingual students upon entering school is that they are confronted with 2 vocabularies: the group of words used for speaking and the group of words used for reading. This situation places them in a frustrating predicament because they are acquainted with only a limited amount of English. As students progress gradewise, content materials become more difficult, sentences get more involved, vocabulary becomes progressively harder, and fewer pictures are included. By recognizing that a shift in vocabulary emphasis takes place between the primary and elementary levels, a part of the problem is isolated. Reading development requires an awareness that, to bilinguals, poses a problem comparable to a third-language situation. More difficult vocabulary, idiomatic English, and long involved sentences begin to appear at about the third-grade level. Thus, a teacher must prepare the students. For vocabulary development, the child's speaking vocabulary of 200 to 300…
(1972). Classification Materials. This packet contains complaints, memoranda, exhibits, orders, regulations, and stipulations in court cases dealing with expulsion or suspension of students from school or assignment of students to selected tracks. The report presents material from cases in which students were excluded from school or classes based on retardation, race, "medical reasons," pregnancy, citizenship, or other reasons. The report also contains material relating to classification practices based on race or national origin. (JF)… [PDF]
(1971). Social Studies: School, Home, and Neighborhood, Getting to Know More People and Places. English as a Second Language. The quinmester course intended for pupils speaking English as a second language aims to teach students to ask and answer questions and discuss, orally and in written form, basic concepts in social studies such as transportation, map reading, family, friends, school, home, neighborhood, and community in an attempt to help them function effectively in the community. A framework is provided by eight specific context areas: Doing Things Now; Customary Activities; Describing Objects; Clothing and Colors; Where; Yesterday, Last Week, Last Month; Yours, Mine, Ours, and Theirs; and, Going Places. Each context area has two or more sections of language practice to facilitate division into lesson plans and is further subdivided into patterns, suggested substitutions (vocabulary), specific measurable objectives, suggested teaching procedures, and correlations with standard English Second Language Materials. Related documents are SO 002 708 through SO 002 718, and SO 002 768 through SO 002 792…. [PDF]
(1985). A Model for French Language Post-Secondary Education. Canadian Modern Language Review, v41 n5 p835-41 Apr. A model is presented for postsecondary French language education based on the belief that linguistic improvement and cultural rappprochement are complementary goals. Data on secondary French immersion enrollment trends are noted, and planning difficulties due to small enrollments and insufficient information about career goals are discussed. (MSE)…
(1996). Indigenous Languages of the Americas: A Bibliography of Dissertations and Theses. Native American Bibliography Series, No. 19. This bibliography lists 1,679 doctoral dissertations and master's theses on Native American languages. The entries represent graduate work completed at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom between 1892 and 1992. Citations for this bibliography were gathered through an extensive search of the printed literature and bibliographic databases and through correspondence with libraries and scholars. Each entry includes full name of author, full title of work, degree granted, institution, and year completed; some entries contain a citation to "Dissertation Abstracts International" or "Masters Abstracts International," information on subsequent publication, or a brief annotation. The "General" category of the bibliography includes the following subcategories: biography; education, learning, and English as a second language; general studies; geographical names; personal names; loanwords; numeral, mathematical, and…
(1999). Reading and Second Language Learners. Research Report. This document was created as a resource for educators and policymakers regarding English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools, providing a synthesis of the research on teaching and learning to read in English as it relates to students in U.S. public schools who speak little or no English. Focusing attention on children of primary acquisition age, this research summary addresses the following questions: (1) What are the prerequisites that children need to meet in order to become proficient readers in English as a Second Language? (2) If ELLs are experiencing difficulties reading English, is it a language problem or a reading problem? and (3) What are the school, program, and classroom characteristics that support the reading development of ELLs? This report contains three chapters and three appendices. Chapter 1 discusses the theories and different aspects of the language acquisition processes. Chapter 2 examines the primary challenges ELLs face in learning to read English… [PDF]
(2002). Class Meetings: Young Children Solving Problems Together. When young children can solve problems in a nonthreatening classroom environment, they feel emotionally safe and can focus their efforts on learning. This book describes the use of class meetings in which early childhood teachers provide guidance in solving a problem or resolving a conflict to help children reach a solution that all can accept. The book is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 presents a classroom conflict situation in which a class meeting resolved the problem to everyone's satisfaction. The chapter describes how such meetings create a sense of community, promote cognitive development, and foster strong social skills and values. Chapter 2 explains the four major components of class meetings (opening, acknowledgments, problem solving, and closing) and includes information on giving children useful feedback, resolving conflicts without adults, and conducting class meetings when no conflicts are pending. Chapter 3 focuses on introducing the class meetings concept at…
(1998). A College and Urban Elementary Classroom Collaborate in Using Writing To Learn in Science. In a fifth-grade transitional bilingual class in Hartford (Connecticut), a project was conducted to focus on writing to learn in science. The process of writing facilitates development of critical thinking, deepens understanding of science content, and develops collaborative learning skills. The example of a set of lessons on the skeleton illustrates how students write their own books about the skeleton. The book format created student interest and enhanced motivation, but experiences with this project indicate that some adjustments are needed to teach the lessons in the future. Among the problems was the limited technical vocabulary of these students who were learning English. In addition, the school lacked reference materials in English and Spanish to support student learning. Results indicate that students writing to learn in science used writing to understand the science content and then improved their writing through the projects. (Contains 11 references.) (SLD)… [PDF]
(2003). The Inequitable Treatment of English Learners in California's Public Schools. Working Paper 2003-01. University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute In California, the state is responsible for ensuring equality of educational opportunity for all of its students. Yet, with respect to English learners, the state has largely failed even to assess the conditions of education for these students. It has not adequately monitored their educational opportunities in terms of access to critical resources such as qualified teachers, appropriate instructional materials, coursework, and learning environments. In this study we first examine the achievement gap for English learners in California. Second, we review evidence in seven areas in which these students receive a substantially inequitable education vis-a-vis their English-speaking peers, even when those peers are similarly economically disadvantaged. Third, we examine the failure of the state to monitor, prevent and correct substandard EL learning conditions. Finally, we discuss some possible ways for the state to equalize the opportunities for this significant sub-population of… [Direct]
(2003). The Politics of Bilingualism: A Reproduction Analysis of the Policy of Mother Tongue Education in Hong Kong after 1997. Compare, v33 n3 p315-34 Sep. Argues that a return to native language education has escalated the tensions and contradictions of the politics of bilingualism. Examines the events pertinent to the language shift from English as a medium of instruction to Chinese in Hong Kong. Emphasizes controversial issues, such as parental choice, antagonism of elite classes, and group politics. (CAJ)…
(2003). Home Literacy Experiences and Their Relationship to Bilingual Preschoolers' Developing English Literacy Abilities: An Initial Investigation. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v34 n1 p20-30 Jan. Forty-three Puerto Rican mother-child dyads in Head Start programs, grouped according to whether the children had learned Spanish and English from birth (n=28) or Spanish from birth and English in Head Start (n=15) participated in a study of home literacy experiences and emerging English literacy abilities. Results found that literacy development would benefit from increased exposure to literacy materials and events. (Contains references.) (LC)…
(1989). Ethnic Minority Languages versus Frisian in Dutch Primary Schools: A Comparative Perspective. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v10 n1 p59-72. Compares the position of ethnic minority languages versus Frisian in Dutch primary schools, and considers the roles of legislation, educational models, minority language usage, language attitudes, pressure groups, teacher quality, instructional materials, and the serious lack of basic research data on the acquisition, use, shift, and loss of minority languages. 31 references. (CB)…
(1994). Exploring Structure and Interaction in Small Groups: An Ethnographic Study of Cooperative Group Life in a Bilingual Elementary Classroom. Bilingual Research Journal, v18 n3-4 p135-59 Sum-Fall. Four third-grade bilingual-program students were observed repeatedly as they engaged in group discussions of reading comprehension questions as part of a cooperative learning curriculum. Rather than being an exchange of ideas, the discussion activity mimicked teacher and student roles in the larger classroom, demonstrating influences of classroom context and teacher beliefs on program process and outcomes. (SV)…
(1993). Cross-Language Transfer of Phonological Awareness. Journal of Educational Psychology, v85 n3 p453-65 Sep. Factors influencing English word identification performance of 27 Spanish-speaking beginning readers (grade 1) were investigated. Performance on English word and pseudoword recognition tests was predicted by Spanish phonological awareness and Spanish word recognition. Implications for instruction of beginning readers are discussed. (SLD)…