Soto, Lourdes Diaz (2002). Young Bilingual Children's Perceptions of Bilingualism and Biliteracy: Altruistic Possibilities. Bilingual Research Journal, v26 n3 p599-610 Fall. A study examined 13 bilingual Spanish-speaking children's perceptions of their bilingualism and biliteracy through conversations, collages, and drawings. The children felt the usefulness of becoming biliterate to be embedded in altruistic helping relations with family members and other monolingual speakers. Identity issues surfaced for all the children. (Contains 23 references.) (TD)…

Clapham, Joyce A.; Teller, Henry (1997). Using Video to Communicate with Parents. Rural Special Education Quarterly, v16 n2 p42-43 Spr. Educators in Texas and rural Louisiana programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students used videotapes to communicate with parents, including Spanish-speaking parents; to model teaching strategies for parents to carry out at home; and to teach new sign language vocabulary to parents. Communication between parents and students, and between parents and teachers, increased greatly. (TD)…

Brown, Cheryl; Graham, C. Ray (1996). The Effects of Acculturation on Second Language Proficiency in a Community with a Two-Way Bilingual Program. Bilingual Research Journal, v20 n2 p235-60 Spr. In a small Mexican town with a sizeable English-speaking population and bilingual schools, some native Spanish speakers develop native-like proficiency in English. Interviews found that the only Spanish speakers acquiring much English attended bilingual schools and frequently had close friendships with native English speakers and favorable attitudes toward the English-speaking community. Contains 31 references. (Author/SV)…

Commins, Nancy L.; Miramontes, Ofelia B. (1989). Perceived and Actual Linguistic Competence: A Descriptive Study of Four Low-Achieving Hispanic Bilingual Students. American Educational Research Journal, v26 n4 p443-72 Win. The linguistic performance of four Hispanic bilingual fifth- and sixth-grade students perceived to have limited language abilities in English and Spanish was studied. Results indicate that the organization of instruction limited students' abilities to show their competence and that teachers interpreted this as a lack of conceptual ability. (SLD)…

Paul, Peter V. (1987). Perspective on Using American Sign Language to Teach English as a Second Language. Teaching English to Deaf and Second-Language Students, v5 n3 p10-16 Win. Discusses why and how American Sign Language should be used to teach English literacy skills. It is argued that previous studies have not systematically investigated the effects of American Sign Language on the development of English. (22 references) (CB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)…

Cummins, Jim (1989). Language and Literacy Acquisition in Bilingual Contexts. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v10 n1 p17-31. Three psycho-educational principles are outlined (additive bilingual enrichment principle, interdependence principle, and sufficient communicative interactive principle) to illustrate research on the maintenance of Frisian among native speakers and the development of Frisian fluency among native Dutch speakers. (Author/CB)…

Schmidt, Patricia Ruggiano (1995). Working and Playing with Others: Cultural Conflict in a Kindergarten Literacy Program. Reading Teacher, v48 n5 p404-12 Feb. Studies the social interactions of two bilingual ethnic minority children during informal work and play settings in a kindergarten program. Finds that their literacy learning is hampered by isolation, the staff's apparent lack of interest in the children's home language and culture, and the staff's unawareness of cultural biases in the testing and interpretation of standardized tests. (SR)…

Mason, H. L. (1991). Use of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test with Children in England and Wales and the United States. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, v85 n8 p335-37 Oct. An 18-month study of the use of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test at schools for visually impaired children in England and Wales found the test to be culturally fair and appropriate for use with children for whom English is a second language. Scores are compared with standardization data for visually impaired children in the United States. (Author/DB)…

Yopp, Ruth Helen; Zuniga-Hill, Carmen (1996). Practices of Elementary School Teachers of Second Language Learners. Teacher Education Quarterly, v23 n1 p83-97 Win. This study examined the practices of exemplary elementary teachers of second-language learners. Observations of and interviews with eight teachers found five common practices (engaging in reflective practice; embedding instruction in a respectful context; using current instructional strategies; activating students' prior knowledge; and maintaining enabling behaviors, language, and attitudes toward students). (SM)…

Mora, Jill Kerper; Wink, Dawn; Wink, Joan (2001). Dueling Models of Dual Language Instruction: A Critical Review of the Literature and Program Implementation Guide. Bilingual Research Journal, v25 n4 p435-60 Fall. Describes dual language instruction models, and presents a paradigm for examining congruence among theoretical models, teacher beliefs, and actual classroom practices to determine program effectiveness. Examples illustrate implementation pitfalls. Analysis of Proposition 227 finds it to be a decontextualized procedural model; it has an incoherent mandate without basis in sound pedagogical principles. Appendix compares enrichment and compensatory models. (Contains 57 references.) (TD)…

Howley, Craig, Ed.; Schwartz, Wendy, Ed. (1991). Overcoming Risk: An Annotated Bibliography of Publications Developed by ERIC Clearinghouses. This publication contains two essays and an annotated bibliography of publications about risk. The entries in the bibliography were produced by the various clearinghouses in the ERIC system. The first essay, \Who Is at Risk? Definitions, Demographics, and Decisions,\ by Aaron M. Pallas, categorizes personal, family, and environmental factors that may place children at risk. Pallas presents demographic data on the distribution and size of the at-risk student population. He recommends reforms to mitigate the effects of risk and forecasts a growth of the at-risk population. The second essay, \On Being at Risk,\ by Jack L. Frymier and Neville L. Robertson, presents a working definition of risk (\risk of failure in life\) and discusses the way in which individual differences influence particular students' responses to risk. The essay describes initial efforts at constructing a scale or index to identify risk. The discussion includes an examination of questions about the availability and… [PDF]

Caudell, Lee Sherman, Ed.; Kneidek, Tony, Ed. (1997). Northwest Education, 1996-1997. Northwest Education, v1-2 1996-97. This document consists of the first six issues of the new quarterly serial "Northwest Education". Each issue has a theme title and typically consists of an opening review article on current trends and research related to the theme, followed by articles on exemplary schools or programs in the Northwest, promising practices, master teachers, or opinions of education leaders. Theme issue titles are: (1) "The Hispanic Child"; (2) "Mid Kids: Learning in the Middle Years"; (3) "Assessment in Action"; (4) "The Early Years: Making Learning Fun"; (5) "Charter Schools: Education Leaders Voice Their Views"; and (6) "Teaching in the 21st Century." Issues also include reviews of books, videotapes, teaching materials, and professional development materials; contact information for resources and technical assistance; short program profiles; letters to the editor; and hot topics from educational listservs. (SV)… [PDF]

Basurto, Paolo (1995). Children of Minorities: Deprivation and Discrimination. Innocenti Insights. This collection of essays, condensed from papers presented at a meeting organized by UNICEF's International Child Development Centre on"Discrimination against Children and Families of Minority Groups and Indigenous Peoples," (Florence, Italy, February 1994) focuses on discriminatory situations of indigenous and minority groups. Innovative approaches to the problem of discrimination are highlighted. The lack of research in this area is discussed, along with ideas for further study. The following chapters are included: (1) "Children: Victims and Symbols" (Paolo Basurto); (2) "Children and Families of Minority Groups" (Rodolfo Stavenhagen); (3) "Panel 1–So What Is New?"; (4) "Gypsy and Traveller Communities" (Jean-Pierre Liegeois); (5) "Children of Immigrants" (Paolo Chiozzi); (6)"Different Equalities: Intercultural Education in Italy" (Donato Lodi); (7) "Panel 2–The Monitoring Process and the Case of…

Omoniyi, Tope (1993). Price-Tagging Child Bilingualism: An Evaluation of Policy and the Socio-Economic and Political Implications of Commercialisation of Nursery Education in Nigeria. Years of nursery education are crucial in the language development process of the child. In Nigeria, a nation with over 400 languages, naming a national language for educational and cultural development that foster unity and identity, becomes a sensitive issue. It is argued that government encouragement of private efforts in the provision of pre-primary education has led to commercialization, and that in this context, language skills that schools supply are in a way products that carry price-tags. As such, government policy is an alternative product, and government must change the attitudes of the people in order for its alternative product to be accepted. Eight private nursery schools were consulted for information on clientele, fees payable, quality of staff, and language policy. A socioeconomic description of nursery schools is offered and the nature of language skills' products available to children are discussed with reference to government language policy objectives. A… [PDF]

Hoge, Robert D.; Khan, Nishat Ali (1994). Psychological Factors Associated with the Early Immersion Experience. Draft. In French immersion programs in Canadian public schools, kindergarten is taught all in French, and the proportion of French instruction gradually decreases thereafter until in seventh grade instruction is only 50 percent French. This study examined the psychological adjustment of a group of first-grade children who had been enrolled in an early French immersion program (EFI) since kindergarten. These students were compared with a group of first-grade children from regular English (RE) classes. Also studied was a group of students in grades 1 through 3 who were transferring into the RE program; these students were compared with those remaining in the EFI program. Students were measured by parent and teacher ratings to assess cognitive functioning, language development, school-related stress, behavioral adjustment, and academic competencies. The results showed very little evidence of differences between the EFI and RE students in average levels of stress, academic competencies, or… [PDF]

Hardy, Lyda Mary (1997). Who's New in Multicultural Literature Part Two (Rainbow Teachers/Rainbow Students). English Journal, v86 n8 p70-72 Dec. Describes the Multicultural Project at a high school in Colorado that uses literature by people of color in the 11th-grade curriculum. Presents brief descriptions of four Latino/a and five Native American writers and their works. Discusses the many ways the Multicultural Project has added to that school's American literature curriculum. (SR)…

Veltze, Linda (2004). Multicultural Reading. School Library Media Activities Monthly, v20 n9 p24-26, 41 May. Multicultural reading advocates believe in the power of literature to transform and to change people's lives. They take seriously the arguments that racism and prejudice can be lessened through multicultural reading, and also that children from undervalued societal groups who read books that depict people like themselves in a positive light will be more likely to develop a positive self-image. As the world in which we live increasingly requires cross-cultural interactions, it is also important that they be exposed to multiple perspectives on many subjects, that we \develop more democratic racial and ethnic attitudes and understand the cultural assumptions that underlie knowledge claims\. Library media specialists have long been involved in the selection of multicultural materials for their collections. Selection policies often mention exactly how and why such materials are collected. And there is good reason for their inclusion. Multicultural materials often balance the scale between… [Direct]

Arnow, Jan (1995). Teaching Peace: How To Raise Children To Live in Harmony–Without Fear, Without Prejudice, Without Violence. This guide presents a hands-on approach to teaching children the values that will help them live in today's changing world. Parents and teachers are given practical ways to combat prejudice and discourage hatred and violence. Part 1 discusses the roles of the home and family, focusing on conditioning for hatred and violence as it occurs through war toys, video games, and the mass media. A second chapter contains suggestions for evaluating the literature a child reads. Part 2 focuses on the school, with the section's first chapter devoted to the school climate and the need for a supportive setting. Growing up equal is the focus of the section's second chapter, with emphasis on gender fairness and equality. The third chapter of part 2 describes parent participation with teachers. Part 3 moves to encompass home, school, and the community, beginning with a discussion of multiculturalism in the community and the school, and an exploration of communicating across cultures. Many of the…

Phillips, Brenda (1994). Women, Islam, and Pakistan: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad Project. This bibliography features selected books, book chapters, research projects, and journal articles, published between 1953 and 1994, about the social, legal, economic, educational political, and professional position of Muslim Pakistani women. Sixteen of the references are annotated. An additional 41 bibliographic references to other materials, not annotated, are included. (LAP)… [PDF]

Ruddell, Martha Rapp (1997). Teaching Content Reading and Writing. Second Edition. Detailing the many ways that reading and writing interact with and support learning, this book is about the role of literacy in subject area learning. Three features of the book are designed to guide teachers' reflective thought and assist them in transferring ideas from the book to their teaching repertoire and classroom: "double entry journal" activities occur at the beginning and end of each chapter; the "How To Do" feature gives a step-by-step list of things to make a specific instructional strategy work; and "Building Tables" summarize critical information about how to apply and combine the instructional approaches in the book. Chapters in the book are (1) Literacy in Middle and Secondary Schools; (2) Literacy Processes: Thinking, Reading, and Writing; (3) Comprehension Instruction in Content Areas; (4) Vocabulary Learning in Content Areas; (5) Reading across the Curriculum; (6) Writing across the Curriculum; (7) Assessment of Student Progress in…

Brown, David W., Ed. (1994). Higher Education Exchange 1994. Seven articles explore ways in which students, administrators, and faculty can initiate and sustain conversation about the public life they share, and about dealing with the multiculturalism of today's campuses. The articles are: (1) "Backing into the Future: Columbus, Cleopatra, Custer, & the Diversity Revolution" by Carlos E. Cortes, which examines issues of political correctness in the history curriculum; (2) "Moderating Excess: Monocultural Roots of Multiculturalism" by Benjamin R. Barber, which suggests that "honest multiculturalism" will acknowledge and explore its "monocultural roots"; (3) "Shredding the Race Card" by Eric Liu, who urges young people to extricate themselves from the 1960s agenda and create a new one for themselves; (4) "Political Correctness: On How To Begin the Discussion" by Manfred Stanley, who identifies a new "politics of empathy"; (5) "Community and Group Identity: Fostering… [PDF]

Schwartz, Wendy (1995). A Guide to Communicating with Asian American Families. For Parents/about Parents. The enrollment of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students is increasing rapidly, so it is important for school personnel and community members to learn to communicate with API families. This guide describes how the backgrounds and cultures of the various API groups affect their attitudes and behavior. The three general ethnicities within the API community are Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians, and East Asians. It is important not to generalize an understanding of one group to another. In general, however, APIs see teachers as professionals with authority over their children's schooling. They believe that parents should not interfere and may regard teachers who seek parent participation as incompetent. East Asians in particular value formal education and may place high expectations on their children. Language may be a barrier to many API children, and cultures pose many opportunities for misunderstanding. Good communication depends on respect for API cultural beliefs,… [PDF]

Gibbs, Jeanne; And Others (1994). TRIBES: A New Way of Learning Together. Blending the fields of group process and cooperative learning; prevention and resiliency; learning theory; and school change into a comprehensive guide, this book describes the on-going development of the Tribes group process, whereby small learning groups are used to promote human growth and learning. A tribe consists of three to six students who work together each day throughout the school year. Through the process, students learn to use specific collaborative skills, and to reflect on both the interaction and the learning that is taking place. Tribes are formed on the basis of sociometrics to evenly distribute boys and girls, students of high and low peer acceptance, and ability levels. The book is divided in 12 chapters. The first chapter gives a brief description of the project and its implementation. Chapters 2 and 3 analyze the goals of the project and the principles and theories behind them. Chapters 4 through 6 describe ways of forming Tribe groups and making them work in a…

Follman, Joseph; Ploumis-Devick, Evelyn (1993). Appreciating Differences: Teaching and Learning in a Culturally Diverse Classroom. Hot Topics: Usable Research. Revised Edition. This publication presents information on and examples of how teachers and students can better communicate and learn in today's culturally diverse classrooms. The document begins with a quiz designed to help one examine one's beliefs about culture and foundations for those beliefs. The remainder of the document is divided into four sections. Section 1 provides an overview of cultural diversity and its impact on the nation's schools and addresses the critical role teachers play in facilitating effective learning in culturally diverse classrooms. Suggestions are offered for becoming more sensitive to culturally diverse student and community populations. Section 2 features programs and projects used successfully by teachers in addressing the needs of culturally diverse populations. Section 3 presents a compilation of structured strategies for developing cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity, and thematic activities and related resources. Section 4 provides selections of useful… [PDF]

Ready, Timothy (1991). Latino Immigrant Youth: Passages from Adolescence to Adulthood. Studies in Education and Culture, Volume 5. The passage from adolescence to adulthood of a group of young Latino immigrants, all of whom attended a Washington (District of Columbia) high school called the Multicultural Career Intern Program (MCIP) in the 1980s, is traced. Background and circumstances suggested that these youths were at-risk, but most made good use of their MCIP-related opportunities to rise from the poverty in which they lived when they arrived in the United States from war-torn Central America. The history of Hispanic populations in the District of Columbia is reviewed, and the effects of educational and career development programs on this population are explored. School ethnography and the role of schooling in acculturation are examined. The implications of public policy for advancement are considered, and the differing opportunities for women and men are considered. The chronological narrative brings these young adults from resettlement through schooling, work, and cultural and social integration in a…

El-Khawas, Elaine (1992). Campus Trends, 1992. Higher Education Panel Report No. 82. This report focuses on changes affecting all colleges and universities, as well as changes affecting the following institutional types: two- and four-year public institutions and four-year independent institutions. Tables show the results of a survey of 411 colleges and universities concerning academic and administrative practices. Special emphasis is on financial circumstances facing American higher education. Campus administrators describe the short-term impact of recent financial constraints and also identify some potential long-term consequences. Other changes discussed are enrollment, curriculum, faculty hiring, and assessment activities. New information is also given on the use of mechanisms for reviewing academic programs and ensuring their quality. Among the findings are the following: (1) serious and widespread funding problems are present in higher education while enrollment is increasing, especially in response to changing workforce needs; (2) community colleges are… [PDF]

Villegas, Ana Maria (1991). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy for the 1990s and Beyond. Trends and Issues Paper No. 6. The purpose of this trends and issues paper is to advance the search for creative solutions to the difficulties experienced by minority students and to draw attention to what teachers need to know and do in order to work effectively with a culturally heterogeneous population. Attention is given to the schooling of minority students in general, with an emphasis on the experiences of African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians. The paper is divided into three major sections: (1) a review of themes that emerged from the literature (explanations for the differential achievement of minority students and culturally responsive pedagogy); (2) implications from the research for the assessment of beginning teachers; and (3) concluding remarks. The empirical and theoretical literature examined is highly critical of the educational system with regard to the teaching of minority children. This element is balanced by an equally strong commitment to instructional practices that will afford… [PDF]

Locke, Don C. (1992). Increasing Multicultural Understanding: A Comprehensive Model. Multiculltural Aspects of Counseling Series 1. This book sets forth a process for implementing effective education and counseling strategies for culturally diverse populations. In particular, it helps to identify characteristics of cultures, to make comparisons between the dominant culture and culturally different groups, and to develop strategies or interventions for students or clients. Key to this work is a model presented in the first chapter for understanding the role of culture in the life of the individual and for exploring ethnic differences. This model finds the individual at the center of concentric half circles surrounded first by family, community, culture, and global influences. In this model, self-awareness is fundamental as a first step toward understanding culture's role. The cultural influence circle contains concepts of acculturation, poverty, history of oppression, language and the arts, racism and prejudice, socio-political factors, child rearing practices, religious practices, family structure, and cultural…

Ditmars, Jane W. (1993). A Field Guide for Literacy: Life Skills and Literacy for Adult Beginning Readers and ESL Students. Manual for Teachers and Tutors. This manual provides specific lesson plans for teaching life skills and literacy to adult beginning readers and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. It includes four curricular sections: Focus on Language Arts, Focus on Life Skills and Literacy, Focus on Holidays and Observances and Focus on Survival Math. A total of 95 topics are presented. Each topic includes the following elements: an introductory lesson for individual tutoring or classroom instruction, a follow up lesson specifically for individual tutoring and a follow up lesson appropriate for the literacy or ESL class. A total of 285 concrete lesson plans on topics relevant to the adult new reader or ESL student are contained in this guide. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education) (LET)… [PDF]

Sandhu, Daya Singh (1994). Cultural Diversity in Classrooms: What Teachers Need To Know. This paper emphasizes the significance of cultural diversity in American schools and its implications for the teaching and learning processes. Also highlighted is the importance of the realization that diversity is what makes the United States unique. The paper discusses the cultural dynamics of clashes and conflicts as well as of cooperation and cohesiveness in a school setting where different ethnic groups meet. A framework is provided for examining differences in world views; clashes in cultural values; culture-based preferences for learning environments; barriers due to cultural differences; learning style differences in cultures predicated on the philosophy that all students can learn, that students learn differently, and that students learn better when they are taught in their specific learning styles; historical hostilities and prejudice problems; cultural differences and alienation; and cultural taboos. The document concludes with a three-step model for culturally responsive… [PDF]