This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Francis Obudo, Eric J. Johnson, Beth Tarasawa, David Cassels Johnson, Kellie Rolstad, Mary Ann Zehr, Kate Mahoney, Gene V. Glass, Pat Moore, and Sabrina Francesca Sembiante.
(2015). Investigating Bilingual/ESL Teachers' Knowledge and Professional Development Opportunities in a Large Suburban School District in Texas, Bilingual Research Journal. Despite the fact that the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) is rapidly increasing, there is ample evidence that indicates that most teachers can benefit from training for teaching ELLs effectively. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' knowledge of instructional practices for ELLs, research on bilingual programs, research-based instructional strategies, and knowledge related to second-language development among 225 bilingual/English as Second Language (ESL) teachers in a large suburban school district in Texas. Additionally, because professional development (PD) plays a key role in teachers' knowledge, this study considers the PD opportunities provided to teachers of ELLs. Findings indicated that many teachers of ELLs are not receiving adequate training, particularly in areas related to bilingual education and knowledge related to second-language development, and that bilingual teachers are more knowledgeable than ESL teachers in terms of bilingual programs and knowledge related to second-language development. These findings have important implications for teacher PD. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Teachers, English (Second Language), Language Teachers, Knowledge Level
(2017). Bilingual Multicultural Education Annual Report for School Year 2015-2016. The Bilingual Multicultural Education Bureau (BMEB) strives to serve all students participating in BMEPs so that all students achieve the program goals as outlined by New Mexico statute and education code, these are: (1) students become bilingual and biliterate in English and a second language; and (2) students meet all academic content standards and benchmarks in all subject areas. The purpose of the Bilingual Multicultural Education Annual Report is to comply with state statute and inform stakeholders regarding the BMEB's efforts and how these are connected to PED's current initiatives. The BMEB actively works to streamline and provide data that can be used in meaningful and purposeful ways and is committed to improving the quality of data and of reporting. To that aim, the report focuses on the four key areas. It (1) collects and reports data on district, school, and student participation; (2) collects and reports data regarding language proficiency in order to assess progress on the first goal of BMEPs for students to become bilingual and biliterate; (3) analyzes and reports achievement data based on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests and on the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment (SBA) for relevant subgroups, including English ELs, to assess progress on the second goal of BMEPs for students to meet all academic content standards; and (4) evaluates and determines program effectiveness and use of funds for BMEPs. This report addresses the key areas above with data for the 2015-2016 school year, providing some longitudinal data for comparison over time. Not all data is uniform, and where this may factor into the interpretation of data results, it is noted. The following are appended: (1) English Language Proficiency Data (ACCESS for ELLs¬©) by District and State Charters for 2015-2016; (2) Woodcock Muñoz Spanish Language Proficiency Data by District, 2015-2016; (3) LAS Links Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Proficiency Level by District, 2015-2016; (4) LAS Links Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Designation by District, 2015-2016; (5) IPT Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Proficiency Level District, 2015-2016; (6) IPT Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Designation by District, 2015-2016; (7) Native Language Proficiency Data by District, 2015-2016; (8) Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs by District, School, Grade, Language and Model; (9) Total Operational BMEP Allocations by District and Charter School; (10) Bilingual Multicultural Education Program Models and Instructional Time; and (11) Glossary and Acronyms. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Multicultural Education, Annual Reports, Student Educational Objectives
(2010). What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report "Reading and Language Outcomes of a Five-Year Randomized Evaluation of Transitional Bilingual Education". The study examined how the English reading performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in transitional bilingual education compared with the performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in structured English immersion. The study analyzed data on three cohorts of students in six schools in Los Angeles; Denver; Albuquerque; St. Paul, MN; Rockford, IL; and Alamo, TX, from 2004 to 2009. Students were randomly assigned to receive either transitional bilingual education or structured English immersion upon entering kindergarten and were followed for three, four, or five years. Proficiency in English reading was measured using standardized tests administered at the end of each year. The study compared test scores of students in the transitional bilingual education group with those of students in the structured English immersion group. Scores on four English tests were examined. At the end of kindergarten and first grade, students in structured English immersion had significantly better English-reading skills than students in transitional bilingual education. The WWC interprets these effects as corresponding roughly to the skill difference between the 50th and 66th percentiles of English reading achievement. By the end of second and third grades, when many students in transitional bilingual education had switched to instruction in English, the differences in skills were statistically insignificant for six of the eight outcomes. When the students reached fourth grade, they only received English instruction. At this time, differences in English-reading skills between the groups were all statistically insignificant. Two of the four outcomes, though, showed large enough differences favoring structured English immersion that the WWC considered them noteworthy: the effect sizes were roughly equivalent to the skill difference between the 50th and 61st percentiles of English reading achievement. The research described in this report meets WWC evidence standards and is a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [The following study is the focus of this "Quick Review": Slavin, R. E., Madden, N., Calderon, M., Chamberlain, A., & Hennessy, M. (2010). "Reading and language outcomes of a five-year randomized evaluation of transitional bilingual education." Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.] [More] Descriptors: Educational Research, Bilingual Education, Immersion Programs, Reading Achievement
(2007). N.J. Bucks Tide on Reading for English-Learners: State Cites Studies Finding Advantage for Bilingual Approach, Education Week. Taking a position that is unusual these days, New Jersey officials are promoting research that says bilingual education methods have an edge over English-only methods in teaching English-language learners to read. This article talks about the importance of bilingual education or a blended approach in the implementation of Reading First Program in the United States. Furthermore, this article also presents several opinions, cited researches and varied implementations of the program. [More] Descriptors: English Only Movement, English (Second Language), Reading Programs, Teaching Methods
(2005). The Big Picture: A Meta-Analysis of Program Effectiveness Research on English Language Learners, Educational Policy. This article presents a meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on English language learners. The study includes a corpus of 17 studies conducted since Willig's earlier meta-analysis and uses Glass, McGaw, and Smith's strategy of including as many studies as possible in the analysis rather than excluding some on the basis of a priori "study quality" criteria. It is shown that bilingual education is consistently superior to all-English approaches, and that developmental bilingual education programs are superior to transitional bilingual education programs. The meta-analysis of studies controlling for English-language-learner status indicates a positive effect for bilingual education of .23 standard deviations, with outcome measures in the native language showing a positive effect of .86 standard deviations. It is concluded that bilingual education programs are effective in promoting academic achievement, and that sound educational policy should permit and even encourage the development and implementation of bilingual education programs. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Program Effectiveness, Literature Reviews, Educational Policy
(2015). English Language and Literature: Towards a Model for Implementation of the English/Spanish Bilingual Curriculum in Spain, English Language Teaching. Bilingual Education is a must in Spain nowadays. Its implementation during the past ten years has involved a meaningful change in teaching methodology. For the first time now our students have the chance to speak and to listen to the target language before they start mastering grammar. As part of this process, English literature is being introduced as an essential element in the bilingual curriculum. Despite the expected initial difficulties that many English teachers have to face in order to work with this new curriculum, no clear reference to possible approaches or materials to be implemented have been provided in any of the existing Decrees so far. It is our intention here to present an integrative approach model for the implementation of literature in the bilingual classroom, thus providing English teachers with a powerful tool to handle literature. [More] Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Bilingual Education
(2015). Power and Agency in Language Policy Appropriation, Language Policy. In this article we proffer a theoretical model for analyzing power in language policy processes and incorporate ethnographic data to illustrate the usefulness of the model. Grounded in an ethnographic project in the US state of Washington, we examine how nominally identical school district-level programs, which are funded under the same state-level language policy, end up being different in practice. While language policy is often portrayed as multiply layered, or taking place across multiple levels of policy activity, we argue that language policy arbiters wield a disproportionate amount of power relative to other individuals in a particular level or layer. Our analysis focuses on how beliefs about language, language education, and educational research impact the decision-making of individuals we identify as language policy arbiters. We argue that the proposed model usefully highlights how language policy arbiters open and close spaces for additive bilingual education. [More] Descriptors: Ethnography, Language Planning, Models, Educational Research
(2015). Task-Based Learning and Content and Language Integrated Learning Materials Design: Process and Product, Language Learning Journal. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) represents an increasingly popular approach to bilingual education in Europe. In this article, we describe and discuss a project which, in response to teachers' pleas for materials, led to the production of a significant bank of task-based primary and secondary CLIL units for three L2s (English, French and German) distributed to all bilingual section teachers in Southern Spain and freely available online (see www.juntadeandalucia.es/educacion/webpor…). These units, covering natural and social science; mathematics; music; technology and physical education, were designed by expert bilingual content teachers in tandem with researchers providing pedagogical and linguistic support. Reflecting upon the process of their production provides insights into the difficulties content teachers can have in integrating language into their subject teaching and reviewing these materials results in a taxonomy of activity types suitable for each stage of a CLIL task. [More] Descriptors: Task Analysis, Units of Study, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction
(2015). School-External Factors in Finnish Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Programs, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. This study investigated the relationship between the English language competence of Finnish bilingual pupils and school-external factors such as parental expectations, home involvement, and exposure to English outside the classroom. Data on the pupils' language competence was collected from n?=?122 6th graders in bilingual education, and compared with information about the parents' educational background, their attitudes and behaviours, as well as pupils' exposure to English outside of school. The analysis confirmed that parental expectations and involvement were significantly correlated with language competence. Whilst parents' level of education did not have an effect on English attainment, it appeared that the overall level of education was far above average, suggesting that the current system of selection might favour pupils from certain backgrounds. [More] Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Course Content
(2015). Navigating Hybridized Language Learning Spaces through Translanguaging Pedagogy: Dual Language Preschool Teachers' Languaging Practices in Support of Emergent Bilingual Children's Performance of Academic Discourse, International Multilingual Research Journal. In recent years, there has been a growing interest among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in early bilingual development and the unique role of the educational setting's language policy in this development. In this article, we describe how one dual language preschool teacher, in partnership with two co-teachers, navigated the tensions between language separation ideology and its practical realization in early bilingual education by co-constructing and enacting flexible bilingual pedagogic practices in support of Spanish-English emergent bilingual children's participation in language and literary activities and performance of academic discourse. Teachers' translanguaging practices of code-switching, translation, bilingual recasting, and language brokering drew on children's linguistic and cultural funds of knowledge, supported experimentation with new language forms, and integrated various languages and language varieties, while recognizing, validating, and expressing their shared bilingual identities. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Code Switching (Language), Cultural Background, Language Variation
(2008). Mixed Messages in Media Coverage of Bilingual Education: The Case of Atlanta, Georgia, Bilingual Research Journal. As the increasing number of Latino and Asian immigrants to the Atlanta area has escalated tensions over occupational, residential, and educational resources, research has begun to examine opposition to bilingual education as an extension of anti-immigrant prejudice and as a measure of perceived threat. This study uses content analysis to compare the portrayal of bilingual education in a mainstream publication ("Atlanta Journal Constitution") to that in a Latino publication ("Atlanta Latino") over a 15-year period, from 1991-2006. I draw on theories of group threat and racial formation to argue that the two newspapers present bilingual education in different frames. These differences in coverage suggest ways in which the media may influence audience opinion by framing issues in specific ways and also suggest a pattern whereby the ethnic minority press combats the message presented in the general circulation press. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, News Reporting, Content Analysis, Asian Americans
(2015). Determining Classroom Placement for First Year English Language Learner Students, Journal of Case Studies in Education. This study explores classroom placement for first year English Language Learner (ELL) students from the perspective of a dual language director and two bilingual education strategists. The study strives to interrogate classroom placement for first year ELL students whose language proficiency level is at beginning level. Through a process of coding data from interviews with the two bilingual strategists and the dual language coordinator, several significant themes emerged. These included the need for educators to: have the knowledge of full English immersion strategies, keep a balanced approach in the classroom, be aware of student frustration, understand code switching, and take advantage of professional development. The findings from this study will help school districts and administrators consider classroom placement options for first year ELL students whose language proficiency level is at beginning level. [More] Descriptors: Student Placement, English Language Learners, Language Proficiency, Immersion Programs
(2010). Implementational and Ideological Spaces in Bilingual Education Language Policy, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper presents results from an ethnography of language policy which examined language policy appropriation for bilingual learners in a large urban US school district. The purpose of this article is to explore the space left by current US language policy for developmental bilingual education and, specifically, the focus is on how a group of educators appropriate top-down language policies while engaging in their own local language policy creation. The process of creating the policy illustrates how spaces for bilingual education are pried open by a community of educators who fostered an ideological space which supported multilingualism as a resource for all students. A strong characteristic of this ideological space is the empowerment of bilingual teachers to take ownership of language policy processes and appropriate language policy in a way that benefits bilingual learners. [More] Descriptors: Language Planning, Bilingual Education, Ethnography, Bilingual Teachers
(2007). Bilingual Education vs. English Immersion: Which Is Better for English Language Learners?, Online Submission. The purpose of this study was to determine which model of instruction is better for English Language Learners (ELL), English immersion or bilingual education. Two research articles were selected, compared, and analyzed. One was for English immersion and the other for bilingual education. Results are inconclusive, but it is important for educators to focus more on the quality of instruction rather than the language of instruction. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Language of Instruction, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language)
(2015). Translanguaging Practices as Mobilization of Linguistic Resources in a Spanish/English Bilingual After-School Program: An Analysis of Contradictions, International Multilingual Research Journal. This article discusses the results of an empirical study that examined the translanguaging practices of primary-grade, bilingual Latino students, as mediated by bilingual teacher candidates (TCs), in an after-school program in the southwestern United States. Expansive Learning theory, within the cultural-historical activity tradition, guided the analysis. The author uses the concept of internal contradictions to analyze dilemmas that emerged during the program, as they related to the participants' language use. Results indicate that participants' translanguaging practices inadvertently reinforced the hegemony of English, which made English, and concerns regarding testing, the object of the activity for many of the TCs. The author suggests that this tension reflects larger historical contradictions in U.S. schooling for language-minoritized children. Accordingly, she cautions about the use of flexible language policies in bilingual education, which could be used to either stabilize or transgress language hierarchies and inequalities. [More] Descriptors: Code Switching (Language), After School Programs, Spanish, English (Second Language)