This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Erica Frankenberg, Liliana M. Garces, Kellie Rolstad, Herbert Igboanusi, Nancy H. Hornberger, Patricia Peterson, Ludo Verhoeven, Masood Badri, Donald M. Taylor, and Chris Campbell.
(2014). The Impact of the "First Language First" Model on Vocabulary Development among Preschool Bilingual Children, Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the role of the "First Language First" model for preschool bilingual education in the development of vocabulary depth. The languages studied were Russian (L1) and Hebrew (L2) among bilingual children aged 4-5 years in Israel. According to this model, the children's first language of educational instruction (up to age three) is the language to which they are exposed at home. Their second language–the dominant language of the country that is spoken by the majority of the population–is acquired sequentially, after relative maturity in the first language. Fifty-one Russian/Hebrew-speaking bilinguals (around age four) were selected from bilingual (Russian/Hebrew) preschools, which used the "First Language First" approach, and monolingual (Hebrew) preschools. The research was designed as a longitudinal study, as the children's vocabulary was measured at two time-points–near the beginning and the end of the academic year. The children's vocabulary was measured in both languages by examining its depth dimensions (paradigmatic semantic relations and syntagmatic semantic relations). The results demonstrated that the later immersion in L2 and continuing development of L1 within the "First Language First" model does not results in "retardation" in development of bilingual children in L2 in comparison to their bilingual peers from the monolingual (Hebrew) preschools. In addition, this model of early bilingual development enhances the linguistic interdependence of depth of vocabulary knowledge, and, therefore, supports balanced bilingual development. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Semitic Languages, Russian, Preschool Children
(2006). Curriculum-Based Measurement and the Evaluation of Reading Skills of Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners in Bilingual Education Classrooms, School Psychology Review. Eighty-three students enrolled in general education classrooms and 62 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in bilingual education classrooms were assessed in reading English three times a year using curriculum-based measurement. Fluency in Spanish passages was also assessed for Spanish-speaking ELLs in the bilingual education program. Results showed that Spanish-speaking ELLs read less fluently on English passages than general education students across grades and across testing periods. When general education students reading in English and Spanish-speaking ELLs reading in Spanish were compared, general education students read more fluently in English than Spanish-speaking ELLs did in Spanish. In addition, general education students made more gains over time in reading English than Spanish-speaking ELLs reading in Spanish. These findings suggest that curriculum-based measurement can be a viable methodology for evaluating the rate of progress of Spanish-speaking ELLs in bilingual education programs. In addition, the study points to the need for more research to determine the expected rates of gain in reading among Spanish-speaking ELLs in both English and their native language. [More] Descriptors: General Education, Curriculum Based Assessment, Bilingual Education, Second Language Learning
(2009). Bilingual Education in an Aboriginal Context: Examining the Transfer of Language Skills from Inuktitut to English or French, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Bilingual education is thought to be one of the principal means of simultaneously revitalizing threatened language and preparing students for success in mainstream society. However, little research has examined, in a comprehensive and longitudinal fashion, bilingual programs in Aboriginal contexts. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to conduct a longitudinal analysis of the language skills of 110 Inuit students participating in an Inuktitut-English/French program in a remote Arctic community. Students' skills in English or French improved from Grades 4-6, after a switch to second language instruction; whereas, their skills in Inuktitut showed no significant improvement across these grades. Baseline heritage language skills in Grade 3 were found to be predictive of later success in both the heritage and mainstream languages, providing evidence for cross-language transfer and pointing to the pivotal importance of heritage language instruction for Aboriginal students. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Education Programs, Bilingualism, Alaska Natives
(2012). Translanguaging and Transnational Literacies in Multilingual Classrooms: A Biliteracy Lens, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. As US classrooms approach a decade of response to No Child Left Behind, many questions and concerns remain around the education of those labeled as "English language learners," in both English as a Second Language and bilingual education classrooms. A national policy context where standardized tests dominate curriculum and instruction and first language literacy is discouraged and undervalued poses unusual challenges for learners whose communicative repertoires encompass translanguaging practices. Drawing on the critical sociolinguistics of globalization and on ethnographic data from US and international educational contexts, we argue via a continua of biliteracy lens that the welcoming of translanguaging and transnational literacies in classrooms is not only necessary but desirable educational practice. We suggest that Obama's current policies on the one hand and our schools' glaring needs on the other offer new spaces to be exploited for innovative programs, curricula, and practices that recognize, value, and build on the multiple, mobile communicative repertoires and translanguaging/transnational literacy practices of students and their families. [More] Descriptors: Sociolinguistics, Federal Legislation, Bilingual Education, Standardized Tests
(2008). The Relationship between the Reading and Signing Skills of Deaf Children in Bilingual Education Programs, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. This paper reports on one experiment in which we investigated the relationship between reading and signing skills. We administered a vocabulary task and a story comprehension task in Sign Language of the Netherlands and in written Dutch to a group of 87 deaf children from bilingual education programs. We found a strong and positive correlation between the scores obtained in the sign vocabulary task and the reading vocabulary task when age, short-term memory scores, and nonverbal intelligence scores were controlled for. In addition, a correlation was observed between the scores in the story comprehension tasks in Sign Language of the Netherlands and written Dutch but only when vocabulary scores for words and signs were not taken into account. The results are briefly discussed with reference to a model we recently proposed to describe lexical development for deaf children in bilingual education programs (Hermans, D., Knoors, H., Ormel, E., & Verhoeven, L., 2008). In addition, the implications of the results of the present study for previous studies on the relationship between reading and signing skills are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Sign Language, Bilingual Education, Deafness, Bilingual Education Programs
(2008). The Big Picture in Bilingual Education: A Meta-Analysis Corrected for Gersten's Coding Error, Journal of Educational Research & Policy Studies. In light of a recent revelation that Gersten (1985) included erroneous information on one of two programs for English Language Learners (ELLs), the authors re-calculate results of their earlier meta-analysis of program effectiveness studies for ELLs in which Gersten's studies had behaved as outliers (Rolstad, Mahoney & Glass, 2005). The correction resulted in a change in mean effect size from 0.08 to 0.19 for all outcome measures, from -0.06 to 0.14 for (English) reading, from 0.08 to 0.17 for (English) math, and from -0.01 to 0.10 for all Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) studies. The revelation of Gersten's coding error, and the inconsistency of Gersten's studies with other studies reviewed, increases confidence in the conclusion that an "investigator effect" suppresses results favoring TBE in these studies. Removing Gersten's studies from the meta-analysis renders an effect size of 0.17 for TBE, nearly as high as for Developmental Bilingual Education (DBE). The authors argue that the most informative result is the effect size reported for studies involving ELLs in both treatment and control groups, with an average effect size for TBE of 0.23. The new analysis therefore strengthens the conclusions previously reached in the authors' original research supporting TBE over English-only approaches, and DBE over TBE. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Second Language Learning, Program Effectiveness, Effect Size
(2016). From Blueprint to Building: Lifting the Torch for Multilingual Students in New York State, New America. Around 30 percent of families across New York State now speak a language other than English at home, resulting in 240,000 English language learners (ELLs) in the state's primary and secondary schools who speak nearly 200 different languages. This report looks at New York State's redesign of policies and practices to better support the education of its long-established, yet still growing multilingual population, highlighting both the bright spots and the emerging challenges of New York's ELL reforms by charting their inception, design, and early implementation. Unlike other states grappling with how to respond to recent influxes of ELLs for the first time, the Empire State has been experimenting with ELL policy reforms for some time. New York's reforms offer a rare example of cohesive state-level policy innovation and leadership for multilingual children. The recent reforms, which fall under New York's new Blueprint for English Language Learners (ELL) Success and update state rules on how schools must serve K-12 ELLs, required districts and school to make several key changes impacting ELLs' education. These changes included: (1) New instructional rules that expand "integrated" English as a Second Language (ESL) services, primarily through co-teaching models; (2) New requirements that set a district-wide (versus school-level) threshold for offering bilingual education in ELL home languages, including through dual immersion models; (3) Newly specific quotas on ELL professional development for all teachers, mainstream and specialist; (4) Additional district data reporting requirements by DLL subpopulations; and (5) Expanded requirements for family engagement, including extra parent-teacher conferences on ELL linguistic development, and more. As the new strategy rolled out in the 2015-2016 school year, the appointment, election, and increased visibility of linguistically-diverse, state-level leadership further pushed the momentum for serving ELLs. Recommendations for other states to take away from New York's experience with ELL reforms include the following: (1) Develop and communicate an ELL vision at the state level; (2) Design policies that incorporate home languages as an asset; (3) Design policies that integrate language development and academic instruction across the board; (4) Build statewide systems to develop administrator and teacher competencies with ELLs, equipping them for success in meeting and exceeding regulatory expectations; and (5) Coordinate administrative action with institutions of higher education and the state legislature to ensure policies can be implemented optimally. Even as New York represents an example of strong, state-level policy innovation and leadership, the work is far from finished. Advocates and practitioners in the field have voiced concerns over the rapid scope of change to ELL program design and staffing. A list of interviews is appended. [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, English Language Learners, Educational Practices, Educational Policy
(2010). Preparing Culturally Diverse Special Education Faculty: Challenges and Solutions, Contemporary Issues in Education Research. This paper describes why more bilingual culturally responsive special education faculty are needed to meet the needs of the increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities in the United States. In addition, the paper presents the successes and challenges in the journey to prepare university faculty leaders in bilingual multicultural special education. The NAU Faculty for Inclusive Rural-multicultural Special Educators (FIRST) program is a bilingual/multicultural special education program which prepares doctoral students from Latino and Indigenous backgrounds to become highly qualified university faculty in the areas of teaching, research, technology, and cultural/linguistic diversity. [More] Descriptors: Special Education Teachers, Special Education, Multicultural Education, Hispanic American Students
(2006). Reassessing the Role of Ethnographic Methods in Education Policy Research: Implementing Bilingual Education Policy at Local Levels, Teachers College Record. In this article, we address the ongoing call for research to be more relevant to educational policy and practice by focusing on the public controversy regarding bilingual education. To show how ethnographic research can be relevant, we present findings of two independent but parallel studies of how teachers implement bilingual education policies based on Proposition 227 in California. Findings from both studies indicate that the use of ethnographic methods yields a rich account of various factors that play a crucial role in determining how educational policy is implemented. In reporting on these ethnographic studies, we seek to provide an alternative voice in the ongoing discussion about the role of research in educational policy and practice. [More] Descriptors: Educational Policy, Research Methodology, Educational Research, Bilingual Education
(2008). The Relationship between the Reading and Signing Skills of Deaf Children in Bilingual Education Programs, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. This paper reports on one experiment in which we investigated the relationship between reading and signing skills. We administered a vocabulary task and a story comprehension task in Sign Language of the Netherlands and in written Dutch to a group of 87 deaf children from bilingual education programs. We found a strong and positive correlation between the scores obtained in the sign vocabulary task and the reading vocabulary task when age, short-term memory scores, and nonverbal intelligence scores were controlled for. In addition, a correlation was observed between the scores in the story comprehension tasks in Sign Language of the Netherlands and written Dutch but only when vocabulary scores for words and signs were not taken into account. The results are briefly discussed with reference to a model we recently proposed to describe lexical development for deaf children in bilingual education programs (Hermans, D., Knoors, H., Ormel, E., & Verhoeven, L., 2008). In addition, the implications of the results of the present study for previous studies on the relationship between reading and signing skills are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Sign Language, Bilingual Education, Deafness, Short Term Memory
(2016). School Integration Matters: Research-Based Strategies to Advance Equity, Teachers College Press. More than 60 years after the "Brown v. Board of Education" decision declared segregated schooling inherently unequal, this timely book sheds light on how and why U.S. schools are experiencing increasing segregation along racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic lines. It offers policy and programmatic alternatives for advancing equity and describes the implications for students and more broadly for the nation. The authors look at the structural and legal roots of inequity in the United States educational system and examine opportunities to support integration efforts across the educational pipeline (pre-K to higher education). "School Integration Matters" examines: (1) The need to increase school integration to advance equity; (2) The roots of persisting inequity in U.S. schools; (3) The roots of persisting inequity in U.S. schools; (4) K-12 integration and bilingual education policy; (5) The challenges and opportunities to advancing integration within higher education; and (6) Future directions and policy recommendations for pursuing integration for equity. Contents include: (1) Advancing Equity through Integration from Pre-K to Higher Education (Megan Hopkins, Liliana M. Garces, and Erica Frankenberg); (2) Still a Dilemma: Structural Explanations for the Disconnect between Ideals and Practice in Education (Daniel Kiel); (3) Color Blindness and the Permanence of Whiteness (Hoang Tran); (4) Racial/Ethnic Diversity and Language Development in the Preschool Classroom (Jeanne L. Reid); (5) The Effects of School Composition on K-12 Reading and Math Achievement (Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, Martha Cecilia Bottia, Savannah Larimore, and Richard Lambert); (6) Residential Segregation and Brain Development: Implications for Equitable Educational Opportunities (Michael Hilton); (7) Why the Federal School Improvement Grant Program Triggers Civil Rights Complaints (Tina Trujillo); (8) Structuring Integration and Marginalization: Schools as Contexts of Reception in New Immigrant Destinations (Megan Hopkins and Rebecca Lowenhaupt); (9) Segregation in Segregated Schools (Rachel Garver); (10) Advancing Integration through Bilingualism for All (P. Zitlali Morales and Aria Razfar); (11) Predicting School Diversity Impacts of State and Local Education Policy: The Role of Title VI (Philip Tegeler); (12) Stories of What Could Be: Experiences of Undocumented Chicana/Latina Students and Graduates with the California Dream Act and DACA (Lindsay Perez Huber, Brenda Pulido Villanueva, and Mariela Gutierrez); (13) Bans on Affirmative Action in States with a History of State-Sponsored Discrimination (Matthew Patrick Shaw); (14) Navigating Legal Barriers While Promoting Racial Diversity in Higher Education (Liliana M. Garces and Courtney D. Cogburn); (15) Breaking Down Classroom Walls and Building Up Racial Equity (Cynthia Gordon da Cruz); and (16) Which Way Forward?: A Comprehensive Approach for Advancing Equity through Integration (Erica Frankenberg, Liliana M. Garces, and Megan Hopkins). An index is included. [More] Descriptors: School Desegregation, Higher Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Equal Education
(2008). Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education in Nigeria: Attitudes and Practice, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Although Nigeria's National Policy on Education provides for a multilingual policy involving the learning of a child's L1 or language of the immediate community (LIC), one of the three major or national languages (i.e. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) and English, this policy has not been effectively implemented. This paper reviews the problems and challenges of bilingual education in Nigeria and suggests ways in which bilingual programmes may be implemented successfully in the country to the maximum benefit of the students and the entire nation. To determine the attitude of students, teachers, parents and administrators towards bilingual education, the study solicited the responses of 1000 participants from five different states. The results show that the respondents preferred education in both English and the mother tongue (MT) and were not positively disposed to the use of only one of them. It is also interesting that a majority of the respondents wanted the use of the MT beyond the first three years of primary education. [More] Descriptors: Afro Asiatic Languages, Mothers, Elementary Education, Bilingual Education
(2014). Migration of P-12 Education from Its Current State to One of High Quality: The Aspirations of Abu Dhabi, Policy Futures in Education. Key system challenges identified by the Abu Dhabi Education Council provided the impetus for an aggressive strategic plan as necessary guidance and support for the development of the P-12 education system to contribute to advancing its positioning in the global knowledge economy. For the Abu Dhabi Education Council, the analysis served as a tool to assess the education system and to develop strategies to transform it into an internationally competitive model. The strategic plan was built on a thorough analysis of the organisation's existing environment, culture, structure, governance, staff, programme or service mix, collaborations and resources. Some of the major evidence-based challenges included student performance below grade levels, teacher quality, and the English proficiency of students when entering higher education and then the job market, along with other challenges. The strategic plan focused on elevating school quality to international standards, improving opportunities in P-12 education, providing students with affordable options of high-quality private education, and helping learners to contribute positively to society by preserving national identity and the local culture and developing successful careers. A major outcome of the reform process called for pursuing a bilingual education system with balanced emphasis on both Arabic and English. As a result, a strategy of recruiting native English speakers was sought. A careful analysis of school efficiency led to many school mergers. The efficiency of schools was related to class capacities and utilisations, and the optimum utilisation of teachers and school administrators. The article also provides a summary of some of the outcomes after two years of implementing the strategic plan. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Strategic Planning, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Quality
(2010). Preparing Teachers of Bilingual Students, Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Bilingual education in the United States has been a controversial educational practice since its national inception in 1968. The persistent tension over what kinds of educational programs will help bilingual students can be found across and within states. These disagreements ultimately affect bilingual teacher education programs, as they must prepare future teachers to work in particular programs and with particular groups of students. In this chapter, the authors describe the changes that have taken place in Bilingual Teacher Preparation since 1993 and analyze these changes in the light of the political and social changes that have taken place both nationally and internationally. There is a remarkable agreement across states about the standards and competencies that bilingual teachers need even though the kinds of state-supported educational programs may differ. Differences in teacher credentialing systems influence the amount of time bilingual candidates may spend in their programs, while state and local language and educational policies affect the delivery of these programs. A closer analysis of these elements will also reveal persistent problems that have yet to be resolved. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Students, Teacher Education Programs, Bilingual Education, Educational Practices
(2016). Year 9 Student Voices Negotiating Digital Tools and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in a Bilingual Managed Learning Environment, International Association for Development of the Information Society. The increase in the use of educational technologies in Australian high schools has sparked this investigation into how Year 9 (13 to 14 years of age) students experience and negotiate a new technology enhanced learning environment in a bilingual classroom setting. The paper is about examining the students' language practices in German and English while using a Managed Learning Environment (MLE). The study aims to unearth how such translanguaging practices (using both German and English to communicate in bilingual education settings) contribute to and shape self-regulated learning in a scientific open inquiry process. This is corroborated by insights into student reflections on using the MLE in two languages, with data gained from a student survey. The study further analyses the relationship between bilingual language practices and adaptive tool use. The effectiveness of online learning environments depends on the students' adaptive tool-use (Barzilai & Zohar, 2006; Lust, Vandewaetere, Elen, & Clarebout, 2014) and the ability to engage in self-regulatory learning practices (Zimmerman, Bembenutty, & Schunk, 2013). Data were collected via voice recordings, a student-designed questionnaire and focus group interviews with 22 Year 9 students covering 18 Biology lessons during 6 weeks, over two consecutive years. The study revealed that students' self-regulatory practices during open inquiry processes developed in specific ways through the exposure to a bilingual classroom setting, e.g. by being exposed to unknown terms in German which led them to search for translations and then on to further self-initiated and self-regulated research to find explanations online However, when biology content knowledge was pre-prepared (in the second language of German) by the teacher in guided customized simulations on a computer software tool, students seem to favor such guided practices over self-initiated and self-regulated research as shown during the open inquiry task. However, independent of the specifics of bilingual language use in open or guided inquiry, the tool-use also appeared to be reliant on students' prior disposition. Consequently, results of this study might have interesting implications for the future customization of online learning spaces for high school students and educators in bilingual settings as well as other fields. [For full proceedings, see ED571332.] [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Grade 9, High School Students, Educational Technology