This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Gloria Stewner-Manzanares, Marcelo Siles, Refugio I. Rochin, Matthew Hudak, Norm Fruchter, Barbara Gross, Jean F. Andrews, Edmund T. Hamann, Christine Donis Keller, and Rudy Hernandez.
(2001). The Mommy and Daddy Guide to Kindergarten: Real-Life Advice and Tips from Parents and Other Experts. A to Z. Noting that kindergarten is a time of dramatic change for parents as well as for the kindergarten child, this book presents information on a variety of topics related to kindergarten education. The book is based on interviews with kindergarten teachers, principals, parents, and several experts from higher education involved in kindergarten education. It introduces some of the decisions parents need to make and provides information to help them prepare their child and themselves for the transition. Arranged alphabetically, the topics discussed are: (1) age-appropriate behavior; (2) art; (3) before- and after-school programs; (4) bilingual education; (5) choosing a school; (6) classrooms; (7) computers; (8) curriculum; (9) daily schedule; (10) discipline; (11) first-day jitters; (12) friends; (13) gender; (14) gifted children; (15) homeschooling; (16) homework; (17) kindergarten readiness; (18) learning; (19) math; (20) multicultural education; (21) music; (22) nonpublic schools; (23) parent conferences; (24) parental involvement; (25) physical education; (26) play; (27) principals; (28) public school; (29) reading; (30) report cards; (31) science; (32) social studies; (33) special needs children; (34) teachers; (35) testing; (36) writing; and (37) the zen of kindergarten. Appended is a description of the signs of a good kindergarten classroom, a list of 52 resources, and a list of 16 national organizations related to kindergarten education. Descriptors: After School Programs, Bilingual Education, Child Behavior, Classroom Techniques
(2001). English Language Learners, the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Project, and the Role of State Departments of Education. This report examines responsiveness of the federally-supported Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) to English language learners (ELLs), highlighting the role of state education agencies (SEAs). By analyzing references to relevant terms (e.g., limited English proficiency, English as a Second Language, Spanish-speaking students, bilingual education, and Title VII) in seven states' CSRD applications and requests for proposals, researchers examined whether those states remedied three CSRD oversights (whether states recognized and moved to remedy unnecessary dichotomization between school reform and the movement to make schools ELL responsive; whether SEAs ever reversed the pattern of first designing a reform and then adapting it to ELLs; and whether SEAs overtly addressed the reality that ELLs fare as poorly in school as any identifiable population). Results indicate that an opportunity to remedy CSRD oversights regarding ELLs was largely missed when states did not consider them explicitly as they formulated CSRD strategies. SEAs were ELL responsive in CSRD planning only through general instructions to include all students. Two appendixes contain references to ELLs and/or programs serving ELLs in various states' CSRD applications and references to ELLs and/or programs that serve ELLs in federal CSRD guidelines to states. (Contains 28 references.) [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Students, Educational Change, Educational Discrimination, Educational Planning
(2001). Community Organizing for School Reform in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania's Philadelphia School District has a high percentage of minority, bilingual, and low-income students and suffers from low student achievement, chaotic instructional organization, teacher shortage, dilapidated school facilities, and lack of accountability. Six community organizing groups are working with parents and youth for local and citywide school improvement: Asian Americans United; ACORN; Alliance Organizing Project; Eastern Philadelphia Organizing Project; Philadelphia Students' Union/Urban Retrievers; and Youth United for Change. Data from surveys and interviews indicate that the six groups define their school reform mission as the development of youth, parent, or community leadership to fight for better and more responsive public schools. Most are building local and citywide organizations with the power to hold school officials and political leaders accountable. Most of the groups work with low income African American and Latino families, though some have multiracial membership. Organizing issues range from building conditions, safety, bilingual education, and student achievement to systemwide concerns about funding, academic standards, and access to qualified teachers and technology. Challenges they face include negative attitudes toward parents, youth, and community groups and instability within the school system. A directory of organizations is appended. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Asian American Students, Black Students, Change Strategies
(2001). Critical Pedagogy in Deaf Education: Teachers' Reflections on Implementing ASL/English Bilingual Methodology and Language Assessment for Deaf Learners. Year 4 Report (2000-2001). USDLC Star Schools Project Report. The Star School staff of the Engaged Learners project at the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe has completed its fourth year of a 5-year federally-funded program. This project aims to improve language-teaching practices of teachers who work with learners who are deaf by providing training in current bilingual theories and pedagogical techniques, including Engaged Learning practices, through a convergence of Internet, Web, and distance learning technologies. The project promotes proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL) and English for all students based on the belief that bilingualism enhances cognitive, social, and linguistic growth. This publication describes the projects fourth year activities and the overall project impact. Information is provided on: (1) participating teachers and mentors; (2) training materials; (3) teachers experimentation with ASL/English bilingual assessment for students with deafness and teachers written reflections on the training; (3) teachers utilization of technology while using ASL and English; (4) plans to refine and revise the staff development model in the projects fifth year; and (6) the establishment of the Center for ASL/English Bilingual Education and Research. More than 163 teachers and over 500 students participated during the first 4 years of the project. [More] Descriptors: American Sign Language, Biculturalism, Bilingual Education Programs, Bilingual Students
(1988). The Bilingual Education Act: Twenty Years Later. New Focus, Occasional Papers in Bilingual Education, Number 6, New Focus. Changes in the legislative history of specialized education for students of limited English proficiency are described in this paper, beginning with the authorization of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 and going through the reauthorizations of the Act in 1974, 1978, 1984, and 1988. Important events surrounding the legislative action are also described in order to provide greater understanding of the social and economic circumstances that influenced legislative changes. Examples include the civil rights movement, Supreme Court cases such as Lau v. Nichols, the Equal Education Opportunity Act, and the Lau remedies. Because the Bilingual Education Act provides competitive grants that school districts and other educational institutions may apply for, the fiscal support provided by the federal government is also reviewed. Contains 10 references. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Civil Rights Legislation, Court Litigation, Elementary Secondary Education
(2001). School Reform: The Critical Issues. Hoover Institution Press Publication. This book presents a collection of recent articles on the problems in today's schools, why school and students are underperforming, exploring a range of topics and explaining why some reforms in education are destined to fail while others have been proven to work. The first section, "Teaching Approaches," presents articles on progressive education; curriculum and methods; computers/distance learning; direct instruction, explicit teaching; ability grouping; and whole school reform. The second section, "The Student," offers articles on student beliefs/character education and social promotion. The third section, "Parents and Teachers," includes articles on such issues as the parent-school relationship, teacher salaries, teachers' unions, and teacher evaluation. The fourth section,"Educationally Disadvantaged," discusses such issues as bilingual education, Ritalin, and special education. The fifth section, "Standards and Accountability," looks at the development of academic standards and the fight against testing. The sixth section, "Structuring Education," presents articles on spending, vouchers, contracting out, charter schools, class and school size, federal aid to education and the poor, home schooling, and private schooling. Descriptors: Ability Grouping, Academic Achievement, Academic Standards, Bilingual Education
(1975). Extending Bilingual Education into the Home, Foreign Language Annals. Bilingual/bicultural education can tap the learning potential of preschool children by extending the school into the home and involving parents, grandparents and siblings. Schools can provide bilingual television programs, educational toys, books and trained supervisors. Descriptors: Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students, Bilingualism
(1969). Bilingual Education–A Look Ahead. Bilingualism is defined as the ability of a person to function well in all skills of 2 languages and understand and accept the cultures of both languages, thus being a contributing member of his society. Bilingual teaching means concurrent use of 2 languages as a media of instruction in any or all of the school curriculum except the actual study of the languages themselves. Objectives of a bilingual program include (1) achieving satisfactory learning in all subjects, (2) developing proficiency in the skills of both English and Spanish, and (3) giving the child personal adjustment in the environment of his 2 cultures. The 3 problems which hamper the rapid development of bilingual education are (1) legal obstacles, (2) lack of materials, and (3) lack of qualified teachers. It is estimated that by 1970, 100,000 bilingual teachers will be needed to meet the dimensions of a bilingual education program. Various statistics are given throughout the document. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, English, Legal Problems
(2001). Latino Youth: Converting Challenges to Opportunities. JSRI Working Paper No. 50. This paper examines demographic and socioeconomic data on the Latino population, focusing on characteristics of Latino youth. The U.S. Hispanic population is growing rapidly, fueled by both immigration and high fertility rates. Although census figures indicate that about 64 percent of Hispanics are of Mexican origin, the Latino population is very diverse in terms of self-identified ethnicity. Younger age groups of Latinos are growing at a disproportionately faster rate than those of other racial groups. Today's Latino youth are the largest minority youth group in the United States and may make up the majority of the workforce when they reach middle age. Although Latinos do not comprise a single, monolithic community, issues that bring them together include maintenance of culture and the Spanish language, family values, immigrant rights, poverty, and work ethic. While Latino males have high labor force participation, their low wages and seasonal employment leave them in poverty. Their poverty is persistent and increasing, characterized by low levels of education and low participation in public assistance programs. Latino youth have disproportionately low rates of high school graduation and college attendance. Opponents of bilingual education, culturally relevant education, and affirmative action propose genetic or cultural deficits as the cause, ignoring links to inequitable school resources, low teacher expectations, and tracking systems. Needs for research on Latino youth are outlined. Eighteen data tables present demographic, poverty, employment, dropout, enrollment, and educational attainment data. (Contains 68 references and suggested readings.) [More] Descriptors: Disadvantaged Youth, Educational Attainment, Educational Needs, Employment Patterns
(1992). Improving Bilingual Education Programs through Evaluation. This paper identifies how evaluation and research can contribute to federal policies for language-minority students who have limited proficiency in English. Federal bilingual education policies are controversial, and the debate benefits from systematically collected information about, and impartial evaluation of, bilingual programs. Specific focus of the paper is on the issues of evaluation and assessment in language-minority education within the context of education and its influence on the nation's future. The discussion is divided into three parts. The first part examines what has been learned from the evaluations of bilingual education conducted by the Federal Government during the 1980s. The second part assesses the implications of national standards and examinations for language-minorities. The final part considers how the evaluation findings and the national standard movement can suggest principles for design of future federal policies. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Government
(1968). Doble Research Supplement (Digest of Bilingual Education). This bulletin summarizes the arguments for bilingual education in the United States. More than one language is needed as the medium of instruction where the child's mother tongue may not be English. Instruction in a weaker language not only retards reading, but arithmetic and other subjects are not as well learned if the child must cope with unfamiliar subject matter in an unfamiliar tongue. In the past, many tests of language proficiency have not been properly designed, resulting in misleading scores. A committee of educators and administrators has suggested that bilingual schooling can result "in superior educational achievement." Experimental projects, using the mother tongue as the medium for instruction at early stages, support this proposition. In addition, bilingual programs tend to improve community involvement in the education process. Three pages of selected bibliography cover Research, Background Information, Selected Programs in Bilingual Education, and Further Information. (MK) CH [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Schools, Bilingual Students, Bilingualism
(1988). Ethnolinguistic Issues in Education. The 12 articles in this book present diverse views of bilingual and multicultural education. Three sections contain chapters on the following topics: theoretical and philosophical views; policy, administration, and teacher training; and bilingual and special education. The three chapters in section one are: "Problems in the Study of Second Language Learners" (Andres Barona and Cynthia Gonzalez); "Major Guidelines To Be Followed in Developing a Successful Bilingual/Multicultural Teacher Education Program" (Anne Richardson Gayles); and "Code-Switching, Intuitive Knowledge, and the Bilingual Classroom" (Adalberto Aguirre, Jr.). The six chapters in section two are: "Interactional Style of Teachers and Parents during Bilingual Instruction" (Eugene E. Garcia); "A Study of Training Needs in Preservice and Inservice Bilingual Education" (William L. Johnson, Billy E. Askins, Leslie Huling-Austin, and John Robinson); "The Relative Importance of Bilingual Education in the Maintenance of the Minority Language" (Eliverio Chavez); "Training for Minority Language Parents: Are We Providing Them What They Want or Need?" (Jim Bransford and Rodolfo L. Chavez); "Chicana Doctoral Students: Another Look at Educational Equity" (Jayni Flores); and "A Comparison of Bilingual Education Policies and Practices in Peru and the United States" (Liliana Minaya-Rowe). The three chapters in section three are: "A Survey of Bilingual Special Education Inservice Needs: Perceptions of Educators from a Rural State" (Ofelia Miramontes, Leonard Baca, and Nancy Rowch); "The Interaction between Families of Culturally Diverse Handicapped Children and the School" (Anne Gallegos and Roberto Gallegos); and "Assessing Limited English Proficient Students for Special Education" (Mary Beth Ryan). Descriptors: Bilingual Special Education, Bilingual Students, Bilingual Teacher Aides, Bilingual Teachers
(1978). Bilingual Education. A National Doctorate Association Series. This anthology of articles is intended to encourage broad study in the field of bilingual education as a basis for the acquisition of knowledge which will enable practitioners to make intelligent decisions about the programs in which they participate. An overview is provided of the policy and legal factors which had an impact on the efforts to establish bilingual education as an integral component of American education. The importance of recognizing students' cultural backgrounds is highlighted as essential to the successful development of any educational program. In addition, pragmatic concerns related to language, program design, and curriculum considerations are detailed and issues in staff development for bilingual programs are examined. The process of evaluating bilingual programs is discussed, especially in terms of assessing students' language performance. Descriptors: Anthologies, Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students
(2001). Educator User Guide for Adminstrators and Educational Personnel. A Supplement to the Texas Successful Schools Study: Quality Education for Limited English Proficient Students. The Texas Successful Schools Study profiled the contributions of programs, policies, and school personnel to the academic success of limited English proficient (LEP) students in seven successful elementary schools. This guide shares study information with school administrators to assist them in designing, implementing, and enhancing programs for LEP students. Chapter 2 briefly describes the study questionnaires and gives exercises and examples for administrators to use in assessing, planning, and implementing programs for LEP students. Teachers in the successful schools relied on teacher-made informal inventories, portfolios, benchmark testing, and end-of-unit tests to monitor student success in acquiring literacy in both languages. Chapter 3 profiles a summary of timelines used in the seven successful schools, as well as a description of the test instruments used in the assessment practices noted by the research team. Chapter 4 profiles the instructional frameworks used in each of the seven successful schools and the time consideration given to both languages, as well as the treatment of LEP students' affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs. Chapter 5 describes how study findings may be adapted or replicated in ESL and Title I programs to enhance programs and service delivery for either LEP or non-LEP students in schools not required to offer bilingual education. Six appendices present research questions, study directory, instructional models, other effective practices, a directory of education service center contact persons, and a guide evaluation form. [More] Descriptors: Administrator Guides, Bilingual Education, Educational Assessment, Educational Practices
(2001). Notes on Literacy, 2001, Notes on Literacy. These four issues include the following articles: "Cheke Holo Orthography: Local Tradition Clashes with a Linguist's Concerns" (Freddy Boswell); "Avoiding Tone Marks: A Remnant of English Education?" (Mike Cahill); "Nontraditional Education among the Iranun, a Malaysian Ethnic Minority" (Karla Smith); "Learning Well: The Socioliteracy of Some Incipient Literate Women in a Ghanaian Community" (Merieta Johnson); "Training National Partners for Leadership: Priorities for Training as Capacity Building" (Susan Malone); "Cumulative Index 1966-2001"; "Factors Affecting Community Literacy Programs: Assessment and Response" (Barbara Trudell); "Mother-Tongue Education in Schools in Tharaka Language Group of Kenya" (Leila Schroeder); "The Recent History of Education in Cambodia" (Ari Vitikainen); "Orthography Challenges in Bantu Languages" (William Gardner); "Training Nationals in Literature Production: An Experience in Northwestern Benin" (JeDene Reeder and Elizabeth L. White); "Transitional Literature among the Cotabato Manobo, Philippines" (Nida Guil-an Apang); and "Pedagogical Dictionaries: Ho-hum or Gung-ho?" (Louise Maranz). The issues also include reviews of books on such topics as training for transformation, misreading reading, reading instruction that works, evaluating literacy for development efforts, foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism, teaching adult second language learners, and using newspapers in classrooms. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.) [More] Descriptors: Adult Education, Bantu Languages, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism