Rodriguez, Richard F. (1998). Project BESTT: Bilingual/ESL Special Education Teacher Training. This final report describes the activities and outcomes of Project BESTT (Bilingual/ESL Special Education Teacher Training), a federally-funded program that provided training to 25 certified special education teachers selected from four rural school districts currently serving bilingual, minority group elementary children with disabilities. The immediate goal of the training program was to provide participating school districts with a quality trained cadre of bilingual special education personnel able to meet the unique cross-cultural and special education needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students in public school settings. The 25 participants included 7 Caucasians, 16 Hispanics, and 2 Native Americans. Two of the participants have an identified disability. The Project BESTT training curriculum involved the integration of bilingual, English as a Second Language (ESL), and special education course work into a 36 semester-hour, interdisciplinary, competency-based program of study leading to the Masters of Arts degree in Bilingual/Special Education. The program of study included a field experience. An evaluation of the training found that post-training scores of participants were higher on measures evaluating awareness of the educational needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students than teachers who had not participated. An appendix contains information on teacher competencies, course work, and training curriculum.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Bilingual Students, Bilingual Teachers, Cultural Awareness

Martinez, Olivia; And Others (1982). [Perspectives on Special Education Services for LEP Students.]. Appendixes B, C, and D of the Conference Proceedings relate to coordinating bilingual and special education services in one school district. The first section considers steps in developing a plan for collaboration, noting the importance of dialogue and communication among special educators, bilingual educators, and staff of programs teaching English as a second language. Solutions are offered to situations in which staff do not speak the child's language and existing resources are shared. Guidelines are offered on approaches to identifying and serving limited English proficient handicapped students. A second section briefly summarizes a collaborative approach which features training of credentialed bilingual teachers in special education and recruitment of already trained bilingual special education teachers. A final section compares California state requirements for bilingual and special education in terms of purpose, student identification, assessment/diagnosis, student evaluation, placement, parent rights, and advisory committee function. Descriptors: Agency Cooperation, Bilingual Education, Coordination, Disabilities

Andersson, Theodore (1973). Bilingual Education and Early Childhood. Part 1 of this paper considers conventional bilingual-bicultural programs, observing that there is still much need for improvement. According to the author, successful programs require adequate societal information; a clear understanding between school, home, and community; a satisfactory statement of basic program philosophy, rationale, goals, and objectives; a sound program design; provision for research; and a clear description and evaluation of the program at each stage for the benefit of other interested communities. Part 2 explores the field of early childhood, especially ages two to five, and finds implications for innovative bilingual-bicultural education. The paper points to evidence that in these early years children have a great though often untapped potential for learning in such areas as language, culture, art, music, literature, numbers, nature study, and human relations. It concludes that the best way to achieve a significant new advance in bilingual-bicultural education is to take full advantage of the prodigious learning potential of children between birth and age five.   [More]  Descriptors: Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Community Involvement

Carnevale, Anthony P. (1999). Education = Success: Empowering Hispanic Youth and Adults. This report discusses the education and empowerment of Hispanic Americans, stressing the importance of expanding access to educational opportunity from preschool through graduate and professional school. The report focuses on closing the educational and opportunity gap faced by Hispanics in the United States. After an introduction, "A Hard Look at Where We Are Now," the first section discusses "Education and Hispanic Economic Opportunity." The next section presents "Where the Jobs Are," examining various types of jobs. The third section discusses "Earnings and the Hispanic Education Gap," examining educational achievement and attainment, education and earnings, job types, immigration and the economy, education and unequal pay, the importance of academic skills, the educational domino effect, and the importance of nonacademic skills. The fourth section examines "Skills and the Hispanic Employment Outlook through 2006," discussing the various skill levels and noting policy implications. The fifth section examines "Hispanic College Participation, 1995-2015," discussing challenges and increased access for traditional and nontraditional students. The sixth section highlights "Policy Priorities," including money matters, affirmative action and beyond, reinventing assessment, and supporting bilingual education. The seventh section discusses "A Strategy of Engagement," including enhancing social capital, reaching out to Hispanic students, encouraging community-based postsecondary institutions, and introducing new policy priorities. An appendix presents additional data on educational attainment and educational opportunity. (Contains 74 references, 16 tables, and 32 figures.) Descriptors: Affirmative Action, Bilingual Education, Culturally Relevant Education, Diversity (Student)

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (ED), Washington, DC. Office of Migrant Education. (1999). Directory of Services for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers and Their Families. Harvests of Hope. This directory provides information on federal and state programs and national organizations that serve migrant farmworkers and their families. Section 1 covers federal programs that provide services related to nutrition, housing, education, health and human services, immigration, agricultural employment, and environmental protection. Federal education programs include those administered by the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Information on federal-level contacts and on program purpose and administration are included. Section 2 describes 20 national organizations that offer services to migrant workers and their families. Following a list of additional national offices, section 3 is organized by state or territory and includes contact information for state migrant programs; state coordinators, directors, or offices of federally-funded programs; migrant Head Start grantees; migrant health centers; migrant legal assistance offices; and state monitor advocates. Appendices list publications and other resources of the Office of Pesticide Programs and present a matrix of eligibility requirements for various federal migrant programs.   [More]  Descriptors: Advocacy, Elementary Secondary Education, Family Programs, Federal Government

Naik, Manish (1999). Reducing Class Size in America's Urban Schools. This report provides information on how federal funding is being used to reduce class size and to spur academic achievement in U.S. urban schools, focusing on the federal Class Size Reduction Program signed into law in 1998. Data from surveys of 40 members of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of the U.S.'s largest urban public school systems, indicated the following: approximately 3,558 new teachers have been hired in these large school districts with new federal class size funding; about 7,762 new teachers have received professional development with new federal class size funding; all 40 districts hired new teachers with the federal class size funding; new urban teachers were hired for grades 1-3 in the critical shortage areas of literacy, mathematics, bilingual education, and special education; and the class size programs in responding urban districts have also leveraged state and local resources to reduce class size and improve teaching skills. This report includes descriptions of ways that some urban school districts are using the federal class size reduction funds to improve student achievement. Three appendixes offer Class Size Reduction survey results, Class Size Reduction Program PL 105-277, and the Class Size Reduction Program survey. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Beginning Teachers, Class Size, Educational Legislation

Woolman, David C. (1999). The Australian Press and Education: A Survey of National and Global Perspectives. The news media are often the main source of public information about education. This paper analyzes press coverage of selected issues in contemporary Australian education. From December 28, 1998, to February 17, 1999, daily educational reporting was surveyed in "The Australian" (a paper roughly equivalent to "USA Today") and in 18 state-based newspapers, including 12 dailies published in major cities, 2 small-town newspapers, and 2 less frequent publications from Aboriginal communities. During the period, 295 articles on education were reviewed, including 158 on private and public pre-K-12 education, 102 on higher education, and 35 on other education-related topics. Following a review of recent trends in Australian education, this paper discusses press coverage of controversial issues and other educational topics. These include: (1) government funding of private schools and related questions about the function and quality of public versus private education; (2) wide variation among states in the availability and quality of preschool education; (3) shortage of secondary school teachers, particularly mathematics teachers; (4) discipline problems and conflict resolution in schools; (5) a government plan to reduce welfare benefits to unemployed youth who fail literacy and numeracy tests; (6) assessment issues and the higher achievement of girls than boys; (7) reduced government funding for Aboriginal education and bilingual education; and (8) international educational competition and the development of offshore programs by Australian universities. (Contains 65 references.) Descriptors: Access to Education, Bilingual Education, Educational Finance, Educational Policy

Pima Community Coll., Tucson, AZ. (1999). Strategic Plan for International Education, Phase I. Exemplary International Programs. The document presents the proceedings of a meeting convened to design a strategic plan for international education to be adopted by Pima Community College (PCC) (Arizona). The meeting's main objective was to position the college strategically in the international education marketplace and to define the term "international education" as it pertains to PCC. Successful program implementation requires infrastructure changes including: globalization of curriculum, success pathways for international students (i.e., Adult Basic Education, Intensive English Program, English as a Second Language), and the linkage of all the college's international strategic initiatives. The newly developed program's offerings will operate on two levels: (1) on the intercultural/multicultural level, the college offers or will offer various ethnic and multicultural studies courses, bilingual education, other language education, and English as a Second Language; and (2) on the international level, offerings include study abroad, faculty and student exchanges, fellowships, international studies, contract training and development, and globalization of the curriculum. The proposal outlines the program's implications for the following individuals and groups: (1) students; (2) college faculty, staff, and administrators; (3) local, national, and international business and industry, government and organizations; (4) local, national, and international education institutions; (5) nonprofit organizations; and (6) other countries who send students to PCC.   [More]  Descriptors: Community Colleges, Foreign Students, International Programs, Mission Statements

Simanu-Klutz, Fata (1999). Language of Instruction: Choices and Consequences. PREL Briefing Paper. This briefing paper focuses on the choices of instructional language in Pacific classrooms, as mandated by national or state policies, and discusses consequences of such choices on students' academic achievement and career preparation in the changing Pacific region. The paper first notes that in most South Pacific secondary schools, English is the language of the classroom, but for many upper grade students, English is their second language. The paper considers the misalignment of home and school languages, explaining that although the home languages of indigenous Pacific people are regarded by speakers and local authorities as an inherent part of indigenous culture and as the living language of the home, street, and community, they are rarely given a real role in academics. It then discusses some of the pros and cons of English as the language of instruction that Pacific educators must seriously consider. The paper goes on to discuss language and cognitive development and language policies across the curriculum, citing New Zealand as an example of a nation now using bilingual education in the development of ethnic preschools. (Contains 15 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingualism, Cultural Background, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education

Sjoholm, Kaj, Ed.; Bjorklund, Mikaela, Ed. (1999). Content and Language Integrated Learning: Teachers' and Teacher Educators' Experiences of English Medium Teaching. Publication No. 4. The publication on the integration of content area and second language instruction, focusing on the situation in Finland, consists of nine essays and a bibliography. The essays include: "Education in a Second or Foreign Language. An Overview" (Kaj Sjoholm); "Foreign Language Content Teaching in Teacher Education at Abo Akademi University" (Kaj Sjoholm); "The English Department at the Primary Level of Vasa Ovningsskola" (Anna-Brita Slotte); "Reflections on Teaching Content through English at the Lower Secondary Level of Vasa Ovningsskola" (Gun Jakobsson); "The International Baccalaureate Section at Vasa Ovningsskola" (Solveig Jungner); "Fairy Tales as Tools To Improve Vocabulary? A Vocabulary Test with 6-8 Year-Olds Within a TCE Programme" (Mikaela Bjorklund, Anna-Brita Slotte);"Science Teaching Through English" (Ole Bjorkqvist); "Teaching Physical Education Through a Foreign Language" (Thomas Friman, Jan-Erik Romar); "Place-Based Learning in Content-Based Language Programs" (Gregory Martin Imbur); and "Select Bibliography on Bilingual Education and Related Matters" (Mikaela Bjorklund, Kaj Sjoholm). (Contains 43 pages of references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Bibliographies, Bilingual Education, Case Studies, Elementary Secondary Education

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Bilingual Education. (1973). Building Bridges to Better Bilingual Education. This information dissemination report presents a brief introduction to the Building Bridges to Better Bilingual Education Program of the Central Board of Education of the City of New York. The primary aim of the program is to promote the linguistic and academic progress of those Title I eligible Spanish-speaking children whose achievement levels are below the grade level of the district and city as a whole. For this purpose it has initiated a teacher-preparation program specifically designed to meet their instructional needs. This training includes courses in the methodology of bilingual instruction, Puerto Rican and Hispanic culture, and language proficiency in English and Spanish. Also included is information on the various components of the program.   [More]  Descriptors: Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, English

Hones, Donald F. (1999). Story Weaving: Teacher Research with Bilingual/Bicultural Family Narratives. An approach used to help bridge the distance between home and school for bilingual/bicultural immigrant families is described. First, the various roles of the classroom teacher as cultural storyteller, cultural healer, and cultural worker in the relationship between the schools and homes of bilingual students is explored, drawing on recent research and theory. A University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh program for English-as-a-Second-Language and bilingual education teachers, which attempts to train teachers to build bridges between cultures, is also described. It focuses on one course designed to engage teacher trainees in bilingual and language minority family research projects using narrative and ethnographic methods. Student projects culminate in written narratives of family lives, which bring with them increased appreciation of cultural autobiographies as a teaching technique and a deeper understanding of the teacher's varied roles. Issues arising during the project included development of trusting relationships among participants in ethnographic and narrative research, techniques for gathering and arranging stories, ways of representing and interpreting the stories, and determining who the beneficiaries of the research are. (Contains 60 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Acculturation, Bilingualism, Classroom Techniques, Elementary Secondary Education

Richardson, Joe; House, Sharon (1999). Federal Programs for Children & Families: A Tool for Connecting Programs to People. A CRS Report for Congress. Special Report #15. This report provides basic information about some 140 federal programs and tax provisions affecting children and their families. It contains brief descriptions of each program/tax rule, participation and funding information (to the extent available), and table summaries of selected program characteristics, such as how benefits and services are targeted by age, income, and other factors, and administrative arrangements and matching requirements. The programs described include 37 programs or tax rules providing for education and training, 21 programs or rules for health care, 19 programs or rules for housing, 19 programs and rules for income support, 9 programs for nutrition needs, and 34 programs or rules for social services. Slightly more than half the number of programs support education and training and social services, including child care, but the majority of federal funds directed at children and families are concentrated in programs and tax provisions that support family income and basic health care, housing, and nutrition needs. About 30% of the federal initiatives for children and families restrict benefits and services to low-income groups, and another 25% emphasize these groups. Programs described as pertaining to education and training include a wide range of programs, such as bilingual education charter schools, programs for early childhood education, and school-to-work initiatives. Among the tax provisions related to education are welfare-to-work tax credits and the work opportunity credit. (Contains 30 tables.) Descriptors: Children, Family Programs, Federal Programs, Financial Support

Department of Education, Washington, DC. (1999). U.S. Department of Education FY 2000 Annual Plan, Volume 2: Program Performance Plans. This volume of the Department of Education's (ED) annual plan contains the program-performance plans to support efforts to reach the department's four goals. These four goals are as follows: (1) help all students reach challenging academic standards so that they are prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment; (2) build a solid foundation for learning for all children; (3) ensure access to postsecondary education and lifelong learning; and (4) make ED a high-performance organization by focusing on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction. The goals represent key customer groups and education processes, starting with support for building the capacity of the elementary and secondary school system, moving to support for the conditions that must be achieved for specific K-12 target populations, and then to postsecondary-education access. It documents shared student- outcome indicators and focuses on education reform; education for disadvantaged children; school improvement and other elementary/secondary programs; bilingual education and minority foreign languages; special education; rehabilitation services and special institutions; vocational and adult education; student financial assistance; higher education; research and improvement; and civil rights. Each area features information on objectives; indicators; performance data; and source, periodicity, and next update.   [More]  Descriptors: Educational Assessment, Educational Objectives, Elementary Secondary Education, Government Role

Zhou, Minglang (2001). The Politics of Bilingual Education in the People's Republic of China since 1949, Bilingual Research Journal. From 1949 to 1957, the Chinese Communist Party's language policy took a pluralistic approach. A Chinese-monopolistic language policy was dominant, 1958-77. A pluralistic approach was again adopted from 1977 to the present. The Chinese experience illustrates how language minorities everywhere must balance maintaining their home language with advancing their socioeconomic status in the mainstream society. (Contains 48 references.) Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Educational History, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education