This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Audrey Lucero, Zakarias Situmorang, Yuen Yi Lo, Jack Jennings, Trey Miller, Soria E. Colomer, Yolanda Ruiz de Zarobe, Ernesto Macaro, Regina Cortina, and Jennae Bulat.
(2015). Towards New Learning Partnerships in Bilingual Educational Contexts–Raising "Learner Awareness" and Creating Conditions for "Reciprocity" and "Pedagogic Attention", International Journal of Multilingualism. This article addresses the need to develop new pedagogic approaches which promote learner independence in contexts where learning takes place through the medium of more than one language. The challenges of responding to a rapidly changing educational landscape to ensure that our learners become pluriliterate global citizens are presented through three case studies each set in a different multilingual context. These classroom-based studies into effective learning focus on teachers and learners as co-researchers and involve reflexive processes which engage teachers and learners in the analysis of their own practices. The findings emphasise the need to support "reciprocity" and "pedagogic attention" through shared learner and teacher awareness of learning as well as to provide methods for instructing learners in metacognitive strategy use. The authors conclude that bilingual educational contexts provide potentially rich learning environments which–if they are to realise this potential–will demand new ways of developing shared reciprocity around teacher-learner pedagogic understanding. [More] Descriptors: Partnerships in Education, Bilingual Education, Teacher Student Relationship, Teaching Methods
(2015). Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools: The Politics of Education Reform, Harvard Education Press. April 2015 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the landmark legislation that has provided the foundation of federal education policy in the United States. In "Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools," longtime policy analyst Jack Jennings examines the evolution of federal education policy and outlines a bold and controversial vision for its future. Jennings brings an insider's knowledge to this account, offering a vivid analysis of federal efforts in the education arena and revealing some of the factors that shaped their enactment. His rich descriptions and lively anecdotes provide pointed lessons about the partisan climate that stymies much federal policy making today. After assessing the impacts of Title I and NCLB, and exploring the variety of ways that the federal government has intervened in education, Jennings sets forth an ambitious agenda for reframing education as a federal civil right and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn. An index is included. [Foreword by Michael J. Feuer.] [More] Descriptors: Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation, Educational Policy
(2015). Dual Language as a Social Movement: Putting Languages on a Level Playing Field, Current Issues in Comparative Education. As a social movement, dual language challenges and co-exists alongside traditional English-only classrooms in the US. Using Manuel Pastor's social movements framework, we demonstrate how dual language provides teaching methods and languages of instruction that allow varying student populations to excel in learning the official curriculum. In this way, dual language addresses inequities in access to education and quality of instruction as addressed in the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and international agreements about the rights of children to learn in a language they understand. The U.S. dual language movement seeks to level the playing field for students and is sought by a range of schools, school systems, and states to meet the needs of increasingly diverse learners from a range of language and socioeconomic groups. In this paper, we address the quest of school leaders and parents to achieve successful academic results for Latino students through dual language programs. Drawing from a qualitative study of seven dual language programs in schools in two school districts, this article aims to explain how educators adapt dual language models to the needs of their changing communities. The schools' leadership led a process of academic innovations as they reshaped and improved the design of programs to serve their students. All the schools confirmed that they encountered difficulty in maintaining a 50-50 dual language model, but they also reported having to engage in continuous renewal and improvement in order to serve the needs of their communities. The article highlights the crucial role of the community in support of dual language learning and describes the empowerment networks of community actors that take part in education decision-making–which include parents, community education councils, and the schools' leadership. Through this research, we find Dual language programs, when combined with the rest of the schools' programs or when implemented across the school, to be one of the most innovative and effective forms of education programming. [More] Descriptors: Social Change, Hispanic American Students, Bilingual Education Programs, School Districts
(2015). Costs and Effects of Dual-Language Immersion in the Portland Public Schools, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. Though it is estimated that about half of the world's population is bilingual, the estimate for the United States is well below 20% (Grosjean, 2010). Amid growing recognition of the need for second language skills to facilitate international commerce and national security and to enhance learning opportunities for non-native speakers of English, many U.S. public, charter, and private schools have developed dual-language immersion (DLI) programs. The goal of these programs is to help the growing number of language minority students learn English and achieve academically, while giving language majority students the opportunity to develop proficiency in another language. Though numerous studies have established a positive relationship between dual-language education and student achievement, important questions about the relationship between the two remain. The research questions addressed in the paper are as follows: (1) What is the causal effect of dual-language immersion education on student achievement in mathematics and reading in grades 3 through 8, on student attendance in grades K through 8, and on initial English language learners' exit from ELL status in grades 1 through 8? (2) Does this effect differ for English language learners versus native speakers of English or by instructional model (90 versus 50 percent of time in the partner language)? (3) What does it cost to implement dual-language immersion programs relative to non-immersion programs? What are the components of these costs, and do they vary by instructional model? Findings to date suggest that immersion may improve student achievement in reading (in English) without diminishing other performance. The following are appended: (1) References; and (2) Tables and Figures. [More] Descriptors: Costs, Immersion Programs, Bilingual Education, Second Language Learning
(2015). Bilingual Latino Students Learn Science for Fun While Developing Language and Cognition: Biophilia at a La Clase Mágica Site, Global Education Review. In this article, the author suggests that children's natural inclination to explore nature, or biophilia, can be explored as a factor that encourages both cognitive engagement and language development. The author summarizes the types of scientific inquiries that bilingual elementary students and their university partners engaged in when guided to design their own projects at a predominantly Mexican-American school. Children inquiries took place at a "La Clase Mágica" site, an after school program in which university undergraduates, faculty, bilingual children, and the community come together with the purpose of learning and exploring technology through interdisciplinary methodologies. The findings indicate that children overwhelmingly chose living organisms and life-like processes as the focus of their inquiries. The author presents the work of an exemplary dyad to illustrate how children engaged in scientific inquiry while developing language and complex thinking. [More] Descriptors: Hispanic American Students, Bilingual Students, Science Instruction, Elementary School Students
(2015). Getting Used to Content and Language Integrated Learning: What Can Classroom Interaction Reveal?, Language Learning Journal. Bilingual programmes in which an L2 is used as the medium of instruction are becoming popular in different parts of the world, and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is one variant of such programmes. Recent research on CLIL has gradually shifted from product-oriented (i.e. evaluating the effectiveness of CLIL in terms of language and content learning outcomes) to more process-oriented by exploring classroom interaction in detail to gain insight into effective pedagogy and teacher education. This paper compares two different settings of CLIL classrooms in Hong Kong (where CLIL is referred to as "English Medium Instruction"). In one setting, the Grade 10 teachers and students (aged 15) had experienced CLIL for the first three years of secondary education; in the second one, the Grade 10 teachers and students had just started to experience the CLIL approach. In our comprehensive analysis of 15 observed lessons, we found that the teacher–student interaction where CLIL had just started was more monologic: the teacher dominated the lesson talk, students had difficulties expressing their meaning in L2, question-and-answer sequences were constrained–a finding which would cause concern if replicated more generally. Our interpretation is that it takes time for both teachers and students to get used to integrated content and language learning, teachers need to develop skills to engage students in extended verbal exchanges, and students need to reach operational levels of L2 proficiency. The findings of this study yield significant implications for the successful implementation of CLIL in other contexts. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Teaching Methods
(2015). Toward a Theory of School Capacity in New Immigrant Destinations: Instructional and Organizational Considerations, Leadership and Policy in Schools. Across the United States, immigrant enrollments in the public schools have rapidly increased, particularly in locales with little tradition of immigration, known as "new immigrant destinations." Despite the widespread nature of this trend, there is much to be learned about how schools are responding to this influx of immigrant students. This paper explores the nature and distribution of instructional and organizational capacity in this context, drawing on an empirical, statewide study of Wisconsin schools serving the new Latino diaspora to develop a theory of capacity in new immigrant destinations. We end with implications for theory and leadership practice. [More] Descriptors: Immigrants, Public Schools, Immigration, Student Needs
(2015). Who's Holding El Marcador? Peer Linguistic Mediation Gone Awry in a Dual Language Classroom, Journal of Language, Identity, and Education. Within dual language education programs, well-structured peer interactions can facilitate the learning of language and curricular content simultaneously. Research has found that even very young bilingual students can engage in peer linguistic mediation to help less proficient classmates participate in small group work. In this article, I analyze two academic discussions among emergent bilingual first graders in a Spanish-medium dual language classroom. This analysis demonstrates that, contrary to previous research, the language used by students did not facilitate learning. Rather, it foreclosed the possibility of effective communication across languages. Findings suggest that peer linguistic mediation is influenced by multiple factors and cannot be taken for granted. Questions are raised about the ways in which emergent bilingual students are grouped and the skills they need to successfully mediate their peers' learning. Implications from these findings go beyond dual language education to apply to mainstream classrooms with minority language speakers in them. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Bilingualism, Spanish, Elementary School Students
(2015). Languages across Borders: Social Network Development in an Adolescent Two-Way Dual-Language Program, Teachers College Record. Background/Context: Two-way dual-language programs have become an increasingly popular educational model in the United States for language minority and majority speakers, with a small but growing number of programs at the high school level. Little is known, however, about how adolescents' social networks develop in the contexts of these programs. Purpose/Objective: This study examines how a two-way, dual language enrichment program for Spanish-language learner (SLL) and English-language learner (ELL) adolescents influenced students' social networks with peers of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Setting: The program took place in a south-Atlantic state at a suburban/rural high school that has substantial within-school linguistic segregation. Population/Participants: Program participants included 20 students: 10 English-dominant learners of Spanish, and 10 Spanish-dominant learners of English. Intervention/Program: The two-way dual-language program was a voluntary extracurricular program in which adolescent Spanish-dominant ELLs and English-dominant SLLs participated in collaborative and student-led bilingual activities designed to foster the sharing of cross-linguistic expertise and cross-cultural knowledge over a seven-month period. Research Design: In this mixed-methods study, student-level Likert-scale data is analyzed quantitatively and supported through analysis of qualitative interview responses and observational field notes. Quantitative results compare ELL and SLL participants' demographic and baseline social characteristics, before-and-after social networks, the changing nature of reported relationships over time as a function of language status, and magnitude of growth in relationships' strength before and after the program. Qualitative results examine the qualities and conditions of these relationships and the conditions under which they developed. Findings/Results: Results suggest that despite participants' demographic differences, ELL and SLL students in the dual-language program reported building new, strengthened, and mutually recognized relationships, particularly with students of different language backgrounds who worked together within long-term collaborative small groups. Conclusions/Recommendations: When students are provided with a carefully designed instructional and ecological context that provides authentic purposes for using language and building peer relationships, this research suggests that both ELLs and SLLs may be able to build linguistically integrated social networks. [More] Descriptors: Social Networks, Bilingual Education Programs, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning
(2015). Effectiveness of Four Instructional Programs Designed to Serve English Language Learners: Variation by Ethnicity and Initial English Proficiency, Grantee Submission. This paper investigates the differences in academic achievement trajectories from elementary through middle school among English Learner students in four different instructional programs: English Immersion, Transitional Bilingual, Developmental Bilingual, and Dual Immersion programs. Comparing students with the same parental preferences but who attend different programs, we find that the ELA test scores of ELs in all bilingual programs grow at least as fast as, if not faster than those in English immersion. The same is generally true of math, with the exception of developmental bilingual programs, where average student scores grow more slowly than those of students in English immersion. Further, Latino ELs perform better longitudinally in both subjects when in bilingual programs than their Chinese EL counterparts. We find no differences in program effectiveness by ELs' initial English proficiency. The following are appended: (1) Early Childhood Development Inventory Analysis; and (2) Additional Tables with Complete Set of Models. [This article was published in "Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis," v37 n4 p612-637 Dec 2015 (EJ1084502).] [More] [More] Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Academic Achievement, English Language Learners
(2015). Reading Skill Transfer across Languages: Outcomes from Longitudinal Bilingual Randomized Control Trials in Kenya and Haiti, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. If children do not learn how to read in the first few years of primary school, they will struggle to complete the cycle, and are at greater risk of dropping out. It is therefore crucial to identify and test interventions that have the potential of making a large impact, can be implemented quickly, and are affordable to be taken to scale. This is the goal of the PRIMR Initiative in Kenya and the ToTAL program in Haiti–to test various options for improving learning outcomes and instruction in primary schools, using a randomized controlled design. Due to high student-teacher ratios, limited teacher training, and lack of sufficient text materials, reading outcomes for students attending Kenyan and Haitian primary schools are generally poor. There is international focus on improving literacy, including through bilateral donors such as USAID and DFID, in Kenya and Haiti. However, there is limited knowledge about how reading skills are acquired in multilingual environments such as in Sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean. This paper presents the findings of a longitudinal tracer study evaluating student literacy outcomes in Kenya over two years, three data collection points, and across two languages. Random selection and assignment methods were utilized to assign clusters of schools to a treatment and a control condition. The treatment group implemented a targeted literacy and numeracy instructional program. This paper also presents the findings of a two-year randomized control trial in Haiti evaluating the efficacy of a literacy curriculum for Haitian Creole and French. Both interventions included student books, teachers' guides, and ongoing teacher professional development and supervision. Analysis shows that PRIMR had a positive impact on the literacy outcomes of interest, including but not limited to letter sound identification fluency, oral reading fluency, the percentage of pupils who read at the MOE's benchmark, and reading comprehension, although not on all combinations of language, grade, and school type. The longitudinal analysis is able to determine how the language skills interact over time and across languages, and suggests that in some skills, pupils are transferring literacy skills from English to Kiswahili. This is unexpected based on the Western literature, which generally suggests language transfer in the other direction. Analysis similarly shows that ToTAL has a positive impact on key foundational skills of initial sound identification and letter sound identification, although not on all combinations of language and grade. Patterns suggest that instruction in the mother tongue of Haitian Creole led to gains in French on skills that were not explicitly taught. This research shows that teachers can be sensitive to in-service teacher professional development (ITPD) if that ITPD is closely linked to the books and lesson plans used in schools, and if teachers are observed and supported frequently. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Reading Skills, Randomized Controlled Trials, Intervention
(2015). The Development of Innovative Chemistry Learning Material for Bilingual Senior High School Students in Indonesia, International Education Studies. The development of innovative chemistry learning material for bilingual Senior High School (SHS) students in Indonesia is explained. The study is aimed to obtain an innovative chemistry learning material based on national curriculum in Indonesia to be used as a learning media in the teaching and learning activities. The learning material is developed by enhancing the chemistry topics to meet the requirement of a national curriculum followed by integration of laboratory experiments, learning media, and contextual application of the relevant chemistry topics. The material is then designed in printed and electronic bases. The performance of developed chemistry material is standardized to meet good quality learning material for class purposes. The results showed that the performance of developed chemistry materials is categorized as very good. The developed learning material is found effective to be used in teaching and learning process, and be able to motivate the students to learn chemistry. The facilities provided in the material are adequate to guide the student to study chemistry independently that make learning activities moving from teacher centre learning become students centre learning. Students achievements in experimental class (M = 83.0) is found higher than that with control class (M = 73.5), where both are significantly different. There is a positive correlation between the student's motivations with the student's achievement in chemistry subject, where the correlation in experimental class (R[superscript 2] = 0.711) is better than in control class (R[superscript 2] = 0.467). [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, High School Students, Instructional Materials, Chemistry
(2015). Spiral of Decline or "Beacon of Hope": Stories of School Choice in a Dual Language School, Education Policy Analysis Archives. Public schools in some areas of the U.S. are as segregated as they were prior to court-ordered busing, in part due to school choice policies that appear to exacerbate extant segregation. In particular, Latina/o students are increasingly isolated in schools characterized as being in cycles of decline. Our case study of one such school is based on a reanalysis of interview, focus group, and survey data from three research and evaluation projects. We constructed accounts of parents' decisions to leave and remain at Martinez Elementary, a segregated dual language school experiencing increases in Latina/o and low socio-economic student enrollment and decreasing statewide standardized test scores. Interpreting Latina/o and White parents' accounts through LatCrit theory, we sought to understand their choices to attend this school as counterstories that illustrate conflicting forces influencing Martinez, including high parent satisfaction and interest convergence between White and Latina/o parents. These stories depict a more hopeful account of a school resisting decline, yet only the adoption of managed school choice policies may be powerful enough to counter the school's segregation. [More] Descriptors: School Segregation, School Choice, Public Schools, Hispanic American Students
(2015). Teacher and Student Language Practices and Ideologies in a Third-Grade Two-Way Dual Language Program Implementation, International Multilingual Research Journal. This article provides an in-depth exploration of the language ecologies of two classrooms attempting to implement a two-way dual language (TWDL) program and its mediating conditions. Drawing on ethnographic methods and a sociocultural understanding of language, we examined both teachers' and students' language ideologies and language practices, including the use of Spanish, English, and code-switching. The English language arts teacher adhered to strict language separation as dictated by the TWDL model, while the Spanish language arts teacher instructed in both English and Spanish to accommodate standardized test preparation. Students enacted agency to engage in their hybrid language practices. Despite the multiplicity and, at times, contradictory ideologies embodied and articulated by both teachers, the overarching dominant language ideology of English superiority was present and powerful. We discuss implications for dual language implementation, including the role of standardized testing, students as language policy makers, and teacher (mis)alignment between articulated and embodied ideologies. [More] Descriptors: Program Implementation, Ideology, Educational Practices, Grade 3
(2015). The Relationship between Bilingual Experience and the Development of Morphological and Morpho-Syntactic Awareness: A Cross-Linguistic Study of Classroom Discourse, Language Awareness. This study aims to examine the relationship between bilingual experience and children's development of morphological and morpho-syntactic awareness. To capture both universal and language-specific bilingual effects, the study included four groups of participants: English-speaking children from a general education programme, Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children from a Spanish-English dual-language programme, and Chinese-speaking children from a Chinese-English dual-language programme. Findings from the analyses of teacher talk and measures of morphological and morpho-syntactic awareness show that certain aspects of morphological awareness, such as the ability to decipher derived words, were likely to be affected by both instruction and cross-language transfer, while others, such as cognate awareness, appeared to develop through mere exposure to two languages despite the absence of explicit instruction. Furthermore, morpho-syntactic awareness was mostly enhanced through greater emphasis on explicit instruction of morpho-syntactic knowledge; such effect was moderated by the syntactic complexity of teacher talk. These findings suggest that instead of typological distances of the languages, a constellation of factors uniquely characterises bilingual classroom experiences. The linguistic complexity of teacher talk and instructional emphasis may influence children's development of morphological and morpho-syntactic awareness. [More] Descriptors: Classroom Communication, Contrastive Linguistics, Bilingualism, Morphology (Languages)