This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Michael Siegal, Shelley Wong, Erland Hjelmquist, Jacqui Dornbrack, Rebecca Deffes Silverman, Jean C. Stevens, Eurydice B. Bauer, Florence Michel, Mileidis Gort, and Aurelio M. Montemayor.
(2013). English Learners Program Guide. Revised. This guide is designed as a reference for District and School personnel working with English learners (ELs). The content of the guide represents a compilation of information, examples, and resources. This guide is a living document and subject to frequent updates. It is recommended to review the document online rather than printing a hard copy. [More] Descriptors: Program Guides, English Language Learners, Educational Objectives, Vocabulary
(2011). Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) Services for Limited English Proficient (LEP)/English Language Learners (ELLs) Who Are Students with Disabilities, New York State Education Department. The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify State policy regarding English as a Second Language (ESL) services for LEP/ELL students who are also identified as having disabilities. Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education establishes the State's requirements for services for students with limited English proficiency. The purpose of Part 154 is to ensure that all LEP/ELL students are provided opportunities to achieve the same educational goals and standards as the general student population. Each school district, in its comprehensive plan developed pursuant to section 154.3 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, must provide assurances that each LEP/ELL student, including a student with a disability, has access to receive appropriate instructional and support services. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Language Proficiency, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning
(2004). The Lycee Francais in New York: A Showcase for the French-Speaking Community, PEB Exchange. In New York they say that the architecture of the new "Lycee francais" (serving French students from kindergarten through upper secondary education) was inspired by the rationalism of Descartes. What is beyond doubt, however, is that the design and materials chosen by the American firm of architects, "Polshek Partnership Architects," which designed the building, provide a thoroughly modern setting for its distinctive educational project. [More] Descriptors: Architecture, French, Educational Facilities Design, School Buildings
(2011). Scaffolding Productive Language Skills through Sociodramatic Play, American Journal of Play. This article reviews how a receptive, bilingual four-year-old increased her Spanish productive-language skills over five weeks as she engaged in Spanish-language play sessions with bilingual peers. The data show her growing participation in group verbal interactions along with her growing production of her weaker language. In addition, a microanalysis of play sessions illustrates the techniques employed by the four-year-old's playmates to scaffold the linguistic production of the child's weaker language in sociodramatic play. The author concludes that the study has implications for parents who wish to provide their children with opportunities to develop or maintain more than one language. [More] Descriptors: Interpersonal Communication, Language Skills, Play, Bilingualism
(2007). Language Access and Theory of Mind Reasoning: Evidence from Deaf Children in Bilingual and Oralist Environments, Developmental Psychology. This investigation examined whether access to sign language as a medium for instruction influences theory of mind (ToM) reasoning in deaf children with similar home language environments. Experiment 1 involved 97 deaf Italian children ages 4-12 years: 56 were from deaf families and had LIS (Italian Sign Language) as their native language, and 41 had acquired LIS as late signers following contact with signers outside their hearing families. Children receiving bimodal/bilingual instruction in LIS together with Sign-Supported and spoken Italian significantly outperformed children in oralist schools in which communication was in Italian and often relied on lipreading. Experiment 2 involved 61 deaf children in Estonia and Sweden ages 6-16 years. On a wide variety of ToM tasks, bilingually instructed native signers in Estonian Sign Language and spoken Estonian succeeded at a level similar to age-matched hearing children. They outperformed bilingually instructed late signers and native signers attending oralist schools. Particularly for native signers, access to sign language in a bilingual environment may facilitate conversational exchanges that promote the expression of ToM by enabling children to monitor others' mental states effectively. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Deafness, Sign Language, Oral Language
(2011). Examining Education, Media, and Dialogue under Occupation: The Case of Palestine and Israel. Critical Language and Literacy Studies, Multilingual Matters. This book is an in-depth examination of education and media under occupation. The contributors to this volume engage dialogue to explore these domains and their roles and functioning under occupation while keeping an eye toward resolution, using the on-going conflict between Palestine and Israel as the focus. The uniqueness of this collection is not limited to the willingness of its authors to investigate topics that have often been left out of the mainstream, but that they actually enter into dialogue with one another. Education and media are exemplified as domains that can either maintain the status quo of oppression when used by policymakers and governments to do so or can be utilized as mechanisms for change and peacemaking. These contradictory roles are highlighted throughout this book by multiple voices. Part 1: Education, contains the following chapters: (1) Palestinian Education under Occupation: Successes and Challenges (K. Shakhshir); (2) The Healing Power of Stories: Dialogue through English Language Learning (I. Deeb and G. Weinstein); (3) Positionalities and Personal Perspectives on Educational Research under Occupation: Where is Hope? (S. Wong and I. Nasser); (4) Emancipatory Discourse? An Ethnographic Case Study of English Language Teaching in an Arabic-Hebrew Bilingual School (J. Schlam-Salman and Z. Bekerman); and (5) The Presentation of Palestinians in Israeli Schoolbooks (N. Peled-Elhanan). Part 2: Media, presents: (6) Palestinians, Arab American Muslims and the Media (N. Ayish); (7) The Political Discourse of the Israeli Occupation: The Spirit of Orientalism (A. Atawneh); (8) The War on Gaza: American and Egyptian Media Framing (N.H. El-Bilawi); and (9) Language and the Art of Spin: Commendation and Condemnation in Media Discourse (L.N. Berlin). Part 3: Dialogue, provides: (10) Dis-covering Peace: Dominant and Counterdiscourse of the Middle East (S. Silberstein); (11) An Israeli-Palestinian Partnership: Can We Find a Joint Language? And Should We? (M. Zak); (12) Postcolonialism and the Jewish Palestinian Encounter (R. Halabi); (13) Checkpoint: Turning Discourse into Dialogue (S.J. Kent, R. Sibii and A.R. Napoleone); and (14) Where is the Hope? A Call for Action (S. Wong, I. Nasser and L.N. Berlin). [The introduction was written by I. Nasser, L.N. Berlin and S. Wong.] [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Mass Media, Dialogs (Language), Critical Reading
(2001). Ex Uno Plures, Education Next. Argues that school choice runs counter to the common culture taught in most American public schools until the late 1960s. Discusses reasons why schools no longer teach a common culture. States that if the public schools returned to teaching a common American culture, school choice would be less compelling. Descriptors: Afrocentrism, Bilingual Education, Culture, Elementary Secondary Education
(1981). The Meaning and Use of Context in Ethnographic Research: Implications for Validity, NABE: The Journal for the National Association for Bilingual Education. The article reviews some of the controversial issues regarding macro- and micro-ethnographic approaches and their implications for validity of ethnographic description, discusses the notion of context and its application to various research settings, and gives an account of the various problems encountered by researchers working in bilingual instructional settings. [More] Descriptors: Anthropological Linguistics, Bilingual Education, Context Clues, Cultural Context
(2011). Academic Biliteracy in South African Higher Education: Strategies and Practices of Successful Students, Language, Culture and Curriculum. Academic support for higher education students in multilingual contexts often focuses on the development of separate language proficiencies, on the one hand, and on general study skills, on the other hand. In bi/multilingual education contexts where students are presented with lectures and study material in more than one language, successful students develop specific practices that allow them to exploit their bi/multilingual proficiency, that is, without focusing on one language only. This article reports on a qualitative study conducted with postgraduate students at Stellenbosch University. It probes the strategies and processes that successful bilingual students use when different languages are available to mediate cognitively challenging material. Bilingual strategies and practices that are employed emerged from a series of semi-structured interviews with postgraduate students, and are presented as an insight into bilingual learning. [More] Descriptors: Higher Education, Bilingual Students, Multilingualism, Interviews
(2007). Vocabulary Development of English-Language and English-Only Learners in Kindergarten, Elementary School Journal. In this study I investigated the effectiveness of a kindergarten vocabulary intervention, developed based on previous research on characteristics of effective vocabulary intervention through storybook read-alouds, in 5 kindergarten classrooms. Among these classrooms were 3 mainstream, 1 two-way bilingual, and 1 structured immersion classroom. The classrooms served 44 English-only (EO) and 28 English-language-learning (ELL) children. Linear growth analyses investigated children's learning of taught words, as assessed by a researcher-designed vocabulary measure, and their overall growth in vocabulary knowledge, measured by the Test of Language Development Primary:3. Findings showed that ELLs learned target words at the same rate, and grew in general vocabulary at a faster rate, than EOs. [More] Descriptors: Kindergarten, Intervention, Vocabulary Development, Reading Aloud to Others
(2011). Exploring Student Integration Patterns in Two-Way Immersion Schools, ProQuest LLC. Two-way immersion (TWI) programs teach English Learners (ELs) and native English speakers in the same classroom using both languages in an immersion approach. Studies suggest that TWI programs result in greater student integration, thus providing a promising alternative for Spanish speaking ELs, who are frequently concentrated in high poverty, majority-minority schools. This study used a mixed methods research design to examine student integration issues in two elementary schools. Enrollment data from 1999-2009 were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Grounded theory was used to analyze data from interviews, focus groups, observations, and archival documents. The demographic analyses revealed trends that are consistent with demographic changes nationally: an increasing Latino population and a decreasing White population. In terms of instructional integration patterns, the following findings were consistent for both schools. Prior to the introduction of TWI, students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) were evenly distributed among 4th/5th grade classrooms. After TWI, significantly more students with IEPs were in the English only than in TWI classes. In addition, after TWI, significantly more English speakers who qualified for free/reduced meals were found in the English only classes. However, Spanish speakers, who were almost exclusively located in TWI, had significantly higher free/reduced meals rates than English speakers in either TWI or English only classes. The central theme to emerge in the grounded theory study was "Negotiating the Value of Spanish," a process that occurred over many years as both schools grappled with a growing Latino population. Using Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital, I suggest that the introduction of TWI commodified Spanish within the mainstream educational program, providing cultural capital gains for Spanish speakers as a result. TWI provided the justification and resources for hiring more bilingual staff, for purchasing Spanish curriculum materials, for providing professional development in Spanish and about Spanish literacy, for increasing outreach to Spanish speaking families, and for prioritizing Spanish speakers' access to the program. Spanish speakers and their families thus gained greater access to the curriculum and the life of the school, and staff began to see Spanish speakers differently. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Grounded Theory, Focus Groups, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language)
(2011). Successful Strategies for English Language Learners, District Administration. Between 1979 and 2008, the number of school-age children (ages 5-17) in the United States who spoke a language other than English at home increased from 3.8 to 10.9 million, or from 9 to 21 percent of the population in this age range, according to the latest figures from the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES also reveals that the Hispanic dropout rate is almost twice that of black students and three times that of white students. In 2008, 18 percent of dropouts were Hispanic, while 10 percent were black and 5 percent were white. The future of English language learners' (ELLs) success depends on strong district and community leaders who are willing to push for the best programs to ensure ELLs graduate from high school and have a bright future. Dallas (Texas) Independent School District, Kent (Washington) School District, Tucson (Arizona) Unified School District, San Francisco Unified School District and Washington County (Maryland) Public Schools may not be the only school districts that are doing well with ELL students, but they are school districts that have strategically planned to address the needs of ELL students. Each of the districts has its own approach, and some use a combination of programs. This article describes Kent's sheltered instruction, Dallas' dual language program, Washington County's best practices and Tucson's English immersion program. [More] Descriptors: Community Leaders, Private Schools, Immersion Programs, Dropout Rate
(2004). Excellent Bilingual Early Childhood Programs ? A Parent Guide, Intercultural Development Research Association. Recently at a school meeting, a group of parents shared with each other their vision and dreams for their children. As with most parents IDRA has worked with, these parents said they want their children to get a good education; to have many choices of professions; and to not lose their language, culture, values and faith of the family. All of these parents want their children to be fully bilingual as adults. They were saddened to think that, without support, their children could lose their home language and culture in their journey to become successful and fulfilled adults. All families need the support of excellent early childhood programs. For families who speak a language other than English, it is critical that they have access to excellent bilingual, multicultural preschool programs. This report describes the characteristics of good preschools and discusses what parents can do. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some accompanying charts and graphs may not be provided here.] [More] Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Parent Role, Parent Materials, Bilingual Education
(2004). Potential and Limitations of Multicultural Education in Conflict-Ridden Areas: Bilingual Palestinian-Jewish Schools in Israel, Teachers College Record. In recent years, a new integrative bilingual multicultural educational initiative has been developed in Israel. Its main purpose is to offer dignity and equality to the two Israeli groups who have for the last 100 years denied each other's humanity: Palestinians and Jews. The research examines this attempt at encouraging each group to take pride in their own cultural heritage while respecting and experiencing the heritage of the other. Through the ethnographic analysis of data gathered at four ceremonial events held at two of the three currently functioning integrated schools in Israel, the study inquires into the potential of school ritual events to support this endeavor. Probing into the ways in which these efforts may shape individual and group perspectives and help to overcome intergroup tensions and conflict, I expect this research to shed some light on the potential and limitations of multicultural education in conflict ridden areas. In focusing on the treatment of special ceremonial events in these schools I wish to explore the fruit of multicultural educational approaches and to question how these are shaped by contextual conditions specific to conflict-ridden areas. If multicultural education is to alleviate interethnic tension, it must offer options to refashion teachers', parents', and students' understandings of cultural borders and their positions and relations within the different cultural arenas. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Cultural Background, Jews, Conflict
(2011). Early Biliteracy Development: Exploring Young Learners' Use of Their Linguistic Resources, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. A large and growing number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the US and around the world have the potential to develop bilingualism and biliteracy if supported in their immediate environment. At the forefront in focusing exclusively on biliteracy development in early childhood across a variety of languages, this book provides both findings from empirical research with young bilinguals in home and school contexts and practical applications of these findings. Each chapter is structured in a similar format to offer parallel descriptions of the research, including a brief review of related empirical studies, an overview of the methods for data collection and analysis, a description of the main findings, and specific pedagogical implications to support educators' efforts to construct meaningful, challenging, and dynamic literacy and language learning communities where one or more languages are used for communicating and learning. Pushing the field forward, this book is a valuable resource for helping literacy educators understand and respond to critical issues related to the development of young children's literate competencies in two languages in home and school contexts. This book begins with an introduction by Mileidis Gort and Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer and contains three parts. Part I, Emergence of Biliteracy: The Preschool Years, contains: (2) Supporting the Early Development of Biliteracy: The Role of Parents and Caregivers (Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer and Dumisile Mkhize); (3) Literacy Practices and Language Use among Latino Emergent Bilingual Children in Preschool Contexts (Lucinda Soltero-Gonzalez and Iliana Reyes); and (4) Learning How to Write in English and Chinese: Young Bilingual Kindergarten and First Grade Children Explore the Similarities and Differences between Writing Systems (David Yaden, Jr. and Tina Tsai). Part II, Biliteracy Development in Early Elementary School, contains: (5) Evaluation and Revision Processes of Young Bilinguals in a Dual Language Program (Mileidis Gort); (6) Zehra's Story: Becoming Biliterate in Turkish and English (Zeynep Camlibel and Georgia Garcia); (7) Traveling on the Biliteracy Highway: Framing Biliteracy from Students' Writings (Maria Franquiz); (8) The Evolution of Biliterate Writing Development through Simultaneous Bilingual Literacy Instruction (Wendy Sparrow, Sandra Butvilofsky and Kathy Escamilla). Part III, Reflections and Future Directions, contains: (9) Reflections and Directions for Biliteracy Research (Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer and Mileidis Gort). A glossary is also included. [More] Descriptors: Writing (Composition), Caregiver Role, Grade 1, Bilingualism