This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Heriberto Godina, Washington Congress of the U.S., Information Update, Georgia Earnest Garcia, Paul D. Deering, Jim Worthington, Alberto M. Ochoa, Susan Rippberger, Ana M. Serrano, and Caryl G. Crowell.
(1992). Alaska Native Languages Preservation and Enhancement Act of 1991. Hearing on S. 1595 To Preserve and Enhance the Ability of Alaska Natives To Speak and Understand Their Native Languages, before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session (Anchorage, Alaska, October 19, 1991). This Senate hearing received testimony expressing the concern that Alaska Native languages are dying, and suggesting ways to stimulate and improve Native language instruction in schools and community settings. The director of the Alaska Native Language Center (University of Alaska, Fairbanks) provided information about the history of suppression of Native languages in Alaska schools. Of 20 Native languages, only Central Yupik and St. Lawrence Island Yupik are still spoken by children. Village and tribal elders, chiefs, teachers, students, and parents discussed the following issues: the loss of cultures as children cannot speak with grandparents; the shared childhood experience of being punished in school for speaking Native languages; the need to train fluent Native speakers as language teachers and then pay them and treat them as professionals; the possibility of allowing Native languages to substitute for "foreign" languages in the curriculum; the need for Native language instructional materials; the importance of allowing Native peoples to design school language programs; and suggestions for community programs of language and culture. All witnesses supported proposed federal legislation to fund: construction of language facilities, community language programs, programs to train Native speakers as teachers, production of instructional materials, programs to train Alaska Natives to produce Native language television and radio programs, and efforts to record and preserve Native languages. Appendices contain letters supporting S. 1595, lists of the status of 20 Alaska Native languages, and instructional materials available in Yupik. [More] Descriptors: Alaska Natives, American Indian Languages, Bilingual Education, Community Education
(1992). Growing Our Own: A Masters Level Certification Program for Bilingual Instructional Assistants. Review of Selected Literature. This review of literature focuses on teacher education responses to the need for a more diverse teacher workforce. It discusses literature on the following topics: the need for cultural diversity in teacher education, minority teacher education programs, and recommendations and generalizations. The literature on the first topic reflects two approaches to cultural diversity in teacher education (various theories about a knowledge base regarding cultural diversity and determining the current beliefs widely shared by candidates before they study teacher education). Several research reports on preservice teacher beliefs are discussed. Research reports and program descriptions related to minority teacher education programs (the second topic) are reviewed. The programs include: the Bilingual Teacher Training Program at California State University at Chico; the Minority Teacher Development Program, developed by the Denver (Colorado) Public Schools and several local colleges; the Minority Mentorship Project at Texas A & M University; and two student teaching programs at Moorehead State University (Minnesota). The recommendations from the literature discussed include: incorporating a multicultural perspective throughout the teacher education curriculum rather than limiting efforts to one course; arranging positive, quality field experiences; and providing opportunities for teacher education students to have personal interactions with minority students. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Cultural Pluralism, Higher Education, Literature Reviews
(1992). Segundo Paso. Jardin de Ninos (Second Step. A Violence-Prevention Curriculum). This document is the Spanish language supplement to "Second Step" for preschool and kindergarten, a violence-prevention curriculum designed to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in young children and to increase their social competence. This supplement contains the translated portions of text from "Second Steps" that a teacher would need to communicate to the class. These include stories and discussions, role plays and activities, take-home letters, puppet scripts, and song sheets. The following three units are included: (1) a unit of 12 lessons on empathy that centers on feelings, self-esteem, and concern for the feelings of others; (2) a unit of 10 lessons on control of impulses that focuses on problem solving and social behavior; and (3) a unit of 6 lessons on managing anger, with advice on how to react to provocation. Descriptors: Aggression, Anger, Behavior, Bilingual Education
(1993). Choosing Optional Infused Career Education for Students in High School Bilingual Programs (Project CHOICE). Final Evaluation Report 1992-93. OREA Report. Project CHOICE was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its fifth and final year of operation at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn and Springfield Gardens High School in Queens (both in New York City). In 1992-93 the project served 364 students of limited English proficiency. Participants received instruction in English as a second language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and content areas. Career awareness was an integral part of programming. Staff development was provided through meetings and a tuition reimbursement program. An active parent component included ESL classes, conferences, and school functions, although stimulating participation was difficult. Most objectives were met, although the project did not meet its ESL objective and could not fully evaluate its parent component because of a lack of data. Recommendations include augmenting peer-support groups, encouraging parent participation, extending site resources, and collecting complete evaluation data. Seven tables present evaluation findings, and two appendixes list instructional materials and class schedules. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Career Awareness, Career Education, Disadvantaged Youth
(1988). Nicaragua: Educational Policy for Ethnic Minorities. Since taking power, the Sandinista government has made a commitment to educating all Nicaraguans. Under its direction, literacy increased from approximately 50 to 88 percent. Thousands of new teachers were hired, and the number of elementary schools doubled. The official language is Spanish, and the dominant culture, Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian). In Nicaragua's coastal Caribbean Region there are several ethnic Indian groups, among which are the Miskito and Sumo, who maintain their own language and unique way of life. The indigenous population has resisted immersion into the national culture, and the use of Spanish as the language of instruction. As a result, the government has made an effort to accommodate their specific educational needs. Native Miskitos and Sumos are trained as instructors to teach in their own area in the native language. Materials have been specially prepared to reflect the Indian language and culture in an effort to make education more relevant. A 14-item bibliography and two maps are included. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Educational Needs, Educational Policy, Ethnic Groups
(1992). Segundo Paso. Grados 4to – 5to (Second Step. Grades 4-5). This document is the Spanish language supplement to "Second Step, Grades 4-5," a violence-prevention curriculum designed to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in young children and to increase their social competence. The supplement, which cannot be used alone, translates portions of the curriculum, such as stories and discussions, role plays and activities, take-home letters, homework, and posters. The curriculum is divided into three units appropriate for fourth and fifth graders, as follows: (1) 16 lessons on empathy, recognizing and accepting feelings, and accepting differences; (2) 16 lessons on the control of impulses and social behavior such as taking responsibility for one's own actions and making conversation; and (3) 14 lessons on managing anger, including responding to complaints. Descriptors: Aggression, Anger, Behavior, Bilingual Education
(1993). Approaches to Teaching Language Arts in a Bilingual Multicultural Setting. A study of whole language teaching in urban heterogeneous classrooms was undertaken to identify teacher student classroom discourse patterns. Using the Gutierrez Index of Coding Schema researchers identified three discourse scripts in the 14 bilingual and multicultural classrooms in Southern California under investigation. These were: the recitation script, the responsive script, and the responsive-collaborative script. Results of the study indicated that most teachers favored the responsive script when providing whole language instruction. There were educationally significant differences between experienced and novice teachers on selected variables of the scale. There were insignificant correlational results on the type of discourse pattern teachers used and the standardized California Achievement Tests language subsection. (Three tables of data are included; 43 references, the coding schema, and 9 graphs of data are attached.) [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Classroom Communication, Classroom Research, Cultural Pluralism
(1994). El Congreso: Program Improvement Project, Evaluation Report YR 2. Region IX Migrant Education. The program "El Congreso" is a leadership development project that is designed to help migrant students become effective role models for their peers and gangs in their communities. The focus is not on remediation, but on enhancement of the migrant student's academic and social strengths. It is hoped that El Congreso students will show an increase in graduation rate, improve their academic achievement, increase enrollment in postsecondary education, develop a cadre of leadership models, and increase awareness of the need for bilingual teachers. This evaluation indicates that over 600 students from 16 school districts have participated through the program's second year. In that year, more than 16 activities, including student planning meetings and conferences and staff training, were implemented. Evaluation results indicated student growth in development of leadership skills and positive attitudes. Student involvement in planning and skill development has been evident. Improvement of direct services and better record keeping are among the recommendations for program improvement. Eight appendixes present the survey instruments and evaluation findings in table form. (Contains 6 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Bilingual Education, High School Students, High Schools
(1990). Center Seeks To Improve Education for Disadvantaged Students. This collection of descriptions of research at the Center for Research on Effective Schooling for Disadvantaged Students opens with "Center Seeks To Improve Education for Disadvantaged Students," a discussion of the mission of the Center to improve schooling for the disadvantaged through new knowledge and practices produced by rigorous scientific study and evaluation. Projects are outlined in the fields of early education, elementary education, and middle school and high school grades. "Tracking: Obsolete System Still Dominates School Organization" reviews recent research on tracking and ability grouping that shows disturbing trends in tracking and adverse effects on various minority and ethnic populations. "Second Year 'Success for All' Shows Large Reading Gains" follows the impressive reading achievement gains provided for disadvantaged students by the Success for All program at an elementary school in Baltimore (Maryland). "Success for All: The Research-Based Program Elements" provides additional details about the successful program. "Cooperative Learning for Language Minority Students" describes a bilingual program in Texas. "Racing against Catastrophe" reviews perspectives on disadvantaged students and school restructuring. [More] Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Bilingual Education, Cooperative Learning, Disadvantaged Youth
(1994). Inventing a Classroom. Life in a Bilingual, Whole Language Learning Community. This book is based on research conducted in a bilingual, (Spanish and English) working-class neighborhood third-grade classroom. It is a qualitative, ethnographic study of the classroom as a system that uses exemplary teaching to show how whole language learning can be explained as a tension between personal invention and social convention. The Sunshine Room, as the classroom was called, evolved throughout the 2 years of the study. The four critical events that are narrated were: (1) the process of negotiating curriculum for the year; (2) the creation of a theme cycle about the Middle Ages; (3) the vicarious experience of war through children's literature and discussion; and (4) a friendship between two children from different cultures. In keeping with the whole language approach, the classroom exemplified a high level of intellectual expectation, symmetric power and trust relationships, authentic language and literacy events, and additive bilingualism and biliteracy. Thirty-three figures illustrate the discussion. Four appendixes present bibliographies for the study of the Middle Ages and war and peace, a whole-language checklist, and an excerpt from a classroom script. (Contains 190 references.) Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students, Cultural Awareness, Curriculum Development
(1993). An Examination of Teacher Thinking during a Collaborative Effort To Improve Elementary Cooperative Learning Literacy Instruction. Growing numbers of teachers are turning to cooperative learning methods for literacy instruction, yet recent studies suggest that teachers hold theories of cooperative learning which are unrelated, or even antithetical, to helping students learn to become strategic, independent readers. This paper reports on a study that examined seven teachers' thinking and its relation to classroom actions regarding the use of cooperative learning for literacy instruction in a bilingual elementary school. Data were collected from interviews with participants at the beginning and middle of the school year, classroom observations consisting of written fieldnotes describing instruction and the social context, post-lesson interviews with selected students, and educator-researcher staff development meetings. Findings indicated: (1) teachers' beliefs about teaching, literacy learning, and cooperative learning were compatible with a social constructivist learning perspective (Vygotsky, 1978), but were relatively inchoate; and (2) collaborative intervention guided by social constructivist learning theory (Vygotsky, 1978), can contribute to informed, collegial, and committed teacher innovation. Based on these results, the researchers worked with each teacher to develop instructional improvement agendas. An appendix provides sample responses of students' awareness of conditional knowledge. (Contains approximately 35 references.) [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Constructivism (Learning), Cooperative Learning, Educational Innovation
(1993). Asian-American Communications: In-School Staff Workshops. Evaluation Report 1992-93. OREA Report. Asian-American Communications: In-School Staff Workshops was in its fifth year of funding by New York State Bilingual Categorical Funds. The project provided workshops for staff, parents, and students in schools with large Asian-American populations. During the year under review, the project conducted 26 workshops citywide. Phase I workshops focused on information garnered from a school needs assessment; Phase II workshops focused on teaching strategies; Phase III workshops introduced Asian-American history and culture. Participants rated all workshops very favorably. The project was fully implemented and met all of its objectives. The objectives were conducting a preworkshop survey, presenting Phase I, II, and III workshops, and providing parent and student workshops on request. The findings led to the following recommendations: (1) allocate more time for the workshops, (2) develop written materials to reinforce workshop presentations, (3) provide more opportunities for small-group in-depth discussions in Phase II, and (4) encourage schools to publicize the parent workshops to attract a broader audience. [More] Descriptors: Asian American Students, Asian Americans, Asian Studies, Bilingual Education
(1994). Bilingual Preschool Children's Participation in Classroom Literacy Activities: "Once upon a Time" and Its Alternatives. An ethnographic study analyzed and compared children's participation in book reading activities with their participation in other types of literacy activities. Subjects, 15 bilingual children who were enrolled in a multilingual, multicultural preschool program where English was the common language, were encouraged to maintain their native languages through the presence of native-language tapes, books, and activities. Data included classroom field notes, videotapes, and teacher plans recorded and/or collected over one semester. Results indicated that: (1) the children were not very attentive during the book reading in English that occurred during whole group time; (2) the only children that were being read to in their native languages were the Chinese and Russian children; and (3) the children were actively engaged in other literacy activities, and activities that were not formally designed as literacy activities. Findings underscore the importance of creating opportunities for bilingual children's engagement with print in ways other than English book reading. Children in this classroom with its emphasis on multilingualism demonstrated an emerging awareness of different languages, different conventions of print, and different concepts about print. (Contains 12 references.) [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students, Class Activities, Comparative Analysis
(1994). The Forum, Volume 19. Numbers 1-4. Four issues of "The Forum," a publication of the New York State Federation of Chapters of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), contain the following major articles: "Integration, Mainstreaming or Inclusion…Who's On First?" (Tim Knoster); "Links to the Community: Why Inclusion?" (John B. Kish and Leslie A. Kish); "Integration of Preschool Children with Disabilities in Capital District Day Care Centers" (Jeanne Kozloski and others); "Children Who Are Ventilator Dependent" (Andrew W. Rothstein); "An Interview with Rosemary Crossley" (Heidi Reichel); "Facilitated Communication: Employing Research Results To Develop Ethical Practice Guidelines" (Michael Eberlin and Gene McConnachie); "Teaching Strategies for the Believer and the Skeptic" (Claude Call and others); "Facilitated Communication: Practice to Research" (John W. Jacobson); "Bilingualism and Special Education" (James Crawford); "Collaborative Models for Staffs Working with Limited English Proficient Students in General and Special Education" (Frances Segan and Nancy Lemberger); "How Can I Make the Shot When I Don't Get the Ball? Improving Academic Achievement by Increasing Active Student Response" (Rodney A. Cavanaugh); "Accommodating Children with HIV and AIDS in the Educational Setting" (Melanie Gardner); "Behavioral Intervention Strategies for Parents of Children with Autism" (Patricia Kennedy and others). Various news reports and reviews are also included. The program and registration packet of the 1993 New York State CEC convention comprise one issue. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Autism
(1991). The Politics of Literacy. This document examines political questions that surround the issue of literacy. "City Literacy Cuts" outlines effects of the most recent budget cuts in New York City. "Families, Inequality, and Power: The Cultural Politics of Literacy" (Deborah D'Amico-Samuels) focuses on the importance of understanding the different models used in interpreting the causes of illiteracy and the cultural politics of literacy. Three articles examine the issue of politics and literacy from different perspectives: "The Politics of Literacy" (Paula Finn), which presents a union's model for revising the politics of literacy theory and practice; "The Politics of the Language of Literacy: Spanish Literacy for New York Latinos" (Ofelia Garcia), which presents theoretical arguments of the necessity of using non-English languages in literacy instruction; and "Literacy & Common Sense" (John Garvey), which discusses the "need" for literacy. "Adult Literacy Education: Heading into the 1990s" (Francis Kazemek) reviews seven works that illustrate the changes in the last decade. "Research Review: Adult Learners' Perspectives on Adult Education" (Deborah D'Amico-Samuels) summarizes conclusions of the second phase of a study of the experiences and viewpoints of students from a sample of New York City Adult Literacy Initiative Programs. Other articles include profiles of programs awarded minigrants, a description of the National Center on Adult Literacy, and a list of Literacy Assistance Center publications. [More] Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, Adult Literacy, Adult Students, Bilingual Education