This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include David A. Stewart, Beth Schlau, Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy, Wendy Schwartz, Lila Jacobs, Nancy R. Baenen, Joan Friedenberg, Graciela Rosenberg, Maria Barrera, and Ann C. Willig.
(1987). Improving Teaching Strategies for Exceptional Hispanic Limited English Proficient Students: An Exploratory Study of Task Engagement and Teaching Strategies. An exploratory and descriptive study of instruction for Hispanic Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) students is presented. The study was based on data collected during part of a 4-year project to develop teacher training modules for teachers of learning disabled and mildly mentally retarded Hispanic LEP children. As a result of the second year of the project, which involved classroom observation and videotaping of actual classes, a secondary study was developed to identify major types of instructional practices employed with LEP children in special education. The descriptive information contained in this report is anchored with data on task engagement in order to evaluate the effectiveness of various instructional techniques. Observations indicated that direct instruction enhanced task engagement, and that this relationship was mediated by the nature of instruction–the most engaging activities drew heavily upon the experience, language background, and interests of the students. It was also noted that instruction at high conceptual levels was possible when the native language is used. Finally, task engagement during seatwork was closely related to the ability of the teacher to provide guidance and individualized instruction. Descriptors: Bilingual Education, English (Second Language), Evaluation, Hispanic Americans
(1987). Project BEST Final Report. Project BEST (Building Energy Systems Technology), a bilingual vocational training program, operated at Oakton Community College between March 1986 and September 1987. The purpose of the project was to provide 60 limited English proficient (LEP) Hispanic and Polish adults with sufficient vocational skills, English language skills, and appropriate support services to enter the heating and air conditioning service field. Adults who qualified for the 15-week, tuition-free program received hands-on instruction in the vocational area, bilingual tutoring, instruction in Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL), instruction in job-seeking and job-retaining skills, job placement assistance, and both personal and career counseling. In the course of 18 months, Project BEST delivered three 15-week training cycles. Of 250 potential students recruited, 61 were selected for training, 55 actually started training, and 42 trainees completed the program, and as of July 6, 1987, 64% of completers had been placed in heating and air conditioning or closely related jobs. This report on Project BEST includes a final performance report, which describes the project and its purpose, the training offered, immediate program outcomes, critical factors affecting outcomes, and long-term program outcomes; and an external evaluator's report on the project, which offers context, input, process, and product evaluations and recommendations for improvement. [More] Descriptors: Air Conditioning, Bilingual Education Programs, Community Colleges, Employment Programs
(1990). Learning E.S.L. with Los Cumbancheros 1988-89. OREA Evaluation Section Report. The Learning English as a Second Language (ESL) with Los Cumbancheros project was developed through the collaborative efforts of several New York State Government offices, community school districts in the Bronx, and the private corporate sector. Its objective was to provide supplemental services to at-risk students of limited English proficiency to keep them in school. The project's vehicle of instruction was a bilingual chorus that rehearsed several times per week and performed regularly. Los Cumbancheros taught students music theory through ESL and Native Language Arts (NLA). Students gained knowledge of music theory and met both the project's ESL and NLA objectives. Attendance records indicated that students participated actively in the program. Additionally, parents expressed enthusiasm for the program and were appreciative of the concomitant parental activities; the Los Cumbancheros parental involvement objectives were also met. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, English (Second Language), Evaluation Methods, Federal Programs
(1989). Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy. Spring 1989. Volume 3. The 10 articles (and introduction by Stephen Reuys) in this journal discuss issues of adult literacy/adult basic education from a variety of perspectives. Titles and authors are as follows: "The Boston Adult Literacy Initiative: Moving beyond Initiative" (Silja Kallenbach); "Project FOCUS: Writing through Pictures" (Beatriz M. Strohmeyer); "The Massachusetts Workplace Education Program" (Judy Hikes); "Use of the Language Experience Approach with Non-English Speaking Refugees and Immigrants" (Anthony D'Annunzio, Paige E. Payne); "Pioneering Effective Educational Services for Dyslexic Illiterate Adults" (Carolyn Buell Kidder); "Two Views of Language Minority Issues" (Tomas Kalmar, Fulano de Tal); "The Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative: A Community-Based Model for Meeting Urban Literacy Needs" (Frances Wright); "A Storybook Ending" (Lisa Santagate); "Meeting the Needs of Unprepared Students in Higher Education" (Emilie Steele); and "Between Paulo Freire and Tom Sticht: Adult Education and Job Training at Boston Technical Center" (Stuart Gedal). [More] Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, Adult Literacy, Bilingual Education Programs, Cambodians
(1990). Employment Training for Limited English Proficient Individuals: A Manual for Program Development. This manual describes procedures commonly used to plan and implement bilingual vocational training (BVT) programs for individuals who are limited English proficient (LEP). An introductory section examines the purposes of BVT and outlines a general model consisting of seven components: targeted recruitment, diagnostic rather than exclusive intake and assessment, adapted vocational instruction, vocational English as a Second Language (ESL), counseling and support services, job development and placement geared to the special needs of the LEP population, and coordination of these six elements in order that each element supports the others. An additional bilingual and academic basic skills component is suggested for secondary school programs. The first of two sections presents specific procedures and makes suggestions for planning a BVT program in the areas of need assessment of the local LEP population and the local job market; developing support and assessing resources; staffing; staff development; and outreach/recruitment and initial screening. The final section discusses these aspects of program implementation in greater detail: intake and assessment, bilingual vocational instruction, vocational ESL instruction, counseling and support services, job development and placement, and program evaluation. References and additional resources are provided within each subsection. [More] Descriptors: Ancillary School Services, Bilingual Education Programs, Counseling Services, Job Placement
(1985). Second Language Learning by Young Children. Six papers presented at a conference on early childhood first and second language acquisition sponsored by the California state legislature's Child Development Programs Advisory Committee include: "Bilingual Development and the Education of Bilingual Children During Early Childhood" (Eugene E. Garcia); "An English-Only Preschool Program" (William Lambert); "A Brief Case for Bilingual Preschools" (David P. Dolson); "Second-Language Learning in Early Childhood: Some Thoughts for Practitioners" (Barry McLaughlin); "The Intellectual Power of Bilingualism" (Rafael M. Diaz); and "A Spanish-Language Preschool Program" (James Campos). Recommendations for policy, program, and curriculum development based on current research findings are included. A bibliography and a list of advisory committee members are appended. Descriptors: Age Differences, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Cognitive Development
(1990). Language Development: A Base for Educational Policy Planning. A Policy Issues Paper. Program Report. A review of recent research in child language development examines how this research can be used to inform policy that will enhance the capabilities of English-speaking and non-English-speaking children to develop strong language skills and promote the success of at-risk children. Focus is on the research most applicable to policy planning. First, a brief overview of American policy on language in education and the issues and attitudes clouding discussion of English-only and bilingual approaches is provided. Two longer sections make up the body of the discussion. One section addresses knowledge of the child's first-language development, and the other section looks at knowledge of child language development in bilingual settings. Educational implications of each are offered. A concluding section identifies other educational policy issues that are profoundly influenced by policy on language. A 38-item selected bibliography is included. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Child Language
(1989). Rationale and Strategies for American Sign Language Intervention. Research Series No. 193. A 4-year demonstration Total Communication Project was implemented at three schools (an elementary, a middle, and a high school) serving hearing impaired students. The goal of the project was for the six participating teachers to become consistent in their role modeling of English and American Sign Language (ASL), through weekly inservice on ASL and guidance in its appropriate use. Although English was the primary language of the classroom, ASL was used as an intervention tool. The paper describes: (1) techniques used for identifying classroom situations that call for the use of ASL, (2) discourse situations that influence the use of different language codes in total communication classrooms, and (3) guidelines for code-switching between English and ASL. The paper reviews the limited research on the effectiveness of ASL as an instructional tool, notes policy considerations, and offers a theoretical framework which sees ASL as a means of increasing deaf students' comprehension of instructional information. A variety of related issues are briefly addressed including the combined expression of signs and speech, the use of two languages in the classroom, attitudes toward ASL intervention, the conceptual function of signs, and the role of fingerspelling in instruction. 43 references. [More] Descriptors: American Sign Language, Bilingual Education, Classroom Techniques, Communication Skills
(1982). El ensenar a escuchar, a hablar, a leer y a escribir. Cuadernos para el entrenamiento de maestros de educacion bilingue. Cuardernos 1, 2 y 3, Serie D. (Teaching Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Training Packets for Bilingual Teachers. Packets 1, 2 and 3, Series D.). This teacher training guide includes three major units that deal with the teaching of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Spanish in the bilingual classroom. Each packet includes objectives, materials, and activities that help develop and promote students' receptive and productive skills. Other major topics covered include: the elements of language, including prosody, orthography, analogy, syntax, and semantics; aspects of oral language and activities for its development, including conversations, games, use of pictures and drawings, dramatization, and improvised dialogs; and methodology of reading, including syntactic methods, phonetic methods, onomatopeic methods, analytical and global methods, eclectic procedures and the experiential approach. Transparencies for each method are included. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education, English (Second Language)
(1990). Auxiliary Services for High Schools' Bilingual Program Resource and Training Center: Project ASHS, 1988-89. Evaluation Section Report. OREA Report. Project ASHS' Bilingual Resource and Training Center served 2,075 limited-English-proficient students, some of whom had limited ability to read and write in their native languages, at 15 sites. Most participants were older students returning to school to complete high school diploma requirements and prepare for the General Equivalency Diploma. The project provided supplemental instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and high school equivalency content area courses taught bilingually. The project also offered counseling, placement, career workshops, and staff and curriculum development. Participating students were native speakers of Spanish, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Italian, and Greek. The project met one of two ESL objectives and its referral objective, but could not assess achievement of the NLA or career education workshop objective. The project met one high school equivalency instructional objective. While a majority of project students at the lowest level were promoted, less than the proposed percentage were promoted or obtained equivalency diplomas at other levels. The staff development objective and four of five curriculum development objectives were met. Program strengths were in individual programming and counseling, and in the use of checklists to track students' interests and progress. Greater efforts to recruit Greek-speaking students are recommended. (MSE) [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Career Development, Counseling Services, Curriculum Development
(1991). Overcoming Risk: An Annotated Bibliography of Publications Developed by ERIC Clearinghouses. This publication contains two essays and an annotated bibliography of publications about risk. The entries in the bibliography were produced by the various clearinghouses in the ERIC system. The first essay, "Who Is at Risk? Definitions, Demographics, and Decisions," by Aaron M. Pallas, categorizes personal, family, and environmental factors that may place children at risk. Pallas presents demographic data on the distribution and size of the at-risk student population. He recommends reforms to mitigate the effects of risk and forecasts a growth of the at-risk population. The second essay, "On Being at Risk," by Jack L. Frymier and Neville L. Robertson, presents a working definition of risk ("risk of failure in life") and discusses the way in which individual differences influence particular students' responses to risk. The essay describes initial efforts at constructing a scale or index to identify risk. The discussion includes an examination of questions about the availability and confidentiality of data that bear on the conception of risk assumed in the scale. The bibliography includes 136 ERIC publications that appeared between 1986 and 1990, and that respond to a wide range of concerns of educators and other professionals working with at-risk students. Publications are listed alphabetically by author's name with a subject index. A description of the ERIC system and a list of ERIC clearinghouses is also included. [More] Descriptors: Academic Failure, Bilingual Education, Compensatory Education, Disabilities
(1990). Effects of a Policy Change–Instructional Approaches for Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Students with Stronger English Ability. Program results emerging from policy changes concerning identification and placement of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in one school district are evaluated. The policy changes permitted students classified as bilingual, English-dominant, or English monolingual to be placed by committee in an appropriate instructional program (bilingual, English as a Second Language, or Language Arts Mastery Process), and provided for screening of these groups to determine whether they were LEP or educationally disadvantaged. The latter group would be provided compensatory or remedial services as needed. It was found that the achievement of LEP students in the Language Arts Mastery Program (LAMP) exceeded that of other groups, but other measures did not indicate any clear superiority of one program over another. Of 122 students who would previously have been classified as LEP, 77 were determined not to be. Some formal process to assure that non-LEP, educationally disadvantaged students are given remedial help is seen as necessary. The committees were comfortable placing the students in the three programs. Where LAMP was combined with another program, schools felt the complementary approach was beneficial; however, some schools did not have LAMP programs. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Bilingual Students, Classification, Educational Change
(1988). Estimates and Projections of the Limited English Proficient Adult Population in Need of Employment Training. A study estimated the size of the population of adults and out-of-school youth with limited English proficiency (LEP) who need vocational education and related employment services and projected the size of this population from the time of the study to the year 2000. Research procedures included a literature review, an analysis of 1980 U.S. census data, and projections of the population. Two measures, constructed from census data to assist in the analysis, were used to categorize individuals as either limited English-proficient or as English-proficient and also to categorize them by poverty status. The following are among the findings reported: (1) the flow of immigrants has grown steadily since 1965 until now it is almost as high as it was in the 1900s, with the most recent immigrants being less educated and skilled than those who entered 15-20 years ago; (2) the number of persons with LEP aged 16-64 was estimated to be 6.8 million in 1980, which is about 4 percent of the U.S. population; (3) their number is projected to be 11.6 million by 1990 and about 17.4 million by 2000; (4) a projected 5.5 million could require services in 1990 and 8 million could need them by 2000; (5) over half of the adults with LEP speak Spanish; (6) the likelihood of becoming proficient in English is highest within 10 years after arriving in the United States; and (7) over 70 percent of the adults with LEP living below the poverty level in 2000 will be Hispanics. (The document contains 59 tables and 46 references.) [More] Descriptors: Access to Education, Adult Basic Education, Bilingual Education Programs, Case Studies
(1987). Cultural Difference or Disability: Redefining the Experience of Four Hmong Students. The study reported in this paper describes the first school encounters of four Hmong third-graders and their difficulties in adjusting to classroom learning activities. Three boys and one girl were chosen for observation. Two of the boys were classified as learning disabled, and the other two children were being considered for recommendation to the disability program but did not consistently exhibit disabled behavior. Using ethnographic research methods, especially participant observations and interviews, the study focused on how children become increasingly aware of their differences in cultural values and attempt to cope with the high stress levels they experience in school. Teachers, on the other hand, adhere to their own training and values and demand compliance with cultural norms of performance. The Hmong children under study showed deep frustration and hopelessness as they failed to engage meaningfully in learning activities. Suggestions for implementation of educational policies and practices dealing with Indochinese students are offered, and possible directions for future research are explored. Descriptors: Acculturation, Bilingual Education, Case Studies, Coping
(1989). E.S.L. Video Recording Project at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Spring 1988. OREA Report. The English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) video recording project was designed to use student-produced videotape recordings to help 120 limited-English-speaking students learn to speak, read, and write English. Staff participated in a series of workshops on video program development and production techniques. Four classes developed video productions, and the parents of participating students assisted in prop construction. The program was evaluated through interviews with program personnel, classroom observation, and viewing of the resulting videos. The project met its staff development objective, but neither the instructional nor parent involvement objectives could be assessed. Program weaknesses include a late start and limited daily production time. Program strengths include stimulation of student creativity, confidence, and motivation, a positive effect on attendance in all courses, creation of a context in which all students could work together, and facilitation of ESL instruction. Recommendations for program improvement include administration of pre- and posttests of student language skills and addition of a video career component and related video editing equipment. [More] Descriptors: Attendance, Bilingual Education Programs, English (Second Language), Film Production