Lynch, Patrick D. (1993). Basic Education in the Lower Rio Grande Valley: Human Capital Development or a Colonial System?. This report describes economic, social, and political characteristics of the lower Rio Grande Valley with implications for the educational system, and presents preliminary findings on how south Texas schools are integrating new immigrant Mexican students. The lower Rio Grande Valley comprises four Texas counties and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. For economic reasons, the population is exploding on both sides of the border, and the percentage of young people is much higher than in Texas overall. With border restrictions quite loose, the valley is becoming a cultural and economic unit, and schools on the U.S. side are being flooded with new immigrant students. In addition to children who immigrate with their families, many older Mexican teenagers are choosing to cross the border, alone or with relatives, to seek American schooling. Texas schools may not discriminate against homeless students nor probe about their living arrangements. Interviews with recently arrived Mexican students and their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers reveal that the ESL program allows these students to integrate gradually while preserving aspects of their own culture. Teachers have considerable autonomy in selecting appropriate content for their classes. With first-hand knowledge of their students' situation, many ESL teachers are very supportive and act as student advocates. This paper also examines immigrant students' educational attitudes and student subcultures, and considers questions about the goals and outcomes of education in light of the valley's ambiguous political and economic situation.   [More]  Descriptors: Acculturation, Bilingual Education, Education Work Relationship, Elementary Secondary Education

Portland Community Coll., OR. (1993). B-WEST Regional Workforce Training Center. Building Workers Entering Skilled Trades. Final Report. The B-WEST (Building Workers Entering Skilled Trades) project was an 18-month demonstration project at a campus of Portland Community College (Oregon). During the B-WEST project, the following programs/components were developed: (1) a model building construction (electrical, mechanical, construction) trades program for unemployed and underemployed men and women, including persons requiring bilingual assistance in Spanish and English; (2) a program emphasizing the masonry trades and directly involving certified masonry trainers, joint apprenticeship and training councils, area training agents, and the Oregon Bureau of labor and industry; (3) a program to train employers to manage a diverse work force; and (4) a regional demonstration center for Oregon and Washington community colleges, high schools, and other training organizations offering technical education. All of the project objectives were met successfully, and some were significantly exceeded. Interviews of B-WEST instructors and a survey completed by 27 B-WEST students indicated that the program helped students master the skills needed for employment in the construction industry. Students did, however, request more tools and materials for the electrical program and more hands-on instruction. (Appended are a third-party evaluation report, a program outcomes analysis, and sample materials from the B-WEST student tracking database.)   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Building Trades, Community Colleges, Demonstration Programs

Wilkinson, David; And Others (1993). What Works, and Can We Afford It? Program Effectiveness in AISD, 1991-92. Publication Number 91.43. This report presents information on the effectiveness, including cost effectiveness, of many programs of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD). In 1991-92, the AISD Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) reviewed 85 programs or program components. Cost effectiveness was calculated for 18 programs using an achievement effect measure and for 16 programs using a dropout prevention effect measure. Most evaluated programs were rated as effective. In general, the programs showing the highest achievement gains for students tend to be programs that offer students enriching experiences in addition to the regular curriculum. Most have a relatively high initial cost, but once in place, their per-pupil costs are relatively low. A common feature for successful dropout programs is that they provide students with individual attention or the possibility of flexibility in class schedules and enrichment. These findings are in keeping with other conclusions that the ORE has drawn over the years, such as the fact that students with an opportunity to learn will learn, and that a limited number of people need to be responsible for a student's learning. Early intervention is recognized as preferable to later remediation. In addition, it has been shown that smaller class sizes produce greater learning only through grade 1. One summary table, three tables of program data, and three tables of example data complement the discussion. (Contains 12 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Bilingual Education Programs, Class Size, Compensatory Education

Romo, Harriet (1993). Mexican Immigrants in High Schools: Meeting Their Needs. ERIC Digest. Immigration to the United States from Mexico has a long history and has been increasing in recent years. Immigrant students, especially those who arrive as adolescents and those whose families are migrant agricultural workers, have special educational needs. Mexican immigrant students have varied educational backgrounds, but most need to learn English. Many lack literacy skills in Spanish, or have numerous absences and transfers because of family migration patterns. Secondary schools usually respond to these problems with three types of programs: (1) intensive English for Speakers of Other Languages classes; (2) bilingual programs that teach courses in the native language as students learn English; and (3) newcomer programs that provide transition courses to facilitate students' academic and cultural adjustment. Each of these has its strengths and weaknesses, but quality of instruction in all of them is hampered by students' varying English proficiency and academic skills and by a curriculum that does not parallel the one provided to other students. Many Mexican immigrant students begin working before high school graduation and may need flexible instructional programming and support services to stay in school. The characteristics of schools that effectively meet the needs of Mexican immigrant students are listed.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Dropout Prevention, Educational Needs, English (Second Language)

Many Voices: A Journal of New Settlers and Multicultural Education Issues (1993). Many Voices. A Journal of New Settlers and Multicultural Education Issues, 1991-1993. This document consists of the first five issues (19 months) of a new journal providing an ongoing forum for the celebration of cultural diversity and an examination of the issues of concern to learners and teachers in multicultural schools and in classes for new migrants at the adult level. Objectives of the journal are: (1) to provide information and research relating to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, to community language and bilingual teaching, and to first language maintenance; (2) to discuss cross-cultural issues in education; (3) to act as a forum for the exchange of practical ideas and experiences for teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) and community language teaching; and (4) to provide a change for minority ethnic community members to express their views on issues of education and schooling. Among the many topics discussed in Numbers 1-5 are: current issues in language learning and teaching, curriculum for ESL learners, peer tutoring bilingual children in a cooperative learning classroom, women's role in promoting bilingualism, and refugee students with no previous schooling.   [More]  Descriptors: Adults, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Cooperative Learning

Vadasy, Patricia; Maddox, Mary (1992). Building Bridges: The Yakima Equity Study. The Conditions of Success for Migrant, Hispanic, and Native American Students in the Yakima Valley. This report presents the findings of an in-depth qualitative study of issues related to educational equity for migrant, Native American and Hispanic children. Equity is defined as the provision of those resources essential for all students to fully participate in school and later, in society. Data were collected through interviews with 88 staff members, parents, and other key informants in 5 school districts in the Yakima Valley (Washington). The metaphor of a bridge is used to represent the structure that makes it possible for migrant, Native American, and limited-English-proficient students to experience positive educational outcomes. The bridge to these outcomes consists of pillars that support the schools' day-to-day efforts and that schools can influence through their policies. Pillars include parents who support education, parents who are organized, a community that values pluralism, and community-school partnerships. The bridge span consists of conditions that schools can directly control such as parent involvement; a positive multicultural environment; flexible programs that accommodate diversity; programs for Native American, bilingual, and migrant students; support for struggling students; equal access to programs; dropout prevention; supplemental funds; local leadership; strategic planning for equity; ethnically diverse staff; and staff skills and commitments. Sections of this report define the problems in meeting desirable conditions and provide recommendations, including comments from study participants. Appendices include a profile of the Yakima Valley, the background of Indian education programs, and other information relevant to the study.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Education, Bilingual Education, Early Childhood Education, Educational Needs

McCarty, T. L. (1993). Creating Conditions for Positive Change: Case Studies in American Indian Education. A study investigated factors supporting innovation in American Indian education by comparing data from two separate studies. One was a followup study of 25 Indian educators' implementation of cooperative learning and whole language techniques, which sought to identify: (1) the impact of the innovations on student achievement; and (2) factors that enable or constrain sustained pedagogical change. The second was a long-term ethnographic study at Rough Rock, on the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona. The investigation's focus was on institutional and other structural barriers to educational reform, beyond what occurs in the classroom. It is argued that analysis of reform efforts must address factors both within the instructional setting and in the school's organizational structure and sociopolitical context. It is proposed that such analysis is essential to understanding and transforming the historically disempowering experiences of this population.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Education, American Indians, Bilingual Education, Case Studies

Dianda, Marcella R.; And Others (1993). Lee Conmigo: "Success for All" in Schools Serving Language Minority Students. Occasional Paper. Success for All is a comprehensive schoolwide restructuring program that has improved reading achievement, increased attendance, reduced special education referrals and placements, and virtually eliminated within-grade retentions in high-poverty elementary schools serving African American children. It is noted that as Success for All has expanded since its first implementation in 1986-87 in inner-city Baltimore (Maryland), districts and schools that serve language minority students are adopting the program. This report explains how Success for All is grounded in approaches that are particularly effective in promoting language minority students' academic success, including use of cooperative learning, the integration of language and communication, and a focus on metacognitive learning strategies. It also discusses adaptations in program delivery and curriculum development, especially the development of a Spanish reading curriculum, Lee Conmigo ("Read With Me"), to meet language minority students' language needs. The report's final section discusses a longitudinal evaluation to track language minority students' progress in Success for All. (Contains 35 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Bilingual Education Programs, Cooperative Learning, Disadvantaged Youth

Watt, David L. E. (1991). Intergenerational Literacy: An Evaluation of Program and Progress. The Latin American Literacy Project Final Evaluation. In this evaluation of The Latin American Literacy Project, eight major recommendations are made based on firsthand observations of the project, discussions with staff and students, the evaluation of new program implementations, the interpretation of results from language proficiency and achievement tests, and the analysis of extensive video recordings. The report includes an assessment of the children's program and an assessment of the adult program. The eight recommendations are: (1) advance the bilingual aspect by making more explicit the proportional approach used in the transition from Spanish to English in the children's programme; (2) make the intergenerational components of the two programmes more prominent by scheduling celebrations of achievement for the participants in the project, and teaching towards these dates; (3) increase the community based activities in support of the programme and the intergenerational literacy aspect; (4) monitor the progress of children leaving the programme and entering elementary school, as a means of judging the longitudinal impact of the programme; (5) develop a method of using the video camera in the daily teaching of adult students, as a means of performance imaging (this will improve their communicative competence); (6) balance the adult testing package so that there are measures for grammatical and communicative competence; (7) encourage and recognize as valuable action research on the part of the teachers in their classrooms; and (8) encourage and facilitate the staff participation in the dissemination of programme reports at conferences. Among the major conclusions of the report are that the strengths of this program are its staff, its bilingual teaching approach, and its unique perspective on intergenerational literacy. Appendices I-IV give statistical information based on Gardner pre- and post-testing.   [More]  Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Bilingual Education Programs, English (Second Language), Intergenerational Programs

Escamilla, Kathy; And Others (1993). Descubriendo la lectura: An Early Intervention Spanish Language Literacy Project. During the 1989-90 school year, Descubriendo la Lectura, a Spanish-language adaptation of the English Reading Recovery project was implemented in a large urban school district in Arizona. The program is designed to identify first-grade students at risk of becoming poor readers and to provide a series of intense short-term learning experiences that assist in acquisition of inner control needed to become independent readers. First-year research efforts in the program focused on construction of a Spanish observation survey and determination of its reliability and validity. For the study, data were collected on 144 first-graders who were ethnically Mexican-American and dominant Spanish-speaking; all were learning to read in Spanish. Data collection included administration of the English and Spanish versions of a language assessment scale, of a standardized Spanish reading achievement test, and of the Spanish version of the observation instrument designed for the program. Results established the survey instrument as reliable and valid for Mexican-American students in the study. Further, results compared favorably with validity and reliability of the English survey version. Further research on the instrument's use with other regional or dialectal populations is recommended.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Elementary School Students, Emergent Literacy, English (Second Language)

Language and Language Education: Working Papers of the National Languages Institute of Australia (1991). Language and Language Education: Working Papers of The National Languages Institute of Australia, Volume 1, Number 1. This volume on language issues within Australia contains five research papers: "Patterns of Inter-Cultural Communication in Melbourne Factories: Some Research in Progress" (Michael Clyne); "Developing Proficiency Scales for Communicative Assessment" (D. E. Ingram, Elaine Wylie); "Rapid Profile: A Second Language Screening Procedure" (Alison Mackey, Manfred Pienemann, Ian Thornton); "Language Use in Classrooms in Western Samoan Schools" (Joseph Lo Bianco, Anthony Liddicoat); and "The International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The Speaking Test" (D. E. Ingram). Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Communicative Competence (Languages), Computer Oriented Programs, English (Second Language)

Bermudez, Andrea B.; And Others (1993). Meeting the Needs of the Gifted and Talented Limited English Proficient Student: The UHCL Prototype. The needs of gifted and talented limited English proficient (G/T LEP) students are being poorly met. A University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), Texas, teacher education curriculum designed to train teachers in the identification, placement, and instruction of gifted and talented limited English proficient students (GT/LEPs) is discussed. As background material, information in four related areas is presented, including: (1) a review of research on these topics; (2) survey results concerning common GT/LEP assessment and instructional practices in states with high Hispanic-American populations; (3) characteristics of Hispanic GT/LEPs as perceived by the community, based on a survey; and (4) results of a study to establish national consensus about instructional objectives of an exemplary GT/LEP program. Finally, a set of five 3-hour instructional modules and additional coursework developed for GT/LEP teacher training are described briefly. The course description, prerequisites, and objectives for four UHCL courses are appended. These include courses in teaching and parenting gifted children and young adults, curriculum development for the gifted, creativity and productivity, and counseling the gifted.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Counseling Services, Course Descriptions, Creativity

Orloff, Patricia; And Others (1993). Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities: Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination. Volume I: The Mount Pleasant Report. Civil rights issues affecting the Latino community in Washington (District of Columbia) were explored in a 3-day fact-finding hearing involving the sworn testimony of more than 100 witnesses. Information from extensive field investigation and research was also included. The District's Latino population is a small but rapidly increasing minority group that is predominantly low skilled, poor, and in need of social services. Most are either undocumented immigrants or Salvadorans. Police community relations are strained in part due to the District's Civilian Complaint Review Board's inability to investigate and process citizen complaints of police misconduct. In addition, Latinos entering the District court system face severe disadvantages due to ignorance and language barriers.  Despite Latino pressure to increase the number of Latinos in the city government, the number of Hispanics in government is proportionately low. Language and cultural barriers limit access to health and social services for Latino residents. Further inadequate low-income housing and lack of educational services are major problems for inner city Latinos. Barriers to educational opportunity such as insufficient bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language programs; unequal immigrant access to public schools, especially for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students; the resort to corporal punishment by frustrated teachers; problems connected with Latino eligibility for in-state tuition; and communication problems among parents, teachers, and school administrators are considered. A pattern of police misconduct, government resistance to hiring Hispanics, and failure to address bilingual service needs exist. The report includes dissenting views by Commissioner Carl A. Anderson, a police department response to the report, and correspondence.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Civil Rights, Economically Disadvantaged, Educational Discrimination

Sierra, Josu; Olaziregi, Ibon (1991). EIFE 3: Influence of Factors on the Learning of Basque. Study of the Models A, B, and D in Second Year Basic General Education. Glotodidaktika-Lanak 36. This study on Basque language learning is part of a project investigating alternative curriculum designs to promote native language maintenance in the Basque Country of Spain. This study, similar in design to an earlier study, measured the level of Basque and Spanish of second-graders (n=1,196 from 301 classrooms) in three program models (Basque taught as a second language–Model A, Spanish-Basque bilingual–Model B, and instruction primarily in Basque–Model D) in 1988; studied factors influencing the learning of the languages; compared the new data with that of 1983-84; and examined the bilingual model. The study focused on the influence of students' home language (Spanish or Basque) and other social and demographic factors on the educational model.   [More]  Descriptors: Basque, Bilingual Education, Comparative Analysis, Curriculum Design

Sierra, J.; Olaziregi, I. (1989). EIFE 2: Influence of Factors on the Learning of Basque. Study of the Models A, B, and D in Fifth Year Basic General Education. Glotodidaktika-Lanak 33. This study on Basque language learning is part of a project investigating alternative curriculum designs to promote native language maintenance in the Basque Country of Spain. This study measured the level of Basque and Spanish of fifth-graders (n=586 divided among 167 classrooms) in three program models (Basque taught as a second language–Model A, Spanish-Basque bilingual–Model B, and instruction primarily in Basque–Model D) in 1987; studied factors influencing the learning of the languages; compared the new data with that of 1983-84; and examined the bilingual model in greater depth.   [More]  Descriptors: Basque, Bilingual Education, Comparative Analysis, Curriculum Design