Immigrants bring a wide variety of skills that favor the market productivity and add to the economic life of the country. They contribute to the development of the U.S. economy through the skills they bring to the market (cognitive skills such as abstract thinking, non-cognitive skills such as motivation and initiative, and specific skills such as…

This paper first considers what it means to become truly proficient in a language other than the native one. It then looks briefly at the evolution of dual language programs. Next, it focuses on the issue of whether the first language (L1) or the second language (L2) serves as the language of mediation. Other dual language program issues are then…

In 1966, the Singapore Government implemented the English-knowing bilingual policy which made it mandatory for all Chinese students to study English as a "First Language" and the Chinese language (CL) as a "Mother Tongue Language" in Singapore schools. Using key literature relevant to Singapore's bilingual educational policy…

This article explores the impact of language policy issues on program development and management at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Language Center. Based on the analysis of the language policy approach of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, the article reflects both current practices and policy elements with the help of the…

Millions of adults in the U.S. report that they speak limited English, and English language ability appears linked to multiple dimensions of adult life, such as civic participation and workforce participation and mobility. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined: (1) the trends in the need for and enrollment in federally funded…

This paper explores the difficulties of finding an appropriate theoretical framework for a doctoral dissertation examining revenue-generating language programs at post-secondary institutions. It briefly examines the history of language programs in higher education in the developed English-speaking world and the current situation of many…

Vocational educational programs for adults with limited English-speaking (LES) ability were surveyed and evaluated. The survey facilitated a profile of the status of bilingual vocational training, of the target group and trainee characteristics, of varieties of program design and operation, of instructional practices in English as a second…

A review of prevailing patterns of sponsorship of college and university English as a second language (ESL) programs indicates that in community colleges, they tend to be housed in English departments. In four-year institutions they are generally in semi-autonomous units or institutes. The argument for departmental sponsorship is based on data…

Describes the inception and development of an Ethiopian refugee English program in Cairo, Egypt. The following topics are addressed: (1) background; (2) teachers; (3) program; (4) classes; (5) materials; (6) content; and (7) day-to-day administration. An essay on "refugeehood" by a program participant is included. (BJV)

An educational program developed for adults as part of a larger resettlement operation for Cuban refugees seeking asylum in the United States and based at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania is described and evaluated. Evaluative measures indicated that the program was more successful than anticipated, with substantial upward movement through tested…

It is proposed that the training of teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) who anticipate long careers in the field should include a program management training component in addition to traditional pedagogical components. In this approach, management of an ESL program is conceptualized as human resource management, including physical…

The rationale and process for creating a credit-bearing intensive English program (IEP) at Utah State University, a land-grant institution with about 1,000 foreign students, are described. The program evolved from an intensive English language institute whose proficiency-granting process became tedious for staff and administrators. As a result,…

A discussion of innovation in college and university intensive English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs uses a systems approach to analyze program elements (constituencies, decision-makers, purpose, performance measures, environments, resources, subsystems, and boundaries) and describes new program initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.…

In its final year of funding, Project COPE provided instruction in basic skills and career development to 388 students of limited English proficiency (LEP) in grades 9 through 12 at three sites in Brooklyn and the Bronx: 150 Hispanics at John F. Kennedy High School, 150 Haitians at Prospect Heights High School, and 88 Italians at Christopher…

The annual evaluation of a Texas regional resource center is presented. The center provides training and technical assistance for school district personnel participating in programs for limited English proficient (LEP) students. Federally funded and housed in the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, it serves 800 school districts with a…