Conducted for Arnold Ventures by Abt Associates, the "New Mexico Charter School Study: Findings Report" collates the results of Abt's evaluation of numerous charter schools in the state, several of which employ a whole-school dual language model. The study also created multiple logic models for use by practitioners, policymakers, and…

This brief provides guidance to policymakers and practitioners on the challenges and opportunities of the "dual language immersion" (DLI) model and presents research conducted with teachers and administrators both before and during their first years of implementing new DLI programs in several Indiana school districts. The brief also…

Language teacher education is widely identified as one of the most important areas that needs addressing in order to improve early language instruction, yet research into teacher education for early language teachers remains relatively sparse. This volume responds to this gap by compiling studies with diverse methodological tenets from a wide…

Reviews results of an African immersion program for at-risk middle-school boys based on the premise that a nurturing environment of structure, discipline, and a cultural context will enhance the academic performance and social development. The program is a partnership between Baltimore schools and the Baraka School in Laikipia, Kenya. (MLF)

This paper explores Fred Genesee's Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) as an alternative model for assessing instruction as it affects students' learning in an immersion program. CBA collects information on language while instruction and other activities are taking place, allowing teachers the flexibility to alter teaching strategies to be more…

A study investigated the academic, sociocultural, psychological, and linguistic adaptation of a shy four-year-old native Cantonese-speaking child enrolled in early French immersion in Canada, learning English and French simultaneously. Areas of future research on trilingualism are suggested, and the popular belief that immersion works only for…

Intended for distribution to kindergarten teachers, elementary school principals, school superintendents, Manitoba Department of Education, and provincial libraries and universities, this summary report contains a brief description of the 1985 Manitoba Kindergarten Assessment, and presents assessment findings and related recommendations based on…

The modified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Educational Testing Service (ACTFL/ETS) oral proficiency scale was developed in response to a request from the New Brunswick (Canada) Department of Education for assistance in comparing the results of its French immersion and core programs. Because the existing ACTFL/ETS academic…

British Columbia's first cohort of 58 students to complete their schooling in French immersion graduated from secondary school in June 1985. A survey used student attitude and opinion scales to assess the graduates' attitudes toward various aspects of French language and culture and their self- perceptions of their knowledge of French. A student…

This document is the second of two reports of the findings of the 1991 "Sciences...humaines" Assessment for grades 8 and 10 conducted in Franco-Manitoban schools and in French immersion programs in Manitoba, Canada. The report on the French immersion course is presented in parallel French and English versions, and a separate report, in…

Classroom actions of early French immersion teachers were identified and the teachers' perceptions of their effectiveness were determined. The majority of actions referred to vocabulary instruction management. The need for a distinct teacher preparation program for teaching in a second-language context was found. (Contains 43 references.)…

Results of a February 1983 survey of 96 Canadian school boards concerning French immersion instruction enrollments and program administration are presented. The survey revealed that 69 boards offered French immersion instruction (61 had early immersion, with an elementary level program in every province), 14 offered bilingual education, 23 offered…

Reports on a 3-year study of approximately 100 students through grades 4, 5, and 6 on the impact of a variety of second-language learning options among English-speaking children in francophone Canada. Finds that those options that use early, French-only environments were most effective. (CFR)

Cognitive, behavior, achievement, and English/French speaking skills were correlated with ratings of oral French ability for third-grade francophone and anglophone immersion students. Teacher ratings correlated with achievement and cooperativeness, but independent ratings didn't. Objective evaluation procedures should be developed to minimize the…

An experiment in a grade 2 French immersion program compared performance of a group-taught music lessons totally integrated into classroom instruction and a group not given music instruction. Pre- and post-tests of tonal-rhythmic patterns and form that have commonalities with pronunciation, oral grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension found…