Dual language education refers to schooling in which content is delivered in two languages; many dual language programs propose to be vehicles of social justice and transformation because they allow emergent bilingual learners to access at least 50% of the content in a language they understand well. The purpose of this "Equity Tool" is…

Schools are required by the U.S. Constitution, federal and state legislation, and court rulings to ensure equity and excellent education for emergent bilingual students. This literature reviews those policies, related funding and the history of poor quality of instruction provided to these learners. It also describes the research on bilingual…

Research increasingly highlights the significant benefits of multilingual instructional programs for English Learners. Yet, these programs remain relatively rare across California. Regional and local practitioners play an essential role in driving meaningful change by implementing strategies that enhance these programs--ultimately improving the…

Teacher education programs are responsible for preparing science teachers for today's culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, which includes preparing them to support students' science learning and language development. Given the rapid growth in linguistic diversity across the country, science teacher preparation for English learners,…

This study investigated structural features of a newcomer program housed within a comprehensive high school and language practices among newcomer students and their teachers. Findings indicate efforts to provide newcomer students with "safe spaces," opportunities for language and literacy development in English and Spanish, and access to…

The National Association for the Education of Young Children and Head Start have clearly articulated their position on the provision of high-quality instruction for the 4 million dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in early childhood (EC) programs nationwide. Professional development (PD) provides a way for educators to increase their knowledge…

This article reports on the results of a questionnaire and interview survey on Cantonese ESL learners' preference for bilingualised dictionaries or monolingual dictionaries. The questionnaire survey was implemented with about 160 university English majors in Hong Kong and three focus group interviews were conducted with 14 of these participants.…

The preparation of culturally and linguistically responsive special educators requires planning, substantive collaboration, and valuing the perspectives of underrepresented groups. This article describes restructuring efforts of one special education preparation program that included coursework and field-based experiences designed to enhance…

The social nature of language learning and development has been widely acknowledged, as has the importance of family relationships in language learning processes. The role that the first language plays in the literacy development of English language learners (ELLs) and their families is irrefutable. Advocates of family literacy programs have…

What do parents, administrators, teachers and trustees really think about immersion programs? (Editor)

The bilingual is an individual who straddles and/or links, to a greater or lesser degree, two or more languages and cultures. The degree of language and cultural dominance can vary from individual to individual, and bilingual programs must take this variety into consideration. This paper considers some of the varying degrees of bilingual…

The number of languages spoken throughout the world is estimated to be 6,000. Although a small number of languages serve as important link languages or languages of wider communication around the world, these are very often spoken as second, third, fourth, or later-acquired languages. Fewer than 25% of the world's approximately 200 countries…

The conference papers presented here are grouped under the six topics around which the conference was organized. The section on program goals and models for bilingual education contains papers by Joshua Fishman, Salomon Nahmad, John C. Molina, Alberto Escobar, G. Kent Gooderham, and Dillon Platero. The section on teaching the second language…

A discussion of the cognitive development of bilingual children and its implications for early childhood education for this population begins with a review of recent research on bilingual development. It looks at the forms and results of research projects on dual language acquisition processes, the interactive influence of multiple language…

Little data are available concerning the native languages of Scandinavian residents, other than the official languages, despite the linguistic diversity of the region. Foreign language teaching starts early in schooling, but there has been little study of actual language needs. Three basic program designs are available for teaching foreign…