Culturally responsive leadership and instruction have proven beneficial for racially minoritized student populations. Similarly, linguistically minoritized students benefit from a learning environment that values students' experiences and culture. Connections of students' experiences help support learning through meaningful connection to local…

With the inclusion of Special Education Needs (SEN) students in public schools in many countries, there are increasing demands for designing professional development (PD) programs that meet the needs of in-service teachers in inclusive education settings. This paper proposes a framework for creating a PD program for in-service teachers who are…

The focus of this article is on adult literacy in adult basic education (ABE) programs with special emphasis on English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The article intends to highlight several relevant points in ABE ESL literacy instruction. It focuses on (a) the nature of adult learning, (b) the structure of ABE programs, (c) who the…

A review is provided of the clientele, provision of services, and potential growth of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in California's community colleges as a step in the development of a coherent philosophy and practical strategy to meet current and future needs. Section I provides background information on ESL instruction in the…

A shrinking, interdependent world has placed an increasing premium on international competence, an area of national priority for the United States. Five steps are necessary for achieving a certain degree of international competence: (1) wide sectors of American leadership, in both private and public life, must recognize the existence and…

A chair of a university's department of Romance languages and literature addresses the status of two high priorities in the teaching of foreign languages: the integration of linguistics in the "new" curriculum; the continuing development of language teaching approaches in the classroom; and the commitment of foreign language programs in the…

The BISVUX Project was designed to investigate the linguistic knowledge requirements of adults and to determine the best way of catering to those needs (especially the need to speak the language) in teaching and in studies. Because surveys of the perceived needs of participants in Swedish adult high school English courses, adult learning…

The conference papers presented here discuss the need for and means of implementing changes in educational design and emphasis that will recognize the need for Americans to incorporate foreign language and international studies into their education. In addition to the opening address by Richard Berendzen, the following papers are included: (1)…

The limited-English proficient (LEP) population in California is growing, as a result of birth rate and immigration patterns; the minorities with the most limited-English proficient persons--Hispanics and Asians--are growing the most rapidly. Groups with the greatest number of LEP persons typically fall behind the English-speaking majority in…

The development of the University of Rhode Island's International Engineering Program, particularly the German language instruction component, is described. A committee addressed four questions: (1) whether there is tangible evidence that it is desirable for technologists to learn a second language; (2) why engineers avoid foreign language study;…

The paper, prepared as a background paper for a larger project on adult English as a Second Language (ESL), discusses a variety of issues and challenges in improving adult ESL services in the United States. An introductory section offers an overview of demographic and educational factors affecting the education of limited-English-proficient (LEP)…

A study of data on 6,846 adult literacy education students in Pennsylvania gathered information on student characteristics, instructional settings, teaching methods, and program and policy needs. Results indicate that about 34% of the students were Hispanic, 31% were Indochinese, and 21% were from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.…

This document, which was developed for use by the participants in a national staff development videoconference on making sense of the issues in family and adult literacy, contains useful information and resources for literacy program staff who are considering making changes in their literacy programs. The document consists of the following:…

The undergraduate program to train secondary school teachers of English as a foreign language (TEFL) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman is examined. First, the Omani context of language learning is discussed, notably need for English language skills for technological and economic development in a region with limited contact with the West…

A discussion of foreign languages in elementary schools (FLES) includes both historical and current overviews of FLES in the United States and makes recommendations for development of FLES programs. The historical review looks at program design and methods during the 1950s and 1960s and the successes and failures of program types and approaches.…