In Lao People's Democratic Republic, two streams exist in pre-primary education, the standard three-year and a one-year preparatory class called 'Grade Zero system'. This research aims to investigate the introduction of the Grade 0 system, one-year pre-primary class, and its impact on ethnic minority children in rural villages of Lao PDR. The…

Multilingualism in education is encouraged in South Africa, and children are expected to become bilingual and biliterate during the early primary grades. Much focus has been placed on measuring literacy in children's first language, often the medium of instruction (MOI), and English, the language typically used as MOI from fourth grade. However,…

Critical approaches to policy suggest that policy, even in the most apparently democratic polity or institution, codifies and extends the interests of those who disproportionately wield power (Levinson et al., 2009). While many people are involved in conversations and decision-making processes related to the implementation of grade retention or…

Recent reports indicated that English Language Learners (ELLs) comprised about 5 million students who attended school in the United States this past year. The general problem was that male Hispanic ELL students are retained at a higher rate than their male counterparts in many states in the United States. The researcher specifically chose the…

Many English Language Learners (ELLs) migrate to the United States at older ages and administrators must choose a grade in which to place these new entrants as soon as they register for school. In this study, I estimate the effect of grade placement on the short-term academic performance of ELLs who enroll in the Miami-Dade County Public School…

This is the 2011-2012 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The purpose of the report is to: (1) Describe the demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL) in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS); (2) Provide data regarding ELL students'…

Much of the student diversity in U.S. schools reflects increasing numbers of English language learners (ELL). ELL represent a very heterogeneous group in terms of their native language proficiency, educational experiences, access to quality early childhood programs, and immigration experiences. An unfortunate commonality they often share is poor…

This is the 2010-11 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The purpose of the report is to: (1) Describe the demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL) in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS); (2) Provide data regarding ELL…

This study was designed to determine if a relationship exists between student characteristics and the practice of grade retention. Specifically, student characteristics include gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, early birth date, and students who are English Language Learners (ELL). The student sample included 1,187 participants from a large…

This report describes Austin Independent School District English language learner (ELL) students who were more likely to exit the language program within 5 years of 1st-grade enrollment. A summary of student academic performance associated with successful program exit and long-term ELL status is provided.

A significant and growing English learner (EL) population attends public schools in the United States. Evidence suggests they are at a disadvantage when entering school and their achievement lags behind non-EL students. Some educators have promoted full-day kindergarten programs as especially helpful for EL students. We take advantage of the large…

Chris Altman stresses the importance of helping English language learners ascertain the medium they best work with in interpreting information presented in class. Altman reminds us that meaning does not come directly from teachers giving students information, but from students productively making meaning and clarifying understanding through a…

This paper examines whether having school students repeat a year improves their performance, focusing on learning English as a foreign language. It takes students' English examination results from five years from a Chinese-medium school, together with data on their learning styles and learning strategies. Drawing on local cultural and pedagogic…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Enlightened Public Policy and includes: (1) Texas Education Policy: Prospects for 2009 (Albert Cortez); (2) Bilingual Education in…

Part of the Eleventh Annual Report to the Ontario Ministry of Education, this report describes the grade and program location of students who entered kindergarten in Ottawa and Carleton, Ontario in 1974, known as the K-74 cohort. The first section of the report deals with the K-74 cohort; later sections deal with students who joined either early…