Study of native language maintenance of 10- and 11-year-old children of Lebanese immigrants in Australia found that most could speak but not read or write Lebanese. Lebanese competence depended on subjects' parents' literacy level and interest in language quality, and actual use reflected children's opportunities or necessity to speak Lebanese.…

Among over 600 Arizona students in grades 1-8 in maintenance bilingual programs, fluent Spanish-speaking students outperformed limited-Spanish-speaking students on a measure of Spanish reading, mathematics, social studies, and science achievement; girls achieved higher reading scores than boys; and 16 of 18 grade mean scores were equal to or…

Examines key educational policies and practices that limit opportunities for bilingual education teachers to obtain academic language proficiency in Spanish. Bilingual-education teacher training cannot make up for ground lost by educators who lack prior attainment of math and science Spanish-language skills. Effective Spanish-language competency…

This publication is a framework for the development of local curricula that will integrate principles of second language acquisition with New York State program requirements and the Board of Regent's goals for elementary and secondary education. The syllabus places emphasis on communicative proficiency and the understanding and appreciation of…

Reviews educational research on bilingual education and describes biases present in recent evaluations of bilingual programs. Contrary to assumptions about bilingual programs, recent findings suggest that native-language programs may be very effective. They support a strong foundation in the native language and set the basis for subsequent…

The biennial report to Congress on the implementation of the Title III state formula grant program provides a snapshot of the status of the U.S. Department of Education's efforts to hold states accountable for ensuring that all limited English proficient (LEP) students attain English language proficiency (ELP) and are achieving in the content…

Responds to Dunn's paper on Hispanic-Anglo differences in IQ scores. Argues that vocabulary use influences ethnic group IQ scores, that mainland Hispanic-American vocabulary scores decline after school entrance, and that native language proficiency achieved in a true bilingual program facilitates acquisition of English language skills. Contains 34…

This curriculum for Manitoba's bilingual heritage language instruction program in Ukrainian outlines the objectives, content, and design of instruction of the bilingual program, open to all children regardless of language background. Introductory sections describe the program's rationale, goals, and objectives, and provide notes on program…

Presents and evaluates the arguments and research evidence for and against mother tongue (MT) use in bilingual classrooms. The article endorses the claim that MT use bolsters second- language development, cognitive development, and content learning. Bourke's response focuses on arguments for and against MT use, recent research on MT use, and…

Discusses Krashen's monitor model and input hypothesis of language acquisition, focusing on the implications of this hypothesis among Hispanic bilinguals in an English speaking-teaching-reading-problem-solving environment. The hypothesis maintains that individuals acquire more language only when they are exposed to comprehensible input that is a…

In response to concern about the French language proficiency of teachers of French as a first or second language in Canada, a test of communicative competence designed for teacher selection and evaluation was developed. The rationale for, development of, and response to the test are discussed. (MSE)

Describes a project where children follow the natural progression of becoming literate in their native language (Spanish) before developing literacy in the language of the school. Demonstrates the manner in which social interaction is part of literacy acquisition at the early stages. (MG)

This paper reports on a study of 31 Japanese-American adolescents enrolled in a Saturday Japanese heritage school (JHL) in Los Angeles. The study examined the relationship of the participants' sense of ethnic identity, attitudes toward the JHL school and self-assessed proficiency in Japanese. The major finding of the study, consistent with…

The present study examines the role of a Vietnamese heritage language school in cross-cultural adaptation, as operationalised by the confluence of two independent variables, language competence and integrated cultural identity. To characterise the students' language competencies and degree of integrated cultural identities, interview…

Research in second language acquisition and reading in particular indicate that certain literacy skills transfer across languages. This study examines the reading strategies used by advanced Korean and Chinese ESL learners. Particular attention is devoted to how word recognition and processing skills developed in learners' native languages (L1)…