Two considerations are brought to bear on the reading approach presented here. First, because the major focus in a teaching method designed for use with bilingual education students is to increase both language facility and reading ability, the approach is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to read, use, and listen to a standard…

A study of Spanish-speaking children in the first and third grade showed that English proficiency was least fostered by reading instruction in Spanish only, followed by bilingual instruction, with those students receiving instruction in English only becoming most proficient but still far less so than their English-speaking peers. Besides…

Since 1984 the Navajo Nation has mandated instruction in Navajo language and culture in K-12 schools within its boundaries. In 1998-99, a survey and follow-up interviews with 48 individuals in 20 Navajo communities examined community attitudes and beliefs about the value of Navajo language and culture studies and the extent to which the schools…

The acquisition of English and Spanish was examined among 298 Mexican-American students who were limited-English-proficient at the start of kindergarten and who participated in maintenance bilingual programs in grades K-3. Oral proficiency in both languages increased for both boys and girls and across groups that had differed in early Spanish…

This paper analyzes the process of intergenerational language shift from a sociolinguistic perspective and proposes a pedagogical model for expanding the stylistic range of heritage learners, targeting the development of writing proficiency. The model proposes that the curriculum should be organized so that students initially draw on their…

This study investigates the problem-solving strategies that second-language students from different educational backgrounds bring with them to an academic writing task. Three students who participated in this study are discussed in this report: one student who experienced uninterrupted education in her native language, completing high school in…

In this evaluation of The Latin American Literacy Project, eight major recommendations are made based on firsthand observations of the project, discussions with staff and students, the evaluation of new program implementations, the interpretation of results from language proficiency and achievement tests, and the analysis of extensive video…

The majority of indigenous U.S. languages are no longer learned at home, and the last generation of native speakers are aging. There are increasingly strong efforts by communities to keep their languages alive by developing teaching programs in their schools and communities, although finding teachers is problematic. This paper focuses on how…

Among 187 Arizona Mexican-American children with limited proficiency in both Spanish and English, participation in a maintenance bilingual education program during grades K-2 produced significant gains in oral language acquisition for both languages. Students with the lowest proficiency scores in kindergarten showed the greatest gains. (SV)

This curriculum guide outlines a program designed for Cree high school students in Alberta, Canada to study their Native language and culture. The curriculum is also appropriate for non-Native students. The first part of the guide, concerning philosophy and rationale, discusses the history of the Cree language and culture, stressing the importance…

This curriculum guide outlines a program designed for Blackfoot students to study their Native language and culture. The curriculum is also appropriate for non-Native students. The guide outlines general learner expectations, including: (1) acquiring basic communication skills in the Blackfoot language; (2) developing cultural sensitivity and…

This curriculum guide outlines a program designed for Blackfoot high school students in Alberta, Canada to study their Native language and culture. The curriculum is also appropriate for non-Native students. The guide discusses the history of the Blackfoot language and culture, stressing the preservation of Native culture through language. The…

This digest focuses on teaching Spanish to native or Hispanic heritage language students in the United States. Heritage language students are students who speak another language (in this case Spanish) as their first language either because they were born in another country or because their families speak another language at home. The entrance of…

Defines United States bilingual education, why it is needed along with bicultural education, its advantages, why the Supreme Court did not require it, why it does not hinder English proficiency, the distinction between language grouping and segregation, why the research is inconclusive, and why Quebec's problems will not be encountered here. (LC)

The Los Angeles Unified School District's bilingual education program provides elementary school limited-English-proficient (LEP) students with full bilingual classroom programs and individual learning programs, based on LEP population. The program also provides secondary school students with instruction in English as a Second Language and…