This document, published by the Office of Refugee Services, Department of Social Services, describes a study of the cultural conflicts and other difficulties experienced by Indochinese children and their families during their assimilation into the North American culture. Following an introductory overview of the study's objectives and methodology,…

This is the report of a study in which the needs of Nebraska Indochinese refugees were assessed by in-person interviews in 115 households representing 30% of the Indochinese households in the State. These households included five ethnic groups (ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians, and Hmong) and were representatives of the…

Offers a fictionalized account of the development, within an elementary school, of four distinctive schools-within-schools. Questions and issues arising in developing such programs are discussed; the theme of each of these four is described, and advantages that staff find in the arrangement are presented. (Author/JB)

In the St. Paul, Minnesota public schools, "pullout" teaching is frowned upon. Instead, "collaboration" is the favored method when it comes to teaching English-language learners. For three of the past four years, the district has made adequate yearly progress for its English-language learners under the federal No Child Left…

This study evaluated the adaptation and adjustment processes of 28 Khmer children (aged 10 to 15 years) in the Boston (Massachusetts) area in a summer school setting provided by the Metropolitan Indochinese Children and Adolescent Services (MICAS). Using the Children's Acculturation Problem Index and the Children's Alienation Scale, supplemented…

The social practices described and analyzed in this report are based on a 2-year ethnographic study conducted in San Francisco and Sacramento (California) in neighborhoods that are home to five new immigrant groups: (1) Mexicans, (2) Chinese, (3) Vietnamese, (4) Mien (Lao), and (5) undocumented refugees from El Salvador. Interviews with more than…

In this article, I draw on poststructuralist work on "citationality" to elucidate an urban high school's student culture and intervention efforts with regard to LGBQ issues. I contend that the language, ideas and practices of LGBQ issues and awareness among students and staff "cite" or draw on broader (and often competing) discourses of normalcy,…

This paper evaluates the Seattle (Washington) School District's 5-year Bilingual Resource Service Model project. The project aimed to improve bilingual education services for elementary limited English proficient students of Chinese, Laotian/Hmong/Mien, Vietnamese, or Cambodian native language backgrounds by increasing the instructional…

The myth of Asians as "the model minority" may hide the instructional needs of Asians and mislead policymakers. There is growing concern that Asians' low verbal scores are masked by their higher than average math scores and high school grade point averages. Principals and key staff at 12 (out of 20) schools identified as having…

The Immigrant and Refugee Planning Center conducted a survey to determine the progress of Indochinese refugee resettlement in Orange County, California, in 1983-84 and to compare it with that reported in a similar survey conducted in 1981. As in 1981, the results of interviews with employers, residents, and refugees were compiled in four critical…

Designed to provide a historically accurate look at contemporary political refugees in Nebraska, this teacher's guide traces the life of the Martinez family from their native home in Latin America, through their difficult journey to the United States, to their settlement in Omaha, Nebraska. By focusing on a fictitious family representative of…

This collection of essays focuses on issues in bilingual education. First, Elizabeth Flynn examines different kinds of bilingual programs; efforts made towards cultural pluralism in a number of countries; national benefits to be derived from bilingualism; the needs of American ethnic groups, new immigrants, and foreign students; and the pros and…

Late-arriving Laotian refugees to the United States who are Yao Tribal mountain people face complex problems in adapting in Western culture and therefore pose perplexing problems for adult educators. Some of the dramatic adjustment difficulties center around the following areas of concern: (1) health and sanitation (normal body functions,…

This study examined how journal writing could improve language minority students' language acquisition. Participants were Serbo-Croatian and Laotian second and third graders from two elementary schools. Initial student surveys and writing assignments, conducted in September to document the problem, found that students lacked writing skills,…

A handbook for those involved in Southeast Asian refugee assistance discusses some of the values and customs that refugee groups from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam may have in common and looks at the different countries and peoples of the region. A section on the shared values and customs of Indochinese refugees focuses on aspects of family life,…