In this two-year ethnographic study, we explored engineering teaching and learning in fourth-grade, dual language (DL) classrooms. We discuss the biliterate disciplinary practices in these classrooms, examining data (field notes, interviews, artifacts, audio, and video recordings) gathered at a school on the US-Mexico border. Our purpose is to…

Emergent bilinguals' engagement and participation with learning is closely connected to the identities they are able to construct in this learning. In this paper, I present a model for understanding how young emergent bilinguals begin to construct identities with language and learning across school-based activities. Drawing upon Holland,…

In this article we report findings from research through the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE), a National Research and Development Center. In our study we examined the efficacy of a model of instruction for English learners, the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP)…

In this article, we draw from cultural historical theory to examine the assimilationist forces embodied by English as a Second Language (ESOL) identification and programming practices in and outside of Georgia. We argue that the categorization of Spanish-speaking schoolchildren as Limited English Proficient is an extension of historical…

This study examined the English Learner (EL) teacher knowledge base from three perspectives: (a) competencies the current literature recommends that "all teachers" need know and use for teaching English learners in their content classes, (b) competencies the current literature recommends "secondary teachers" of English learners need to know and…

Evaluation of the validity of the Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory with limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in grades 2-7 found that nondisabled LEP students were over-identified as having intrinsic processing deficits. Examination of individual student protocols highlighted the need to train teacher-raters in language acquisition…

Analysis of a dataset of 38,887 Spanish-speaking children aged 4-6 who took the Pre-Language Assessment Scales Espanol indicates serious concerns with test validity. The "non-non" label--nonverbal in both Spanish and English--may be an artifact of poor assessment. Policies requiring routine oral native-language assessment of…

In a primary English immersion class in California, a teacher resisted Proposition 227's mandated English immersion and the school's linguistic hegemony by blending English and Spanish during reading and writing activities. Hybrid literacy practices facilitated successful literacy acquisition in two languages for many students but did not meet the…

Learning styles were investigated for 857 English-learners of Armenian, Hmong, Korean, Mexican, and Vietnamese origin in 20 California high schools. All ethnic groups indicated major or minor preferences for kinesthetic/tactile and visual learning styles. Groups differed in preferences for group versus individual learning. Some preferences were…

Introduces this special volume that seeks to provide insiders' reflective views of a wide range of bilingual education programs, with the aim of catalyzing dialog and reform. Provides demographic background on speakers of minority languages in the United States and in schools, and on needs and problems related to the education of…

With the advent of George W. Bush's education policy, emphasizing the frequent large-scale assessment of children in American public schools, it has become even more important than ever before to examine the fairness of the testing process and instruments being used to make decisions about children and their schools. When the children being…

A descriptive study addressed student attrition in two Title VII Bilingual Education Career Ladder Programs for Hmong paraprofessionals and traditional-age college students working toward teacher certification in Wisconsin. Surveys showed that dropouts were disproportionately male and nontraditional students; factors included financial problems,…

Suggests abandoning the inequitable practice of requiring language-minority and international students to demonstrate English proficiency before pursuing a U.S. college degree. Proposes a model that incorporates multilingual student recruitment, use of sheltered techniques and supported academic instruction, English for academic purposes (rather…

The involvement of culturally and linguistically diverse parents is critical to meeting the unique educational needs of their children. The main points discussed are effective communication, comfort level of parents, barriers between school and parents, and parental literacy. The goal is ultimately to involve these parents in educational decision…

Traces the Bilingual Education Act's (BEA) evolution from its inception (1968) through its most recent reauthorization (1994) as the primary federal legislative effort to provide equal educational opportunity to language minorities. Discusses assimilation versus multiculturalism as a philosophical basis for education reforms, litigation preceding…