We report on the service-learning component of a Spanish-language Saturday school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for elementary-aged Spanish-language heritage learners and also examine the newly forming Latino community served by this innovative program. The US Spanish-speaking population is growing throughout the country, resulting in greatly increased…

This article reports the results of an investigation into current Spanish heritage language (SHL) course offerings and their content in 4-year public and private universities in the American Southwest. Prior research has indicated that the number of language departments in the United States offering SHL courses remains small (18 and 17.8%,…

This article presents a critical analysis of language ideologies in the instructional discourse of Spanish for heritage speakers in the United States. We focus on the discourse present in prefaces and introductions to Spanish for heritage speakers textbooks published between 1970 and 2000. Whereas previous research on language ideologies in…

Reviews a book that provides an understanding of the lives of individuals living in two cultural worlds, while at the same time defusing misinformation and skepticism concerning bilingual approaches to education. The book offers many theoretical and practical classroom suggestions as it advocates strengthening first-language literacy in order to…

Although more money is being spent on bilingual education, legislators are becoming increasingly hostile to programs that use languages other than English. Underachievement of primarily Hispanic students is widely seen as a failure of bilingual education, despite evidence suggesting that other, largely socioeconomic factors play a significant…

Testimony offered to the United States Department of Education focuses on the need to legitimize the value of adult biliteracy, particularly among the Hispanic population. Using the demography of Lawrence, Massachusetts as an example, it is suggested that English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction alone will not lower the language barrier…

During the 1984-85 school year, the Biliteracy Skills Development Program at George Washington High School (New York City) served 283 Hispanic students of limited English proficiency (LEP). The aim of the program, which used a mini-school design, was to enable students to develop oral proficiency in English and literacy skills in both Spanish and…

In 1984-85, Project HOLA was in its second year of funding at William H. Taft High School in the Bronx, New York. HOLA serves Spanish-speaking students of limited English proficiency (LEP). Project goals include speedy acquisition of English skills, orientation to life in America, maintenance and improvement of Spanish skills and cultural…

Reading materials by Spanish-speaking Americans, which constitute curricular materials for secondary school and college ethnic studies programs, are presented. The selection includes five stories and a poem in Spanish and an essay and autobiographical narrative in English. The writers of the materials represent the following areas: Columbia,…

Rapid demographic changes and an increasing recognition of the critical need for professionals who are proficient in languages other than English have led to an interest in developing language programs and classes for "heritage language learners" students who are raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken and who speak or at…

In 1984-85, Project BLAST provided English as a second language (ESL), native language arts, and bilingual instruction in social studies, mathematics, and science to 275 students of limited English proficiency (LEP) at Walton High School in the Bronx, New York. An important feature of the program is its emphasis on career orientation, the…

The teaching of Spanish to Hispanic bilingual college students, viewed as a distinct field within language education, is growing. It calls for greater emphasis on planning, coordination, and integration of what has developed into an interdisciplinary research area that touches on both first and second language acquisition paradigms, bilingualism,…

Recent findings on the academic achievement of Hispanic students are digested in this paper. Data are derived from the study, "Make Something Happen," which was conducted by the National Commission on Secondary Education for Hispanics, and presents comprehensive findings on Hispanic education drawn from a special analysis of the Hispanic…

Liberty High School (New York City) enrolls newly arrived immigrant students with limited formal schooling. Its Spanish Dual Language Literacy Program focuses on teaching content areas in Spanish while developing literacy skills in both languages. Discusses provision of both academic and social support, experiential investigations of the city,…

In its fifth year, the Hispanic Orientation to Life in America Project (Project HOLA) served 472 Spanish-speaking students of limited English proficiency. The aim of the program was to help students develop English language skills, enter mainstream classes, and understand Spanish and American culture. The program provided instruction in English as…