Preservice teachers in Spain showed clear support for the theoretical principles of bilingual education, but less support for its practical implementation. (Author/VWL)

Argues that parents, especially mothers, are the best teachers for preschoolers, but suggests that the establishment opposes the teaching of preschoolers. The need for progression in language learning beginning at home in the preschool years and continuing and building in the elementary grades, in high school, and in college is stressed. (GLR)

Consideration of literacy practices that ensure success for young second-language learners has become crucial for educators, given the growing linguistic diversity in an ever-increasing number of regions, the limited resources of school systems, and the swirling public debate on bilingual education. This article explores principles regarding…

The Indigenous languages of southeast Australia have often been written off as a hopeless cause in current debates about language revitalization. In this paper we question this pessimism and report on some of the progress that has been made in recent years. It will be shown that revitalization is not only possible but contributes to the strength…

Promising practices in the adult English-as-a-Second-Language literacy field that were observed by researchers during site visits are described in this digest. These innovative programs provide a social context for literacy, allow learning through hands on experience, and use learner-generated materials. Some programs may use the native language…

This newsletter reports on a project concerning the linguistic development of immigrant children in Sweden in upper secondary school. The project is part of an extensive program on immigrant children's schooling and attainment of bilingualism conducted by the SPRINS Group at the University of Goteborg (SPRINS in Swedish represents "linguistic…

This article systematically reviews research on elementary reading programs for English language learners and other language minority students. It focuses on studies that compared experimental and control groups on quantitative reading measures. Among beginning reading models, research supported structured, phonetic programs emphasizing language…

This teacher's guide is intended for the instruction of both French as a first language and French as a second language in an immersion setting. It provides a host of strategies for teaching reading skills in the classroom in Grades 6 through 12. The first section is designed to bring the teacher's awareness to the training procedure. It discusses…

This teacher's guide, intended for the instruction of both French as a first language and French as a second language in an immersion setting, provides a host of strategies for teaching reading skills in the classroom (Grades 1 through 7). Section 1 is designed to bring the teacher's awareness to the training procedure, discussing the motivation…

This review of research considers how best to teach English-language learners. A realistic appraisal of the empirical database indicates that research findings have failed to provide answers to questions about the importance of native language instruction and the best age and best methods for introducing academic instruction in English. The review…

Purpose: This article addresses a series of questions that are critical to planning and implementing effective intervention programs for young linguistically diverse learners with primary language impairment (LI). Linguistically diverse learners in the United States include children whose families speak languages such as Spanish, Korean,…

For decades bilingual education in the United States has faced political adversity to varying degrees. Having survived several waves of English-only activism since the late 1970s, these programs seem unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Research has increasingly demonstrated their superiority to all-English approaches for educating English-language…

This study investigated the relationships between phonological awareness and reading in Oriya and English. Oriya is the official language of Orissa, an eastern state of India. The writing system is an alphasyllabary. Ninety-nine fifth grade children (mean age 9 years 7 months) were assessed on measures of phonological awareness, word reading and…

This report offers a conceptual model for use with language minority children who are entering a new school when they must acquire the language of the majority student population. The model has four development components or processes: sociocultural, linguistic, academic, and cognitive. These four components are described in detail. Research is…

A bilingual education teacher training packet (student's edition) on theories and research concerning bilingual education, second language acquisition, and communicative competence is presented. A theoretical framework for integrating these theories and a theoretical rationale for bilingual education are also presented. In addition to…