A qualitative study was conducted to understand how building-level and world language department leaders characterize and respond to underperforming world language teachers, and how such leaders work together as a team to address this problem. Ten such leaders from Long Island, New York were interviewed as matched pairs and their responses were…

In her paper, Burke questions whether top-down proficiency mandates will positively impact teacher practice. Her main argument is the following: The requirement that foreign language (FL) teachers demonstrate an advanced level of proficiency does not guarantee that they will be more effective K-12 FL teachers; on this point, the author agrees with…

The purpose of the study was to conduct a comprehensive review of the research and best practices of exemplary elementary school World Language and Culture Programs. Specifically, (1) to assess the degree to which various program designs had most closely met the measurable goals of the American Council of Teachers of a Foreign Language, commonly…

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) contracted with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. and edCount, LLC, to complete a study titled Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs): Lessons From the Research and Profiles of Promising Programs. This study includes a review of the foundational literature related to LIEPs, case studies…

This study is an ethnographic account of the brief career of an Argentine former engineer without pedagogical experience who was hired as a middle school Spanish teacher in a small, conservative community in the northeastern United States. The focus of the case study is on how his attempts to become a teacher on the job both affected his own…

Suggests that second language programs are set up to meet the needs of language teachers, rather than learners, which accounts for the widespread failure rate among students learning a second language. (EKN)

This paper provides an overview of U.S. Department of Education programs authorized and funded under federal law. It includes information as well on the laboratories, centers, and other facilities funded by the Department that provide important resources for education. Each entry, which gives a brief overview of a program or resource, is listed…

Semistructured interviews in 11 schools questioning headteachers about their concerns about modern language teaching policy provided the following: Quality of teaching crucial; continuance of one foreign language rather than another is attributed to ability, industry, and enthusiasm of teacher. Emphasizes that young entrants to the teaching…

Articulation remains a significant problem in language education as in education in general. The particular concern is that articulation is targeted toward programs and not toward learners. Specific language teaching methods, and use of more-uniform teaching materials and testing have been used to cope with the problem. However, a broader…

This handbook aids the foreign language teacher in conducting a reappraisal of her/his foreign language program. Section one discusses the formulation of a philosophy of foreign language education and a rationale for including foreign languages in the curriculum. Section two helps the teacher recognize expected student outcomes for particpation in…

FLES comprehension tests, administered by television to a large group of elementary school students in a televised French course in Pennsylvania, are outlines in terms of testing methods and skills measured. Skills tested include (1) comprehension of phrases and words in context, simple stories, numbers, dates, times of day, (2) identification and…

This report presents recommendations to the chief executive officers (CEOs) of over 90 of California's major corporations to strengthen and redesign the state's public elementary and secondary schools. The recommendations build on the current system and on reforms already underway. Although the recommendations are fairly comprehensive, they do not…

This book provides ways for English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language (ESL/EFL) teachers to work on the development of their teaching beliefs and classroom practices through a process of self-assessment and exploration with new methods. This book seeks to help teachers become more effective in their efforts to teach their students to comprehend spoken…

This handbook provides guidelines and forms for evaluating second language teachers' performance and second language programs. The first section, which addresses the supervision and evaluation of language teachers, outlines basic principles (supervisory goals, evaluator attitudes, supervisory visits, and follow-up conferences), gives instructions…