This report reviews recent initiatives to improve family-school collaboration and communication. The six articles are: (1) "Schools, Families, and Students Get Stronger When Parents and Teachers Take Collaboration into Their Own Hands," which highlights parent-teacher action research projects at eight schools through eight case studies; (2)…

A study conducted in a freshman English class in a Taipei (Taiwan) university investigated how peer response groups functioned in their native language (Mandarin Chinese) and English, a second language. Analysis focused on (1) whether there were qualitative differences in the comments students made about peers' writing in the two languages, and…

A study investigated the writing of incipient bilinguals (students who were in the initial process of acquiring a second language). A total of four Chinese-speaking children were chosen for final, in-depth study over a 2-year period at a middle school in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Data included initial interviews and observations,…

Research suggests a widespread perception that language study in higher education is an end in itself, as the preservation of culture. However, in Australia, university second language programs have been designed for practical purposes, and increasing pressure is seen for instruction in languages for special purposes (LSP). The question of whether…

This teaching package describes the education and lifestyle of the Chinese literati, popular from the Ming to the Qing dynasties (1368-1911). It consists of four lesson plans and a teacher's guide to a slide set. The latter illustrates painting formats popular during the late Ming period (1573-1644), hanging scrolls, handscrolls, the album leaf,…

The revised edition of the resource catalog lists nearly 1,000 print and non-print materials for use in Maine schools where close to 7,000 children of linguistic minorities are enrolled. There are 19 sections on these groups or topics: Afghan, Asian and refugee, bilingual education, Chinese, civil rights, Eastern Europe, English as a Second…

The Career Awareness Program (Project CAP) served 244 Chinese-speaking students, most of limited English proficiency, at 2 intermediate schools. The project's aim was to encourage students to stay in school by acquainting them with career opportunities available to high school graduates. Activities included bilingual career awareness classes,…

A listing of San Francisco area cultural resources and opportunities of use to foreign language teachers is presented. Included are the following: museums and galleries, schools, art sources, churches, clubs, cultural centers and organizations, publications and publishing companies, restaurants, food stores and markets, travel and tourism,…

The major goal of Project SPEED (at Fort Hamilton High School, Brooklyn, New York) was dropout prevention. In its first year of operation, 1982-83, the project provided English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, bilingual instruction in basic skills required for graduation, and guidance services to approximately 300 limited English proficient…

Project BABS, in the second of a three year funding cycle, provided career counseling and job internships with business enterprises, in addition to a computerized reading program, to approximately 600 limited English proficient (LEP) students. The students--of Chinese/Vietnamese, Greek, Russian, and Hispanic descent--attended four New York City…

Presented is a collection of 14 conference papers on various aspects of child language acquisition. Papers and authors include: "Language and Psychological Development" (Jean Berko Gleason); "Regression in the Phonological Development of Two Children" (Ken M. Bleile, J. Bruce Tomblin); "Children's Acquisition of the…

Papers on child language development include: "Sentence Frame Effects on Children's Category Judgments" (Alison K. Adams); "Color Similarity in Children's Classifications and Extension of Object Labels" (Dare Baldwin); "Situational Properties of Early Verb Meaning" (Pol Cuvelier); "Similarity, Specificity, and…

American study programs in China were assessed, based on interviews with American undergraduate or graduate students studying or doing research at various China institutions during the 1980-81 academic year and with Chinese administrators from the institutions. Four channels exist through which American students can arrange placement in China:…

In this paper there is a description of and rationale for a cultural orientation for Chinese scientists going abroad for research and further study. The orientation provides (1) knowledge about and awareness of the foreign scientific culture, (2) experience in the foreign scientific culture through simulated events in a foreign language setting,…

The booklet discusses educational problems in China after the 1949 Revolution and describes policies of the Chinese Communist Party to counteract those problems. Examining the educational problems in the context of the sociocultural environment, the booklet identifies major problems as low levels of productivity, limited educational resources, and…