A study was undertaken to develop an innovative model for introducing elementary school children to the critical, less commonly taught languages of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean by using international parents as teachers. A three-step plan was implemented over the period of a school year: (1) native speakers who were doctoral students in language…

This digest examines criticism of bilingual education and its effect on public opinion, discusses the rationale underlying good bilingual education programs, and summarizes research findings that reveal programs' effectiveness. Quality bilingual education provides students with knowledge and literacy in their first language, which indirectly but…

Adult education programs must increasingly serve non-native speakers of English, many of whom are neither literate in their native language nor in English. It is suggested that first language literacy promotes second language acquisition and that literacy skills in the native language are likely to transfer to the second language. This digest…

This Digest focuses on the teaching of Spanish to U.S. Hispanic bilinguals at the university level. Traditionally, Spanish has been taught as a second or foreign language in the United States, and little attention has been given to developing and coordinating well designed and carefully articulated programs for Hispanic bilingual students of…

This paper provides a framework in which the library profession can view the role of its international clientele, usually foreign-born students, in American society as a whole, before discussing specific ways to improve library services to meet these students' needs. International students are frequently hampered in their uses of the library, not…

The primary focus of this book is the Lao, the principal ethnic group of Laos, who form about one-half of the population of that country. Chapter 1 of the book outlines the recent history of Laos and the Laotians. Chapter 2 describes education in Laos up to 1975, schooling in Thai refugee camps, and problems encountered by Lao refugees in American…

Two-way language development programs are full-time programs that use two languages, one of which is English, for the purpose of instruction. Ideally, these programs are composed of elementary or secondary students half of whom are native speakers of English and the other half of whom are native speakers of the other language of instruction.…

A handlettered collection of approximately 220 commonly-used expressions and sentences in the language of the Yurok Indians of northwestern California includes common English equivalents as well as word-for-word translations. (LFL)

A Norwegian study of the effectiveness of teaching young children to read and write using their vernacular as the medium of instruction is reported. In 1980-81 and 1981-82, ten classes of beginning primary students were given all initial instruction in reading and writing in the vernacular. Because no language standardization occurs in the…

In many Inupiat communities the traditional meeting house, the "qargi," was the first institution to vanish as churches and schools became the dominant forces of change. At present, the Inupiat elders have no responsibility for the formal education of the young Inupiat. The educational environment of each Inupiat community can be altered…

Project BECA, in its first year of funding, provided instruction in English as a second language and native language development, and bilingual instruction in mathematics, science, history, economics, industrial arts, recording keeping, typing, and bookkeeping to approximately 290 Spanish-speaking students in grades 9 through 12 at a high school…

This report evaluates Project HOLA, in its first year of funding, which provides instruction in English as a second language, Spanish language skills, and bilingual instruction in mathematics, science, and social studies to approximately 230 students in a high school in Bronx, New York. The report examines the project's long- and short-range…

A checklist is presented for the evaluation of an elementary-level bilingual program for Spanish speakers. Questions for check-off cover classroom organization, teacher behavior, specifics of English and Spanish instruction, home culture instruction, teaching methods, and reclassification criteria. It is maintained that a positive response to each…

The phenomenon of "invented spelling" in young children, observed in many preschool age children who produce written messages using words that are generated through an original system of orthography, was researched with Spanish-speaking children. The following conclusions were made from previous research with English-speaking children concerning…

This checklist identifies materials currently available in language arts and reading for Korean/English bilingual programs in grades K-6. The compilation is intended as a guide for the development of diagnostic tests, for the selection of Korean materials for use by local school districts, and for the development of curricula in Korean language…