Traces the Bilingual Education Act's (BEA) evolution from its inception (1968) through its most recent reauthorization (1994) as the primary federal legislative effort to provide equal educational opportunity to language minorities. Discusses assimilation versus multiculturalism as a philosophical basis for education reforms, litigation preceding…

Describes the Bilingual Integrated Curriculum Project (BICOMP), an approach to multicultural science education that uses activities that minority communities are familiar with and feel comfortable with as the basis for teaching English and grade-level concepts as parents share traditional knowledge and primary language skills. Examples illustrate…

Argues for need to move beyond model of "parental" involvement in reading, which presently informs home/school reading programmes for linguistic-minority children in UK. First examines literature informing current model showing marked absence of studies on role played by siblings as mediators of literacy in new linguistic and cultural…

A study involving 373 elementary teachers examined whether perceptions of the characteristics of gifted students in general differed from perceptions of gifted students classified as Hispanic limited-English proficient. Teachers perceived a similar order of importance for the characteristics of both groups but relative importance differed…

Discusses problems encountered when identifying, assessing, and deciding the language of instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse preschool children with disabilities and suggests some directions for practice in the context of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986. (SLD)

This article explores the ins and outs of bilingual instruction and examines whether to use the native language or English in instructing bilingual students with language disorders and the role the code switching plays in instruction. Strategies are suggested for using the native language and using code switching. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Focuses on the language situation in Hungary, a largely monolingual country, where nearly 89% of the populations speaks Hungarian as their first language. The primary focus is on the Hungarian language as used by some 10 million people within the national borders of Hungary; less attention is paid to Hungarian as a minority language or the…

Examines the dilemmas of language minority students as they go through the process of learning English and experience language shock during their transition to a new land, describing complex issues involved when schools and communities are caught in the middle of a national struggle over language and the incorporation of immigrants. Data come from…

English can be considered the number one global language. Though there are positive aspects to having a global language, it can lead to arrogance and complacency among native English-speakers and a sense of grievance and inferiority in other language groups. The paper examines reasons for the spread of English worldwide, discussing the importance…

Examines the effect of a particular inherited ideology on the language practices of a particular intercultural community. The ideology may be characterized as "difference-equals-conflict." The community is a multinational student body at Europe College in Bruges, Belgium. Argues that this unwanted process results from the failure to examine the…

Describes some of the inequities and obstacles faced by speakers of creoles termed "nonstandard" or minority dialects in formal education. Outlines proposals for dealing with these problems and describes initiatives that have already been taken--such as developing resources for teachers, running public awareness campaigns and using the students'…

This article discusses components of scientific literacy on discourse and describes the academic and social participation structures of science lessons in four classrooms of elementary school students learning English as a second language. Data are interpreted in terms of the discourse requirements of scientific literacy and cultural influences on…

Presents a roundtable discussion carried out by scholars in the field of minority language broadcasting. Examines the context of minority language broadcasting, broadcasting and language policy and planning, and issues of language survival and success. (Author/VWL)

This article explores the issue of linguistic diversity in health care, with a particular focus on interpreter-mediated interactions. The process of literal interpretation and of complete interpretation are described, and a set of questions that speech language pathologists should consider to maximize the success of an interaction are provided.…

Focuses on one linguistic minority--contemporary American writers for whom English is a second language. Examines ways in which these writers position and reposition themselves with regard to their multiple languages and identities in autobiographic narratives. (Author/VWL)