SALSA is a 30-episode video series for early elementary school children produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting. It is intended to do three things: (1) introduce non-Spanish speaking children to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures; (2) promote appreciation for the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures; and (3) promote cultural pride and…

This article presents results from a survey involving 83 predominantly white, female, undergraduate and graduate preservice teachers at a small liberal arts college in Virginia. The preservice teachers were asked to complete a survey describing challenges they perceived they would encounter as future teachers required to work with culturally,…

Most of the population of Japan remains ethnically Japanese. For this reason, bilingualism has never been a subject of significant concern in Japan. With the recent influx of new groups of non-Japanese speakers into Japan, the society is becoming more multilingual. This book introduces the way languages are used in Japanese interlingual families,…

This series of audiotapes (cassettes) uses a legend from different island communities in the Pacific to model ways parents can read with their children. English is on one side, and Ilocano--the indigenous language of the inhabitants of northwestern Luzon, Mindoro, Mindanao, Philippines--is on the other. (Author/KFT)

Symposium panel presentations on teaching official languages (French and English) in Canada include: "Social Stakes of English and French Teaching in Canada Over the Last 25 Years" (Roger Collet, Jan Finlay, Alan Lombard, Paul Ruest); "Evolution of the School-Community-Family Linkages" (Fernand Langlais, Roger Arsenault,…

This study explores the relationship between English and Japanese in bilingual children. The Bilingual Verbal Ability Tests (BVATs) were administered to 40 children of Japanese heritage and their mothers residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. All the subjects were either enrolled in bilingual programs in public elementary schools or attending…

Summarizes the results of a survey documenting language use among the rural and urban populations, educational levels, occupations, and ethnic groups of Kazakhstan. Reveals that efforts to promote Kazakh over Russian have largely failed. Includes a wealth of statistical information on groups and activities within Kazakhstan. (MJP)

Argues that citizenship education in Laos' national curriculum is contradictory and problematic. Notes that this curriculum excludes the rights or practice of ethnic minority cultures and languages. Discusses implications for girls and minority groups participation in the wider society. Asks general questions about implications for gender and…

Presents the educational stories of elementary heritage language teachers in Toronto (Canada). Interviews explored the complexities of teaching in the heritage language program. Some issues identified were a communication gap between parents and children; and professionalization, certification, and integration into the educational mainstream. (SM)

This article discusses the various cultural interpretations of severe disabilities and the role of enculturation in determining family expectations and participation within the special education system. Research-based techniques and ideas are presented to facilitate increased competence with families in which English is not the first language.…

This article reviews literature on barriers to the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse families in the special education process, highlights cultural issues educators need to consider, and discusses strategies for facilitating family participation in the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan and the…

The cases of Estonia and South Africa illustrate how a lack of coherence between a language policy and that policy's implementation plan can reduce both the policy and the implementation plan to symbolic acts of no benefit to students or communities. Comparison of these countries' language-in-education plans highlights the need to examine…

This paper discusses how teachers and English-speaking parents can address the needs of second-language families. Teachers can establish a dialog through home visits or school meetings. Parents can invite the families to attend school meetings, provide interpreters, and form committees for foreign-born parents. (SM)

Examines major critiques from the literature on the Professional Development School (PDS) equity agenda and accomplishments, referencing works from literature on PDSs, diversity, urban education, and multicultural education. The paper focuses on issues related to poor or working-class learners in PDS settings and learners from non-European racial,…

Used discrete-time survival analysis technique to examine whether, and at what age, a national sample of 3,624 children first entered a childcare center. Found that after controlling for household-economic factors, the household's social structure and mother's language, childrearing beliefs, and practices predicted probability of selecting…