Examines the recent evolution of three indigenous languages in Eastern Canada (Ojibway, Mohawk, and Inuktitut), focusing on efforts to revive and maintain indigenous languages. Discusses linguistic and cultural identity, ownership, and change in indigenous communities. (39 references) (MDM)

Using comparative data from two Navajo community-school contexts, this article details the conditions within these and similar contexts that enable schools to authentically use and validate the local language. Six social engineering strategies are presented as a means to build dual-language programs. (seven references) (MDM)

Discusses the ways in which various American Indian community schools and programs have addressed the concept of language and cultural maintenance and renewal, focusing on the role of bilingual programs, classroom interactions, community involvement, and indigenous teachers. The perspectives of the Yupik Indians on indigenous education are…

"Transitions: Destruction of a Mother Tongue" is a documentary film by Blackfeet filmmakers Darrell R. Kipp and Joe Fisher. The film recounts the history of the destructive forces affecting Blackfeet culture and language. Kipp and others created the Piegan Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches, promotes, and preserves…

Reports on a 3-year study of approximately 100 students through grades 4, 5, and 6 on the impact of a variety of second-language learning options among English-speaking children in francophone Canada. Finds that those options that use early, French-only environments were most effective. (CFR)

A veteran American Indian educator describes his experiences as a student, teacher, and administrator in Indian schools; the formation of the National Indian Education Association; and the events that influenced his views about the progress of "Indian education." He foresees positive changes in American Indian education and teacher…

When Botswana gained independence from the British in 1966, a political decision was taken to designate English as an official language and Setswana, one of the indigenous languages, as a national language. This move disregarded the multilingual nature of Botswana society. Furthermore, although not explicitly stated, the use of other languages…

This qualitative study aims to explore the loss and maintenance of Spanish in Latin American children in Vancouver from the perspective of parents. It focuses on the experiences of children either developing bilingually (Spanish-English) or monolingually (English). The participating families were from Colombia, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and had…

This study examines growth rates in vocabulary over an academic year for 150 Latino English language learners. In October, February, and June of kindergarten, participants completed standardized measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary. Before the second and third assessments, a third of the children watched Arthur three times a week during…

In this study, the authors plotted the Spanish language usage of 10 preschool-age children over the course of 3 years and assigned them to one of two groups: language maintenance and language loss. The authors then compared the groups' scores on structured tasks, language behaviors, and language usage/exposure variables. They found that children…

The most outstanding characteristic of language in education policy for South Asia (SA) is its multilingualism. All through recorded history the seven countries that constitute SA have been multilingual. For at least the first two decades of their existence as sovereign states the large nation states of SA failed to take into account this…

A Senate committee received testimony supporting reauthorization of the Native Hawaiian Education Act as part of reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). In the previous week, the House of Representatives had narrowly defeated an effort to delete the Native Hawaiian Education Act from ESEA reauthorization. The Native…

This paper examines the remembrances or life stories of four young adult American Indians and their efforts to evolve an understanding of themselves as individuals and as culture bearers interacting in two different societies. The project objective was to investigate the correlation between American Indian people's ability to use their heritage…

This monograph is based on a conference on bilingual education held by the Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO) in September, 1995 in Washington, D.C. CEO made repeated attempts to secure speakers representing the pro-bilingual education viewpoint; the paper by Portes and Schauffler represents this view. Papers presented include: "Introduction:…

Although American Indian and Alaska Native communities have largely won the legal right to maintain their languages and cultures, they lack the "effective right" to do so. The effective right means access to the tools for getting the job done--the knowledge, strategies, and resources necessary to resist destruction of languages and…