From a Hispanic perspective, the current educational reform movement is closely related to three other contemporaneous policy agendas that imply an increasingly ethnocentric policy environment: (1) the Immigration Reform and Control Act; (2) the English-only movement; and (3) efforts of the Department of Education to sabotage the Bilingual…

A two-year study determined the effects of a comprehensive cooperative-learning approach to reading and language arts instruction on students' achievement, attitudes, and metacognitive awareness. Students in second through sixth grades, some mainstreamed academically handicapped, worked in heterogeneous learning teams on reading and writing…

This article discusses issues in referral and special education instruction for students from language-minority groups. It discusses inadequacies in assessment and placement; development of effective and feasible instructional strategies through collaboration between bilingual education and special education; and potential solutions involving both…

Studies of Mexican American students and classroom interaction are reviewed and critiqued from a perspective based on the work of Lev Vygotsky. Research suggests that Mexican American student involvement can be promoted through collaborative learning techniques, acceptance of student language use, and the use of material related to student…

This paper describes the ongoing action research program at a residential school for students with emotional and behavior disorders in England. Structured "cooperative play" is used to improve language and behavior skills of students, train adults, and provide a research setting in which changes can be observed, recorded, and…

Examines the function of community college counselors in the context of immigrant students. Argues that colleges should provide students with separate English-as-a-Second-Language orientations, and that counselors should assist students in understanding the American job market and encourage students to familiarize themselves with American…

Reports a six-year study of explicit references to young children's small physical stature in an Australian newspaper. Suggests that when newspaper representations of children and childhood are examined for their focus on children's diminutive size, two conflicting themes emerge: endearment versus depreciation. Suggests that these size-value…

Examined along three assessment criteria (self-esteem and attitudes toward school, writing, and reading) the effects of literature-based mixed-age grouping compared to traditional grouping that emphasized a basal-reader approach in language arts. Found significantly higher increases in pretest-posttest scores for students in mixed-age settings.…

This narrative of a graduate student with deafness describes her experiences in various educational environments including oral communication, total communication, and mainstreamed. The article emphasizes the role of parents as the child's best advocates and advises parents to trust their own instincts and not accept the authority of professionals…

This study compared the effectiveness of two interventions that differed in the nature of dialogic interactions among teachers and students in reading groups. Teacher-interns (n=35) instructed 109 children with mild disabilities in special education resource rooms. Analyses indicated that the intervention featuring dialog, social interactions, and…

Describes a collaborative project between a college elementary education course and a fifth-grade class that used electronic mail to learn about teaching reading and language arts. Highlights include the idea of the fifth graders as the experts; reducing computer anxiety; evaluation results from both student groups; and future revisions. (LRW)

Discusses the use of World Wide Web (WWW) Homepage for school information. Topics include school sites; installation of a WWW browser; file tags; sites for beginner's guides to the language (HTML); two Usenet discussion groups; and a sample lesson plan including objective, procedure, and evaluation. (AEF)

Examined parents' and teachers' expectations about kindergarten and children's strategies for functioning in the classroom. Describes the experiences of children in a multilingual classroom in which the teacher was often unable to give verbal cues to the students in their native languages, exemplifying typical moments in which language minority…

Factors that intervene in successful and frustrating cultural learning experiences are examined to help improve the management of cross-cultural internships and similar experiences abroad. Emphasis is on students' perceptions of their language ability, social interactions, and job performance and their living arrangements. (Contains 15…

Includes book reviews of science trade books written in Spanish from the following categories: (1) Animals, (2) Encyclopedic Series, (3) Nature, and (4) Physical Science. (ZWH)