This report summarizes research on the role of English oral proficiency in acquiring English literacy, noting issues that English language learners (ELLs) encounter because of their developing English oral proficiency and discussing best practices in supporting English language development in the context of literacy instruction for those students.…

A study, funded by the Australian government, explored differences in the literacy practices of schools, families, and community groups. In particular, the study examined the matches and mismatches between the discourse practices of home and school, and the impact that any differences had on students' school success. Also observed were innovative…

This report describes six studies on the educational progress of students who entered New York City public schools as non-native English speakers, or English language learners (ELLs). Studies examined number of years students were served in bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) programs; characteristics of students receiving these services;…

This digest discusses the problem of overrepresentation of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in special education and provides examples of strategies created by researchers and practitioners to reduce overrepresentation. Strategies include: (1) promote family involvement and respect diverse backgrounds by taking time…

This study compared Australian teachers' attitudes toward multicultural education in 2000 with their attitudes in 1979, focusing on: fostering community language maintenance, fostering cultural identity and prestige maintenance, and fostering the benefits of multiculturalism within the community. Participating schools included: those which had…

Linguistic diversity in the Nordic countries has several dimensions. One main division is between what the majority group thinks it is about versus what the minority group thinks it is about. This paper examines the situation in Finland and Sweden, noting implications for linguistic diversity. Finland and Sweden contain five main varieties of…

This monograph examines the current state of Vietnamese America, summarizing research findings on Vietnamese children, both those who are native born and those born in Vietnam and raised in the United States. It provides insight into the unique experience of these children in order to help educators, administrators, and social workers deal…

Essays in this collection deal with the complex pedagogical and political issues of language-minority education in U.S. public schools. The book focuses on language-minority students in bilingual programs, those who receive some instruction in their native languages. The essays are: (1) "Language Loss and Language Gain in the Brazilian Community:…

This report shares the initial Phase 1 results from a quantitative and qualitative study examining the feasibility and desirability of offering Minnesota students with limited English proficiency (LEP) a reading test with bilingual test items and answer choices. In considering the use of a native language translation accommodation to the Minnesota…

A discussion of the Sindhi language diaspora, the biradari, across India and Pakistan looks at the implications of this geographic dispersal for the cohesion of the Sindhi-speaking community and culture. Three sociocultural characteristics of the scattered population are identified: urbanization; near-universal literacy; and bilingualism. Patterns…

This paper examines the potential benefits of standards-based instruction for English language learners (ELLs), presents a backward mapping process for designing standards-based instructional units, and reviews the design of two standards-based units for ELLs. Most of the document is in the form of a table to make the standards-based process…

This book includes 25 papers in 5 parts. Part 1, "Dislocations," includes (1) "Puzzle" (Myrna Nieves); (2) "No Language To Die In" (Greta Hofmann Nemiroff); (3) "Here's Your Change 'N Enjoy the Show" (Verena Stefan); (4) "The Vagabond Years" (Elizabeth Dykman); (5) "From Bayamon to…

This book explains that mainstream elementary classroom teachers with little or no English-as-a-Second-Language training can meet the needs of linguistically diverse students by integrating the teaching of English with the content areas of the regular curriculum. It begins with a strong theoretical underpinning for this practice, drawing on a…

Socioeconomic profiles of two Canadian communities are presented in which the language spoken, an official language, is also a minority language: the French-speaking Acadian minority in an area of Prince Edward Island, and an anglophone minority in the Gaspe Peninsula. The profiles are designed to establish a comparative base from which to assess…

This publication presents a summary of an ongoing collaborative research study that is both national in scope and practical for immediate local decision making in schools. It is written for bilingual and English as a Second Language program coordinators and local school policy makers. The research includes findings from five large urban and…