This research synthesis is the third in a series of reports to help local school, community, and family leaders obtain useful research-based information about key educational issues. This synthesis addresses diversity as it relates to student achievement and school, family, and community connections. This synthesis focuses specifically on three…

This study investigated the effects of one rural high school's science course placement practices on Latino/a student success in science, as measured by performance in a required science course and enrollment in subsequent science courses. The high school involved in this study has experienced a rapid increase in language minority students and…

This collection includes the following essays on language and politics in North America: "Respecting the Citizens: Reflections on Language Policy in Canada and the United States" (Colin H. Williams); "The Politics of Language in Canada and the United States: Explaining the Differences" (Ronald Schmidt, Sr.); "Demographic…

This handbook provides practical suggestions for teachers of second language children in mainstream classrooms. It gives detailed advice on all aspects of the needs of children from mobile families in international schools. Early chapters provide general background material concerning the nature of international school students and their families,…

These papers address three issues of concern to educators of language minority students: preparation of quality teachers, the effects of standardized and high-stakes testing on language learners, and specific teaching strategies that view language minority students as capable and deserving of first-class educational opportunities. After an…

Designed to assist charter school developers and operators, this question-and-answer publication provides general information that covers a broad range of federal civil rights issues related to public charter schools. Sections of the document discuss: (1) the growth of public charter schools and federal agencies that oversee charter schools; (2)…

"Multicultural Education Policies in Canada and the United States" uses a dialogical approach to examine responses to increasing cultural and racial diversity in both countries. It compares and contrasts foundational myths and highlights the sociopolitical contexts that affect the conditions of citizenship, access to education, and…

This paper presents a collaborative action research partnership model that involved participation by graduate school of education preservice students, school and university teachers, and administrators. An elementary teacher-research group investigated what would happen when fourth graders worked in teams to research and produce a multimedia…

The National Writing Project's (NWP) "30 Ideas for Teaching Writing" discusses making grammar lessons dynamic, using casual student conversation as a source for writing, home language as an assisting tool to attain standard English and other topics by presenting strategies contributed by experienced writing project teachers. NWP does not promote a…

This book addresses questions of language education in the United States, focusing on how to teach the 3.5 million students in American public schools who do not speak English as a native language. These students are at the center of a national debate about the right relationship among ESL, bilingual, and mainstream classes. Bilingual education…

This guide explains how low-performing schools can become high-achieving ones, using information from studies of Title I schools. It presents practical ideas from these schools and communities as well as the research base behind their success. The nine chapters are (1) "Five Steps to a Good Start" (e.g., help parents understand how children's…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of Project BESTT (Bilingual/ESL Special Education Teacher Training), a federally-funded program that provided training to 25 certified special education teachers selected from four rural school districts currently serving bilingual, minority group elementary children with disabilities. The…

Project LEAP (Learning English-for-Academic-Purposes) is a three-year faculty development and supplemental instruction partnership to improve the academic literacy skills of native-born, immigrant, and international language minority students. This manual is the third set of faculty development materials produced by the project, presenting…

This book examines the impact of English in countries in which it is taken for granted--Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It explores how the impact of English affects the development of national language policies, the maintenance of minority languages, the ability to provide services in other languages, the efforts…

This book provides research information about programs and practices that have proven to be effective for helping language minority students achieve academically. Basic background information about language acquisition, legal requirements for educating linguistically diverse students, and placement, program, and assessment information is also…