Evaluations of bilingual education programs have received criticism from many sources. This criticism has been partially due to difficulties in obtaining hard data in bilingual settings, such as the lack of test instruments for bilingual children, the lack of appropriate reference groups, and the deficiencies of traditional evaluation models. The…

This evaluation report summarizes results of the Bilingual Language Arts Program (BLAST), Walton High School, Bronx, New York, 1983-1984. BLAST was designed as a transitional program emphasizing student integration into society. The program provided instruction in English as a second language and native language arts, as well as bilingual…

This handbook outlines procedures for placing recent immigrants into linguistically comprehensible school programs at Ocean View Junior High School (Oxnard, California). First, a chart is presented which breaks down the placement process into three stages (identification, assessment, and placement) and identifies the site or person responsible at…

Outlines the historical background preceding the emergence of bilingual education in several of Ireland's western districts. Discusses the nature of the program, the training of bilingual teachers, and efforts by teachers themselves to develop bilingual methods. Examines the program's introduction throughout the districts and charts its general…

Describes the long-term effects of a bilingual education program on the academic achievement of Mexican-American students in a predominantly Mexican-American school district. Examines program impact on reading and mathematics achievement over a six-year period. Analyzes the effects on achievement of four variables: preachievement, gender, age, and…

Results are summarized of a questionnaire, completed for 48 of the 50 United States, concerning multicultural education. (New Mexico and Virginia are not included.) Questions include: the existence of a state-level program; a responsible person; multicultural certification requirements; and screening of textbooks and curriculum for racism or…

This document outlines the goals and structure of the Direct Care Workers Program (DCWP) sponsored by the Borough of Manhattan Community College (New York). The program targeted bilingual students with poor academic experience living in New York City and offered 6 months of bilingual vocational training as paraprofessionals in the field of Mental…

To illustrate the point that incremental policy changes are important results of program evaluation, the author investigated the influence of evaluation on federal education policymaking as seen in the 1978 reauthorization of the Bilingual Education Act. (LC)

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Education on the effectiveness of bilingual education programs reflects numerous issues that are at the very core of bilingual education. Two of these issues and their implications are discussed: the purpose of bilingual education and the nature of bilingual education programs. (Author/NQA)

Makes a case against bilingual education. Describes bilingual program designs, discusses research findings indicating that bilingual programs are unsuccessful, and suggests reasons for their failure, including lack of staff, inadvertent linguistic segregation, and Mexican-Americans' feudal, agrarian cultural background. (RW)

Introduces this special volume that seeks to provide insiders' reflective views of a wide range of bilingual education programs, with the aim of catalyzing dialog and reform. Provides demographic background on speakers of minority languages in the United States and in schools, and on needs and problems related to the education of…

Describes a long-standing Montreal bilingual program that completely immerses Anglophone students in a French academic context. Support from the target-language culture and environmental reinforcements contribute to students' academic success and steady program enrollment. Such immersion education has produced functionally bilingual Anglophone…

Describes the broad territory covered by researchers whose work reflects various multicultural perspectives on literacy. Discusses four areas of literacy research that reflect these perspectives: critical analyses, cultural difference analyses, bilingual analyses, and literary analyses. Also discusses the foremost proponents of each perspective.…

Chronicles the work of Pura Belpre--the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library--as a children's librarian, author, storyteller, and promulgator of Puerto Rican folktales. Programs she developed are described, including services to the Spanish-speaking community, bilingual story hours, puppet theaters, and outreach…

Argues that increasing numbers of students with limited English proficiency in the United States create a need for educators prepared to teach linguistically and culturally diverse students. Summarizes factors that affect the design of bilingual education programs and describes the program components necessary to provide education services to…