A study undertaken by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to assess the bilingual language and literacy education services made available by the school district to a group of Chinese American elementary school children in Seattle is the focus of a discussion on bilingual program policy formation. The role of theory in the…

Research literature concerning the effects of incorporating the heritage languages of minority students into the regular school curriculum either as subjects or as mediums of instruction is reviewed. Program evaluations from Canada, the United States, and Europe consistently show that the use of a minority language as a medium of instruction for…

This professional development kit for teachers and administrators working with English language learners (ELLs) offers three videotapes of three presentations from the 2002 NABE Conference, as well as agendas, presenter's notes, classroom activities, a list of resources, and transparencies for half-day or full-day workshops. The topics discussed…

Discusses the relationship between research, theory, and policy in language policy formulation in the context of a "conflict" paradigm. In bilingual programs in the United States and Canada, the sociological context of the debate plays a major role in determining the choice of issues to investigate. (CB)

One result of the all-time high in population mobility is that in many school systems monolingual and monocultural students are the exception rather than the rule, particularly in urban areas. This shift in demographic realities entails enormous challenges for educators and policymakers. What do teachers need to know in order to teach effectively…

A theoretical matrix for conceptualizing issues within bilingual special education is outlined. Issues addressed include the difficulty of distinguishing learning disabilities from second-language-learning problems, nondiscriminatory assessment of language and intellectual skills, effects of bilingual interactions at home and school, and…