Adult learners often have difficulty reaching high proficiency levels in a foreign language, and curriculum experts are on a constant quest for innovative practices in foreign language learning. The problem addressed by this study was that even with the implementation of different pedagogical approaches, including immersion and technology…

This study examined the knowledge, motivation, and organizational (KMO) influences that shape how dual language immersion program (DLIP) administrators sustain these programs on their campuses in a California public school district. Using a modified version of Clark and Estes' gap analysis model, a qualitative case study explored the assumed KMO…

The goal of this study was to examine the impact of the integration of global experiences on in-service teachers' international perspectives in mathematics classroom teaching through offering a graduate course "Global Perspectives in Mathematics Teaching" in the form of the East Meets West Program. This program engages teachers in an…

The issues that prompt this study are based on current research indicating the positive effects of inquiry learning on the cognitive development of children. The purpose of this case study was to understand the effects of inquiry learning on the academic achievement and bilingual verbal ability of 5th grade bilingual students in a French/English…

This study examines bi-literacy development among 60 children enrolled in an Italian-English dual language (DL) program in Southern California. Using a variety of measures including (1) oral reading fluency (ORF), (2) accuracy scores, and (3) standardized test for the assessment of reading (STAR) test's estimates of reading ability for English,…

This book traces the recent socio-historical trajectory of educational language policy in Arizona, the state with the most restrictive English-only implementation in the United States. Chapters, each representing a case study of policy-making in the state, include: (1) SEI in Arizona: Bastion for States' Rights (Karen E. Lillie and Sarah Catherine…

English language learners (EL) are the fastest growing sub-group of the student population in California, yet ELs also score the lowest on the science section of the California Standardized Tests. In the area of bilingual education, California has dramatically changed its approach to English learners since the passage of Proposition 227 in 1998,…

Informed by research studies that demonstrate a positive relationship between parent engagement and student academic attainment, state and national parent outreach initiatives have aimed to bridge the gap between Latina/o parents and schools. Such was the case with the Latina/o Family, School and Community "Avanzando" Project, which…

Asian American Education--Asian American Identities, Racial Issues, and Languages presents groundbreaking research that critically challenges the invisibility, stereotyping, and common misunderstandings of Asian Americans by disrupting "customary" discourse and disputing "familiar" knowledge. The chapters in this anthology…

The experiences of five California school districts in implementing English immersion instruction for all limited-English-speaking students are described and compared. The districts range from populous urban settings to small, isolated rural communities. The first part of the report profiles the five districts, and the second part sets forth three…

Interviews with parents, teachers, and administrators of a California Bay Area elementary school explored the impact of Proposition 227 on parent involvement, student achievement, classroom instruction, and student and teacher emotions. Data indicate that an overemphasis on language of instruction overshadowed other critical issues such as…

A qualitative study examined how three urban California school districts and teachers in three case study classrooms interpreted and implemented Proposition 227. School district implementation varied according to district language ideology. Nevertheless, English only policy and accompanying highly scripted reading reforms stripped teachers of…