The State of Texas' education finance mechanism--known as the Foundation School Program (FSP)--was challenged in a series of litigation known as "Edgewood v. Kirby I-IV" and "West Orange Cove I-II". Though the state Supreme Court's holding ultimately moved the Texas Assembly to make changes in the funding mechanism, not since…

Pre-service teachers need opportunities to apply theory and connect to best practices as they teach in classroom settings be it, whole or small group. For many pre-service teachers often times their experience is limited to simply watching instruction or working with small groups of students (Pryor & Kuhn, 2004). The student teaching…

The first purpose of this study was to examine the level of interdependence and reciprocity of the first and second language in students who were identified as limited English speakers and whose first language was Spanish. The second purpose was to identify the passing and commended rates of students within the specific bilingual programs that…

This study examines the effect of 30 min of small group explicit instruction on reading outcomes for first-grade Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) at risk of reading difficulties. Participants were 78 ELs from seven schools who were receiving Spanish only, or Spanish and English, whole group reading instruction in first grade. Students were…

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the difference between two bilingual program types: traditional early-exit and late-exit bilingual programs and academic achievement using archival data from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System. An examination of academic achievement rates across a 3-year period…

This report provides a description of Austin Independent School District (AISD) English language learner (ELL) student enrollment in the district during school year 2011-2012, examines ELL progress in English proficiency and academic content areas, and evaluates the dual language program in its first year of district wide implementation. A…

There are many types of programs for Spanish speaking students in the US, with varying methods and goals. Some preliminary work suggests that bilingual classrooms may differ widely in instruction, even under the same program labels. However, there are few studies which have compared the extent to which various bilingual program models differ in…

This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance results in Texas public schools for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years. Data are provided by student characteristics, including race/ethnicity; gender; and economic, atrisk, English language learner, immigrant, and migrant…

This fact sheet provides demographic information for the young Dual Language Learner (DLL) population in Texas, based on Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) data pooled over the 2011-15 period. DLLs, defined as children ages 8 and under with at least one parent who speaks a language other…

Commissioner's Rules Concerning the State Plan for Educating English Language Learners (ELLs) states that all school districts that are required to provide bilingual education and/or English as a second language (ESL) programs establish and operate a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC). The LPACs are charged with reviewing all…

This article contributes to an emerging body of literature on the impact of high stakes testing accountability policies on implementation and teaching practice. It uses a theory of implementation, sense-making, to highlight the process by which policy and context shape teacher decision making. We focus on teachers in bilingual classrooms in an…

Pre-service teachers need opportunities to apply theory and connect to best practices as they teach in classroom settings be it, whole or small group. For many pre-service teachers often times their experience is limited to simply watching instruction or working with small groups of students (Pryor & Kuhn, 2004). The student teaching…

This article presents an ethnographic study of how bilingual teachers and children use their home language, TexMex, to mediate academic content and standard languages. From the premise that TESOL educators can benefit from a fuller understanding of students' linguistic repertoires, the study describes language practices in a second-grade classroom…

The study examined how the English reading performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in transitional bilingual education compared with the performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in structured English immersion. The study analyzed data on three cohorts of students in six schools in Los Angeles; Denver; Albuquerque; St.…

Relying on life history and memory as methodology, this essay unearths the memories of schooling of five Mexican American teachers at a dual-language school in San Antonio, locating their memories of trauma within the history of language oppression and cultural exclusion in U.S. public schools. In re(membering) their schooling experiences as…