This issue of "Basic Education" presents articles that discuss, respectively, defining the language arts, an agenda for English, the benefits of two languages, a new teacher (presently teaching English in a foreign country) looking ahead, and the Shaker Fellowships awarded by the school district in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Articles in the…

This collection of papers on bilingual education, presented at the previous two NABE annual conferences, focuses on special programs, gifted and talented education, special education, and innovative teaching approaches. Articles include: "Writing Instruction for Limited English Proficient Students: A Survey of Teachers' Perceptions" (Laurie R.…

This document consists of three issues (1994) of a Spanish language periodical directed at elementary and middle school-aged children. Contained in these periodicals are a variety of activities designed to encourage the reader to learn and practice the Spanish language. Each issue focuses on a particular topic, e.g., "The…

A discussion of public policy concerning bilingual education looks at why and how policy should be re-focused on helping Limited English Proficient (LEP) students make academic gains. It first examines some characteristics of the highly diverse and rapidly growing LEP population, including varied academic background, tendency to reside in small…

The content of the 1988 Bilingual Education Act, which is part of Public Law 100-297 (the Hawkins/Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments) and which reauthorized bilingual education through September 30, 1993, is examined. The 1988 reauthorization was the fourth reauthorization of the original Bilingual Education Act of…

In the context of increasing criticism of bilingual education and the use of native language instruction, it must be remembered that they are based on a sound rationale. First, they address the need for continued learning as the child moves from one language to the other. Second, they address the need to diminish the alienation which children feel…

This issue contains five articles on aspects of bilingualism and bilingual education, as well as documentation on the "Centre Mondial d'Information sur l'Education Bilingue" (CMIEB). The introductory article presents reasons for being able to communicate in more than one language in the world as it is today, and proposes that bilingual education…

Several articles of interest to teachers of English as a second language (ESL) are included. In "Syllabus Design and the Adult Beginner," Keith Johnson discusses the various choices the course organizer must make to make a syllabus communicative. Among the ideas for "Developing Writing Skills" offered by Patricia A. Denham are…

The English spoken by Spanish-surnamed Americans of the southwestern United States often has a Spanish flavor, even though the speakers may have no competence in Spanish. This Chicano English is discussed in a series of descriptions based on a number of previous studies of regional variations. Each description covers pronunciation, intonation,…

The four issues of the first volume of this National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education newsletter include articles on these topics: organization and programs of the Department of Education's Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs; identifying school reform practices in linguistically diverse schools; state data on…

An examination of existing data was conducted to determine the effects of different kindergarten options on subsequent academic achievement in French immersion programs. It was concluded that there was no evidence for any superiority in outcomes for full-day bilingual as compared to half-day French kindergarten. No clear trends emerged in the…

This edition of a newsletter for second language researchers and teachers features an article by Lars Henric Ekstrand, "Report on Organization and Research in Programs of Bilingual and Bicultural Adaptation in Sweden." Programs of instruction in Swedish for immigrant adults and children, including teacher training policies, are…

The first two volumes of the Research in English Acquisition and Development (READ) Institute journal, which cover 1993-1995, contain reports of research and programs in English-as-a-Second-Language instruction, bilingual education, and services to limited-English-proficient individuals. Articles include: "Second Language Teaching: A Theoretical…

This document examines political questions that surround the issue of literacy. "City Literacy Cuts" outlines effects of the most recent budget cuts in New York City. "Families, Inequality, and Power: The Cultural Politics of Literacy" (Deborah D'Amico-Samuels) focuses on the importance of understanding the different models…

This paper evaluates the Institute's training program, which was designed to help teachers and other educators make parent participation and community involvement in bilingual/bicultural education more effective. Focused on is the effectiveness of the anthropological techniques to which participants in the training program were introduced. The…