The paper examines some critical issues regarding the Spanish language proficiency of bilingual education teachers, primarily those from the Spanish-language-origin community. Recent longitudinal studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between sustained native language instruction and student achievement. Because this finding is…

The Innovation Configurations approach is a way of measuring what aspects of a staff development training program are actually being put into practice. Unlike other methods of measuring implementation (and particularly those used in the evaluation of bilingual program implementation), it does not focus on outcomes but instead answers the…

This monograph presents a synthesis of information on the education of Hispanic handicapped children. The problem is set forth in Chapter 1 which also covers approaches used to obtain information on issues and trends in the field. Assessment issues are focused on in Chapter 2 which reviews basic assumptions underlying assessment as well as…

The paper analyzes issues in bilingual special education and identifies knowledge gaps in the provision of appropriate education to exceptional minority students. The legal bases of bilingual education and special education are reviewed and the intersection of legal issues in bilingual special education is noted. Definitions of the population are…

In the hope of filling in a missing link for experimental psychologists' research on reading, this paper provides a general review of research on the issue of orthography and its relation to reading. The traditional classification of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic modes are examined to see how much orthographic variations affect the…

The focus of this paper is on how bilingual children may benefit through a reading method that allows them opportunities to perceive and conceptualize aspects of the English language using a Piagetian model. The paper presents the analysis and prevention methods used for correcting difficulties encountered by bilingual students, and argues that…

Of the more than 2 million Spanish-surnamed students enrolled in the public elementary and secondary schools, more than 70% are located in the five Southwestern states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, and of these more than 95% are Mexican Americans. However, in all five Southwestern states the proportion of Chicano…

Excerpts from transcribed tape recordings of conversations between two reading specialists and 23 Hispanic inmates at a New Jersey correctional institution reveal that many of these inmates believe that a lack of functional literacy was partly responsible for their present condition. Literacy, then, might be a valuable tool for preventing…

The two-way migration phenomenon of Puerto Ricans is examined, focusing on how Puerto Rican schools deal with children returning from the mainland with varying degrees of English and having become acculturated to some mainland behaviors. (BS)

The implications for teachers in California of the bilingual education movement are discussed. Cooperative efforts involving school districts, professional organizations, and universities are advocated to continue the expansion of bilingual education for limited English speaking students. (FG)

Highlights the more common objections raised to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (1980) regarding bilingual educational rights of national origin minority children and responds to those objections with factual information. (CM)

This article discusses the question of segregating Spanish-speaking pupils, with reference to New Jersey law and practice. Benefits of native language teaching are weighed against the social isolation this imposes on Hispanic students. Attitudes of Hispanic parents, court doctrine, and desegregation practices which focus only on race are analyzed.…

The author presents a rationale for kindergarten English instruction for the five-year-old Spanish-dominant child. To support his view, he cites research on cognitive development and language acquisiton during early childhood and discusses the appropriateness of the kindergarten environment for language learning. (SJL)

Identifies areas of progress and unresolved problems in achieving educational equity for Hispanic students. The information summarized is based on two regional conferences on the topic. Statistical data are from the National Center for Educational Statistics. (Author/MLF)

This paper presents a summary of recent investigations on cognitive development through the first and second language in a bilingual program. The "Glossodynamic Model" of language learning is presented as a basis for explaining how the child's cognitive and affective development are enhanced by bilingual stimulation. (Author/SJL)