Research on education in Canada, the United States, the Philippines, and Ireland suggests that bilingual education of a pluralist character neither depresses nor enhances performance in English or in non-language subjects. Decisions to promote bilingual education are often based on social demands. (f=fiche numbers). (CP)

Describes the research, compilation, and organization of three bibliographies on bilingual language arts materials developed for Native Americans between 1890 and 1976. A chart provides population figures for a diversity of Native American language groups, number of speakers, and available materials (dictionaries, grammars, etc.) for each group.…

A teacher of deaf children responds to a treatise recommending expanded use of American Sign Language (ASL) in deaf education by addressing the immediate problems that parents, teachers, school authorities, and linguists will need to carefully consider in implementing an ASL-based bilingual approach to educating young children. (CB)

"One size fits all" literacy instruction works against the success of limited and non-English speaking students. Process instruction, tailoring literacy education to account for students' linguistic and cultural diversity, must begin with the premise that each learner brings a valid language and culture to the instructional context.…

This paper discusses the role of American Sign Language (ASL) in educating deaf children, based on the history of using manually coded English (MCE). The paper concludes that use of ASL should not be the ultimate goal of bilingual bicultural programs, and, in some classrooms, the optimal program will be complementary use of ASL and MCE. (JDD)

Addresses recent advances in research and theory that relate to language shift in early childhood, cognitive, and academic consequences of bilingualism and second-language learning, and theoretical models for conceptualizing the development of bilingualism and second-language learning. Contains annotated bibliography. (47 references) (LET)

Describes four types of immigrants to The Netherlands since World War II and three phases of educational policies aimed at compensating for their educational disadvantages. Discusses the disappointing outcomes of compensatory education, bilingual education, intercultural education, and preschool and early school programs, and describes the…

Compares the empiricist approach of structural linguistics with the rationalist approach to language learning. In practice, a combination of ideas from both philosophies is usually applied to the instruction of second-language learners. Language learning occurs even in the absence of theory. (SLD)

This paper discusses literacy, language education, language achievement, and bilingual education policies and practices in Japan. The paper first describes the Japanese writing system (consisting of the "kana" and "kanji" scripts) and notes that students typically study English from grade 7 to the first 2 years of college. The…

Since taking power, the Sandinista government has made a commitment to educating all Nicaraguans. Under its direction, literacy increased from approximately 50 to 88 percent. Thousands of new teachers were hired, and the number of elementary schools doubled. The official language is Spanish, and the dominant culture, Mestizo (mixed Spanish and…

While early research suggests that bilingualism creates a language handicap in individuals, more recent and methodologically better research clearly supports the advantages of bilingualism in promoting overall cognitive development. Three major explanations for this improved development are proposed: that (1) the bilingual-bicultural child…

This document reports on a project with the following aims: (1) to identify and discuss the important issues about using curriculum materials in bilingual-bicultural education and multicultural education through a comparative analysis of these conditions in the United States and Australia; (2) to identify and analyze relevant research in the…

The language minority and limited-English-proficient students attending American schools in increasing numbers must be prepared as well as possible for their continued education in the mainstream. This can be begun by implementing mainstreaming procedures that fairly and accurately determine student readiness for learning in the mainstream and…

A review of the literature on staff training for individuals working in programs for limited-English-speaking students suggests that eight characteristics should be considered and developed in a training plan: governance, needs assessment before program planning, analysis of local and other resources, determination of training objectives, trainee…

This paper presents an overview of recent psychological research relevant to the assessment and instruction of culturally and linguistically different students. First, general research by cross-cultural psychologists is described, focusing on the observation that types of thinking and learning behavior are influenced by social organization and…