Critiques the Ramirez et al. study of bilingual programs for its serious research flaws. Calls into question the findings of no consistent difference in the achievement of language-minority children regardless of how much Spanish or English is used in instruction. Proposes a reanalysis of the Ramirez data. (KS)

Longitudinal studies from the 1980s suggest that the greater the amount of native language instructional support for language-minority students, combined with balanced second language support, the higher they are able to achieve academically in the second language in each succeeding academic year, in comparison to matched groups being schooled…

The lack of sound and practical guidelines and materials, which precludes adequate technical assistance, is one cause of the inferior quality of evaluation practices in bilingual education. Other contributing factors include incompetent program evaluators, misinformed local administrations, inappropriate state and federal policies, and complex…

Sudden empowerment of Canadian Aboriginal communities has raised many dilemmas concerning community controlled education, including issues related to educational planning and decision making by inexperienced administrators, focusing educational goals on the community versus mainstream society, discontinuities between community and school culture,…

Literacy is a major focus of attention in the education of linguistically and culturally diverse youth. The article focuses on identifying literature that impacts the literacy processes of secondary school students, highlighting studies that suggest a vision of literacy as empowerment for bilingual and limited English proficient students. (SM)

Discusses the past history of German instruction in Alsatian schools and focuses on a recent and new development--the introduction of bilingual instruction (in French and English) in a series of pre-elementary and elementary schools, public as well as private. (Author/JL)

This article asks two basic questions about educational policy and practice for English-language-learner (ELL) students: First, antibilingual education initiatives imply a subtractive view of teaching and learning; what are parents' views and/or beliefs regarding these policies? Second, how do these views and/or beliefs align with research and…

The emergence of multicultural education as a national priority is discussed and its links with the bilingual education movement are examined, drawing on a variety of written sources. It is proposed that the push for multicultural curricula reflects a broader agenda than ethnic pride and consciousness-raising, and is an extension of the campaign…

This booklet identifies several crucial problems in Alaska Native education, for example: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) occur in Alaska Native populations at relatively high rates and can produce mental retardation, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and learning disabilities; (2) while many Native rural school…

Research has demonstrated that the acquisition of English literacy skills is extremely difficult for many deaf students, that is, students with severe to profound hearing impairments. As a result, there has been a call for the development of bilingual and English-as-a-second-language programs for this population. This research review addresses…

This study investigated whether there were significant differences in the acquisition of oral language and reading skills among limited-English-speaking, Hispanic elementary school students receiving instruction through three different bilingual reading approaches, and what other variables might be important. The three reading approaches were: (1)…

Substantial evidence suggests that students working together in small cooperative groups can master material better than students working on their own, and that cooperative learning structures higher self-esteem and learning motivation. Cooperative learning (CL) has been proposed for use with language minority children, as well as with other…

The Walsh and Carballo evaluation of the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education programs in five Massachusetts communities, has the following flaws: (1) the sample of school districts studied suffered from "self-selection bias"; (2) the sample does not include a single large, urban school district; (3) the student samples…

The numbers and status of limited- English-proficient (LEP) students who are supported by federal funds appropriated under the Bilingual Education Act are reported. The investigation included interviews with officials of relevant state and federal agencies, reviews of state reports and pertinent studies, and collection of statistical information…

Requirements for the certification of teachers of English as a second language, bilingual education, and foreign languages are examined in the context of the general national emphasis on reevaluating teacher education and certification programs and procedures in the United States. The report includes: (1) information on terms commonly used in…