Because Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States and are projected to become the largest minority during the 1980's, the education system must be more responsive to their needs. Fewer Hispanic children enroll in school than do non-Hispanics, many of them fall behind in school, and they have higher attrition rates than…

This report includes papers by two educators concerning the education of Hispanics in the United States. Jose Hernandez addresses the issues of Hispanic demographic patterns and migration and the implications of these factors for educational planning and policy. Rafael Valdivieso focuses on the Federal role in Hispanic desegregation, discussing…

Changes in the field of teaching English as a second language (TESL), especially in the last two decades, have included increased recognition of the language needs of learners in numerous circumstances and have resulted in greater attention to the problems of language minority groups in the United States. TESL today is strong and growing, has…

Presents a model of the sociocultural circumstances surrounding the development of language policies and planning and of bilingual education programs in the United States and three Andean countries: Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. (Author/CB)

Reviews literature examining research basis for school achievement of culturally and linguistically different learners from standpoint of instructional effectiveness and opportunity to learn. Concentrates on research directly assessing ecological/instructional processes in relationship to achievement outcome measures. Focuses on functional…

Founded by the federal government in 1966 as an educational research documentation network, the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) has evolved in both scope and philosophy over the past years. This publication is a tribute to the ERIC program as it enters its fourth decade. The contents, which were chosen to chronicle the progress of…

This paper provides an overview of the Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) program, a comprehensive approach to reading and writing instruction for grades K-8, as well as its Spanish adaptation, Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (BCIRC). The program's goal is to improve student achievement in reading,…

The United States has at least three historically established patterns of language use: English monolingualism, multilingualism, and bilingualism. The United States could best be described at present as a multilingual nation in which English is the dominant language. English is promoted to varying degrees, but linguistic diversity is tolerated.…

Describes inequities in school finance. Examines Federal funding of bilingual and compensatory education programs and the impact of recent court decisions on finance reform. Considers the relationship between increased spending and educational outcomes for low-income children, and proposes research on the impact of educational funding on mainland…

Argues that the Reagan Administration halted the rapid expansion of bilingual education by reducing federal funding; redefined and weakened bilingual education policies by including single language programs within the definition of bilingual education; and severely restricted the civil rights aspects of bilingual education. Contains 38 references.…

Discusses why and how American Sign Language should be used to teach English literacy skills. It is argued that previous studies have not systematically investigated the effects of American Sign Language on the development of English. (22 references) (CB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

Three psycho-educational principles are outlined (additive bilingual enrichment principle, interdependence principle, and sufficient communicative interactive principle) to illustrate research on the maintenance of Frisian among native speakers and the development of Frisian fluency among native Dutch speakers. (Author/CB)

Discusses the evaluation of bilingual education programs, surveys the results of seven bilingual education evaluations, and presents their diverse findings. Argues that such research cannot say whether bilingual education is good or works. Describes a "bilingual immersion" program where language minority and majority students learn from…

Reviews federal legislation and court decisions of the past 30 years that have influenced policies related to special education of limited-English-speaking students. Discusses the right of handicapped children to a public education, overrepresentation of minorities in special education, challenges to the validity of IQ tests, and changing…

Examines the victory of California's Proposition 227, which mandated English-only instruction, and two viewpoints that reflect conflicting analyses of why Proposition 227 passed. To influence future decision making, bilingual-education advocates must learn to participate more effectively in policy debate without distorting research or denouncing…