A 4-year demonstration Total Communication Project was implemented at three schools (an elementary, a middle, and a high school) serving hearing impaired students. The goal of the project was for the six participating teachers to become consistent in their role modeling of English and American Sign Language (ASL), through weekly inservice on ASL…

Much information of interest to bilingual education policymakers has emerged from basic research on language learning, bilingualism, and cognition. Among the conclusions drawn from it are the following: (1) bilingual education is superior to submersion education in many contexts;(2) one major bilingual education goal should be development of the…

The four distinct groups of teachers (mainstream, ESL, bilingual, and foreign language teachers) responsible for instruction in English as a second language (ESL) to limited-English-speaking children are compared in terms of the standards set for each in teacher training curricula and the common topics of research in each of the four fields. It is…

A review of the status of English language instruction in Colombia provides an overview of the role of English in the society in general and outlines the status of English use and instruction in the educational system at all levels (elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and teacher education). The following topics are covered: the characteristics…

A study undertaken by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to assess the bilingual language and literacy education services made available by the school district to a group of Chinese American elementary school children in Seattle is the focus of a discussion on bilingual program policy formation. The role of theory in the…

The state of the art in testing and teaching communicatively handicapped Hispanic children is examined in eight chapters organized into sections concerned with insights from research, a view of the present, and recommendations for the future. The three chapters of the first section summarize research related to the acquisition of English as a…

Differences in definitions (and underlying concepts) of "language-minority children at risk" and how these differences affect the results of research on the numbers needing special services are examined in this document. Citing the 1974 Amendments to the Bilingual Education Act as the beginning of a Federal effort to estimate the numbers and…

The report analyzes policy issues in the education of bilingual exceptional students. Chapter 1 provides a historical review of the question, including overviews of litigation and legislation and findings regarding the effectiveness of bilingual education. Significant issues are considered in Chapter 2, including programmatic options, removable…

The news media are often the main source of public information about education. This paper analyzes press coverage of selected issues in contemporary Australian education. From December 28, 1998, to February 17, 1999, daily educational reporting was surveyed in "The Australian" (a paper roughly equivalent to "USA Today") and in…

Immigrant deaf students face multiple challenges in school as they frequently learn two new languages simultaneously: English and American Sign Language. Some have limited or no formal schooling experience. Describes units of study--one for Spanish-literate middle school students and one for elementary students with limited literacy skills--that…

Reviews research literature on the effectiveness of bilingual education programs. Argues that scientifically valid evaluation studies offer no consistent support for transitional bilingual education as a superior practice for improving the English-language achievement of limited English proficient (LEP) children and, in fact, suggest evidence of…

Identifies linguistic, curricular, and social benefits of cooperative learning arrangements in second language and bilingual instruction. Discusses five major models of cooperative learning, and reviews research findings in linguistically diverse settings. Contains 45 references. (Author/SV)

Current issues in the assessment of students with learning disabilities are identified, including use of physiological and neuropsychological measures, discrepancy criteria, curriculum-based measurement, dynamic assessment, performance and portfolio assessment, and assessment of learning disabilities in bilingual and multicultural contexts.…

Introduces the articles in this issue of "Educational Researcher," and discusses their collective focus on the need to enrich the research perspective on bilingual education. Argues for the importance of basic research, case studies, and taking the reality of practice and ideology into account. (JB)

This article considers identification and programing needs of hearing-impaired students from Afro-American, Hispanic, and Asian groups, based on experience within the San Diego (California) city schools. Addressed are demographic shifts and the dropout rate; cultural considerations; assessment; bilingual education; curriculum and instructional…