The Summer 2013 issue of "Voices in Urban Education" presents an interview with Dania Vazquez, founding principal of the Margarita Muñiz Academy, a Boston public high school offering dual-language education in Spanish and English. The first dual-language high school in Massachusetts, this Innovation School opened in the fall of 2012 with…

Four types of geometric configurations used in illustrating bilingual education plans are described. The first type and one of the earliest consisted of a matrix form with horizontal/vertical columns. Three instructional designs based on this figure are a full-immersion approach, a dual language transitional plan, and a third plan in which the…

The author examines the use of oral bilingual models in programs for the hearing impaired, contending that the native language of a hearing impaired child of hearing parents is frequently sign language. It is suggested that classrooms for the hearing impaired could combine numerous languages (Signed English, Signing Exact English, and American…

The name "short circuit" has been given to this model because, in many ways, it adequately describes what happens bioelectrically in the brain. The "short-circuiting" factors include linguistic, sociocultural, attitudinal and motivational, neurological, perceptual, and cognitive factors. Research is reviewed on ways in which each one affects any…

Focusing on the assessment needs of language minority students in the early elementary years and on the evaluation of programs servicing them, this discussion directs specific attention toward accommodating language minority students in the New Follow Through Program. Introductory remarks offer recommendations for developing New Follow Through…

This paper maintains that evaluation of bilingual programs must not only be true, it must also be just. The evaluator's perception of justice will affect how he/she will determine program effectiveness; consequently, it will color findings and recommendations. Bilingual education programs are, in fact, social action programs, as defined by the…

Examines assumptions about second language acquisition by means of the anatomical model described in Part 1 of the study (see vol. 6, no. 2 of this journal). The analysis shows that the assumptions are rooted in the Direct Method and that they retard learning. Implications for second language instruction are noted. (SED)

Suggests abandoning the inequitable practice of requiring language-minority and international students to demonstrate English proficiency before pursuing a U.S. college degree. Proposes a model that incorporates multilingual student recruitment, use of sheltered techniques and supported academic instruction, English for academic purposes (rather…

Critically examines the traditional notion of American Sign Language/English bilingualism. This model is contrasted with the "ASL/English as a spoken language" bilingual model in which the modality constraints facing the deaf child are presented as the fundamental issue for ASL/English bilingualism. Empirical and applied research supporting the…

This paper reviews the bilingual educational needs of Indochinese peoples in the United States and suggests ways that these needs can be met. Outlined are two models of bilingual/bicultural education. The first model, which emphasizes a strong English as a Second Language (ESL) component, meets the needs of students born in Indochina. The second…

A functional design is presented, that is, one that enlists the collaboration of all persons and groups involved in and affected by the bilingual education program. The following points are stressed: (1) The program's good effects depend on the communication of guidelines outlined in the specific project; (2) children sense conflict between…

The success of a new paradigm depends upon the level of coherency and organization within its supporting community, and Thomas Kuhn's argument concerning the resistance to new paradigms and their power to change the existing order can be used in the context of bilingual education. Bilingual education programs have the potential to create a…

After a terminological clarification, this article discusses several aspects relevant to the development of a multilingual model of second and foreign language teaching: the importance of the student's native language, the relative effectiveness of monolingual and bilingual instruction, and communicative survival and cultural competence needs in…

The central concept underlying the approach and strategies offered here is culture as process, that is, the knowledge people use in their everyday life situations. A presupposition is that all human knowledge is cultural. Conceptual patterns are identified within the learner's cognitive framework which will be of importance in teacher-learner…

A review of programs supported under the federal Alliance 2000 Project stresses the value of a variety of models for the preparation of special education personnel to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities. (DB)