The United States is home to a culturally and linguistically diverse population of young children. In 2017, 10% of U.S. learners came from homes where languages other than English are spoken. Students who are learning English in addition to their native language(s) have the opportunity to become bilingual or multilingual in school. Thus, rather…

At the intersection of social studies and world language curricula are opportunities to explore students' prior learning with vocabulary-rich content designed to support language acquisition goals. "Funds of knowledge" is defined as socio-cultural, economic, and historical knowledge from home and community settings. The instructional…

This report summarizes results from the Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Third-Grade Report. The study followed a representative sample of children (n=1,169) from their pre-k experience (2013-2014) through the third grade (2017-2018). Study components include: (1) Standardized child assessments that measure skills across learning domains. By…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District's spring 2015 English language learners' early reading performance in kindergarten through grade 2.

These maps provide an overview of existing dual language programs in the district for the 2012-2013 school year and the distribution of Spanish-speaking English language learners.

English-Spanish cognates are words that possess identical or nearly identical spellings and meanings in both English and Spanish as a result of being derived mainly from Latin and Greek. Of major importance is the fact that many of the more than 20,000 cognates in English are academic vocabulary words, terms essential for comprehending school…

A study investigated the utility of a set of Spanish-language instructional materials, "Decsubriendo la Lectura," in compensatory or remedial literacy education for Spanish-speaking elementary students. The reading recovery approach, used with English-speaking first-graders, was adapted for Spanish. Program development included…

A program in which Spanish-speaking first grade children were encouraged to write stories about subjects of interest to them, using microcomputers and composing a personal storybook, has the advantages of using little-used computers, providing a link between oral and written language, encouraging creativity in students often perceived as learning…

Taking a position that is unusual these days, New Jersey officials are promoting research that says bilingual education methods have an edge over English-only methods in teaching English-language learners to read. This article talks about the importance of bilingual education or a blended approach in the implementation of Reading First Program in…

Using play learning and real-world problem solving, an alternative Arizona program is cultivating confidence and love of learning in bilingual first-graders. Children learn by using their own language (Spanish), learning styles, and thought processes. Besides problem-solving, the "cube train" teaches estimation, number relationships,…

During the 1989-90 school year, Descubriendo la Lectura, a Spanish-language adaptation of the English Reading Recovery project was implemented in a large urban school district in Arizona. The program is designed to identify first-grade students at risk of becoming poor readers and to provide a series of intense short-term learning experiences that…

A Spanish immersion program involving 11 first graders and 16 second graders is described; and the testing, progress, parent attitudes, and changes made in the program's first two years are discussed. Students' grade-equivalent scores in reading, mathematics, and language are compared with those of one other school and the district. (MSE)

Community District Number 24 in New York City made successful inroads into meeting the educational needs of children learning English as a second language. Meeting such needs helped to contribute to the stabilization of this large residential area. Initially, the government responded to the needs of these students by providing funds for the…

This paper describes an experimental early intervention program called the Kindergarten and Elementary Intervention Program, which provides support for at-risk students, their parents, and teachers. It aims at the improvement of early school adjustment through approaches designed to accommodate a wide range of individual differences; improve and…

Describes a self-contained bilingual primary classroom in a nonsupportive school environment. Details educational practices and activities related to social and academic English, use of both languages for instruction, development of reading and writing in English and Spanish, and home-school connections. Discusses the need for staff development in…