This essay offers a candid overview of the past one hundred years of preK-fifth grade Spanish language teaching and learning in the United States. Among the topics addressed are numbers of programs, program models, and factors that impact the success of learners and programs.

Early years' immersion education programmes can be either monolingual or bilingual, and their objectives can range from language maintenance and/or enrichment to early second language learning, depending on the context of implementation. Here we examine some of the key issues and policy concerns relating to immersion education in the early…

This article reports on a teacher education program's preparation of bilingual paraeducators during a period of conflicting educational reform of structured English immersion in Massachusetts. Drawing on nexus analysis of discourses (R. Scollon & S. W. Scollon, 2004), we discuss factors faced by Latino educators. These include competing…

The United States is becoming an increasingly diverse culture. To function in this diverse setting, health education students need opportunities to develop cultural competence. Cultural immersion service-learning courses are one way to meet this need. Using a combination of literature review and experiences with a cultural immersion…

This article describes the significance of 3 entities--the family, the school, and the university--working together to assist young Latino children succeed in school. In an effort to increase parental and teacher communication regarding school expectations, the Family Institute for Early Literacy Development was created. It uses principles of…

The establishment and growth of Irish-medium education has been central to the revitalisation of the language in Northern Ireland in recent years. Historically, the struggle by the minority of Irish speakers in the region to provide all-Irish schools has been both the goal and the engine of renewal and expansion during a period of community and…

Washington State University has adopted a new long-term immersion model for incorporating technology into teaching in which teachers invest fewer than 20 hours over 16 weeks getting used to the idea of teaching with technology before committing themselves to using it in the classroom. This article examines the four-step approach, its…

Plunges represent a type of education that is experiential, meaningful, interesting, challenging, confidence-building, growth-inducing and rewarding for most students. They represent a significant means towards students' greater understanding and acceptance of others, as well as of enhancing self-awareness; they thus have great potential as a…

Describes the remarkable expansion of French immersion programs in Canada during the last fifteen years, stating that this "quiet revolution" of bilingualism among English-speaking Canadians has occurred in spite of various administrative, financial, pedagogical, and sociopolitical problems. Emphasizes that improvement is still needed in…

Describes a teacher training course designed to meet the differing language proficiency needs of bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language teachers, as well as the needs of teachers learning to implement content-based strategies for teaching language. (15 references) (GLR)

Discusses the increased demand for French immersion teachers, the concomitant demand for improved teacher education programs, and the joint efforts of the University of Manitoba's faculty of education and French department to create a course for senior students and practicing teachers to meet these needs. (MSE)

Describes intensive summer institutes designed for elementary and secondary school language teachers of French and Spanish. Objectives include: (1) revitalizing the participants' language capabilities, (2) increasing their knowledge of literature and culture, (3) exposing them to less traditional literature and culture, and (4) encouraging…

Overviews recent developments in immersion language programs in Australia, contrasting the Australian experience with that of other countries. Findings indicate that the most promising developments at the tertiary level are teacher education programs with content-based instruction in the target language and an emerging focus on combining intensive…

Discusses the Tri-University Conference on Languages, Literacy, and Education held at Faculte Saint Jean of the University of Alberta in October 1988. Conference goals were to discuss issues that pertain to literacy and academic achievement in minority and second-language programs and to make recommendations for teacher preparation to improve…

This paper describes the Chinle Primary School Dual Language Project in terms of both the activities of the project and the attitudes and aspirations of its bilingual teachers. Chinle Unified School District (Arizona) enrolls over 4,000 students in 7 schools; 99 percent are American Indians, and 62 percent are considered limited English proficient…