Despite the importance of the integration of English language learners with native English speakers for social, academic, and linguistic purposes, few models of integrated bilingual education, other than two-way immersion programs, exist. This article describes one district's effort to design a K-5 late-exit bilingual program with an integration…

This study investigated the effects of two types of bilingual programs (two-way and transitional) on the academic performance and attitudes of fifth-grade students who entered kindergarten or first grade with different levels of English proficiency. A mixed methods design with both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analyses phases…

The information gained from analysis of bilingual students' writing can be used to inform instruction that helps students improve their writing in Spanish and English. The writing of one native Spanish-speaking third grader is analyzed, and instructional strategies are given for helping the writer improve content and mechanics. (Author/TD)

The purpose of this study was to understand relationships between English proficiency and academic performance for a group of English language learners (ELLs) from 4 elementary schools. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine scores from the Language Assessment Scales, the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey, and the Colorado…

Anxiety can impede language learning. By using the Community Language Learning method, a teacher helped young Spanish-language learners in Puerto Rico break through almost impenetrable social and psycholinguistic barriers that threatened their capability of learning a new language. This method focuses on strategies that reduce anxiety as the…

Analysis of the talk of four native Spanish-speaking third graders revealed the many reading and conversational strategies used as they cooperatively composed an answer to a reading comprehension question in Spanish. Demonstrates how students took a position on story interpretation, used evidence to support their positions, and came to the…

Examines the effects of training Spanish-speaking parents in read-aloud techniques on the Spanish vocabulary development of their children aged five and six. Although not statistically significant, the results seem to favor the group that received training for five weeks versus a control group. The training increased parental involvement and had…

Extensive interviews examined how school processes influenced home language practices of 45 Latino families in Canada. Parents felt that Spanish maintenance fostered family unity, Latino identity, and professional advancement, but assimilative pressures sometimes caused doubts about openly speaking Spanish at home. Strategies parents used to…

The Office of Civil Rights (2001) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Antunez, 2003) mandate that language proficiency and academic achievement be measured in order to provide equal educational opportunities to English language learners and have an accountability system for their language and academic growth. The Cognitive Academic Language…

A Massachusetts elementary two-way bilingual education program represents a democratic, efficient approach to the education of two distinct language groups by balancing second-language instruction in English and Spanish and by integrating the two student populations. Discusses program goals, team teaching, classroom setting, program structure,…

A study examined Spanish-speaking children's attitudes about being and staying bilingual. Classroom observations and interviews with 15 fifth-grade students, 12 parents, and 2 teachers at a Texas elementary school indicated that despite being in a supportive bilingual environment, students believed they would have to struggle to maintain their…

A study examined 13 bilingual Spanish-speaking children's perceptions of their bilingualism and biliteracy through conversations, collages, and drawings. The children felt the usefulness of becoming biliterate to be embedded in altruistic helping relations with family members and other monolingual speakers. Identity issues surfaced for all the…

Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) results in third- and fourth-grade reading and writing, 1999-2001, were compared for Latinos taking the English or Spanish CSAP and all Colorado students. Latino students had equivalent or higher scores on the Spanish CSAP compared to the English CSAP, but had lower scores than all students, regardless of…

A Massachusetts two-way bilingual education program provides initial first-language (L1) literacy development for all students, teaches half of the curriculum in L1 and half in L2 by third grade, and selectively integrates native and non-native speakers of the target language. Both target groups meet academic and linguistic goals by fifth grade.…

A study examined the value of teaching inquiry science in elementary classrooms where students' home language was Spanish. Bilingual interns taught children in 62 El Paso (Texas) classrooms, half in Spanish and half in English. Findings indicate that language skills in both languages increased, new science concepts were understood, and there was…