Discusses the past history of German instruction in Alsatian schools and focuses on a recent and new development--the introduction of bilingual instruction (in French and English) in a series of pre-elementary and elementary schools, public as well as private. (Author/JL)

Discusses the questionable survival of minority languages worldwide and of the Celtic languages in the United Kingdom. Examines governmental policies concerning the teaching and school use of Welsh, Scots Gaelic, and Irish Gaelic in their respective regions. Outlines some general principles to guide policies related to minority language…

Examined efforts to promote bilingualism in a course for prospective teachers, Education of Bilingual Children: Theory and Practice, focusing on how student teachers grappled with the complex relationship between research, policy, and practice within bilingual education. Analysis of five types of literacy events indicated that students experienced…

The book reviewed presents a thorough literature review supporting the use of children's first languages in schooling. Criticisms of the book relate to the equation of fluency with academic language and the implication that academic language holds a superior position to other language registers. Discussion of transformative pedagogy fails to…

This ethnographic study examines the local enactment of literacy practice in the new policy context created by California's Proposition 227. Considers the influence of the law on two elementary schools in a rural district that allowed schools to choose how they would implement Proposition 227. Analysis explores the connection between the…

In recent years, numerous educational programmes have been developed that have been aimed at raising the academic achievement and wider participation of Pasifika students in New Zealand society. One example of this, which has to date only been explored at local school level, is bilingual/immersion education. The arguments underlying this paper are…

Arizona's Proposition 203 places restrictions on bilingual and English-as-a-second-language programs and essentiality mandates English-only education for English language learners (ELLs). This article provides an analysis of this initiative and the wide variations in its interpretation and implementation. Data sources include official policy and…

This article asks two basic questions about educational policy and practice for English-language-learner (ELL) students: First, antibilingual education initiatives imply a subtractive view of teaching and learning; what are parents' views and/or beliefs regarding these policies? Second, how do these views and/or beliefs align with research and…

This booklet identifies several crucial problems in Alaska Native education, for example: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) occur in Alaska Native populations at relatively high rates and can produce mental retardation, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and learning disabilities; (2) while many Native rural school…

Questions about the appropriate approach to bilingual or multilingual education are discussed. It is noted that bilingualism was formerly reserved for the elite but that bilingual education should be available to all since it promotes a better understanding of world differences. A few examples (Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Belgium, and…

A 1990 Task Force report outlined the problem of the high dropout rate (40-60 percent) among Idaho's Hispanic-American students. This follow-up report presents state goals related to preventing Hispanic students from dropping out and makes specific recommendations to accomplish each goal. State-level goals are strong leadership, adequate funding,…

This UNESCO bulletin includes reports that focus on diagnoses and strategies that ratify the validity of the goals set by the Major Project in the Field of Education in the Latin American and Caribbean Region. Four articles are featured: "Literacy, Human Rights and Democracy" (Jose Rivero H.); "Primary Schooling and Illiteracy in…

New York City has implemented all-day kindergarten programs, reduced the size of primary grade classes, and proposed that the public schools provide pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds by 1989. In the process of program implementation, much has been learned about large-scale efforts aimed at young children. It is known that simply realigning…

The problem of educational policy for language minorities, particularly those minorities who might be considered oppressed, include the right to education in the minority language. Rights properly considered also carry with them obligations; in this case, minority language speakers would have obligations toward the language of the majority. Two…

None of the current issues in education have much to do with education; they are politically, socially, or economically based, and opinions tend to be presented as facts. For example illiteracy statistics are inflated. Virtually all children have the opportunity to learn to read and write at school, and the majority of them do. Neither is the…