This study employed survey methodology to examine the beliefs of Head Start educators about bilingualism, dual language development, and bilingual education and explored relationships between demographic variables and beliefs. Participants came from two large cities in California, a state that until very recently had a restrictive language policy…

In 2001, California instituted a statewide test measuring English proficiency for English learners, students who are not proficient in English. In 2003 and 2004, nearly 500,000 English learners in grades 1-5 took this test each year. The relationship between bilingual education receipt and English proficiency is estimated using value-added…

This article introduces two innovative teacher preparation programs that emphasize inclusive education at San Francisco State University. The Combined Elementary and Special Education program has as its main goal to provide specialized cross training for special and general educators who work in highly diverse inclusive public school settings. The…

Finds that, among 2100 Hispanic elementary students in a four-stage bilingual program, primary language achievement, instructional level, and oral English performance were important indicators of English reading achievement scores and readiness for reclassification to an all-English program. Contains 17 references and 9 tables. (Author/SV)

Analyzes limited English proficiency (LEP) program costs in 15 representative California elementary schools. Personnel, classroom, resource, and administrative costs were analyzed for five program models (bilingual early exit, bilingual late exit, double immersion, English as a Second Language, and sheltered English). Across all models, the total…

Despite claims that structured immersion programs for language minority students cannot work for low-income students, two immersion projects with low-income Hispanic and Asian children worked; their effects appeared to endure even after students entered the mainstream. (BJV)

This study documented the critical practices of four bilingual elementary teachers through ethnographic methods. The research questions focused on their definitions of critical pedagogy and on the influence of the teachers' biographies and school environment on their practices. Data collection at two California Bay Area schools included individual…

An ethnographic case study investigated relations between teachers and parents of minority-language students in two elementary schools in a small California agricultural community. The study examined: (1) school district policies and guidelines concerning teacher interactions with parents and parent involvement in school activities; (2) the range…

This is a report of a case study, in the anthropological tradition, of an elementary school with a bilingual-bicultural program. The research was carried out in 1978. The school is in a community of 45,000 located close to the California-Mexican border. Eighty-seven percent of the pupil population are of Hispanic background, 10 percent are Anglo,…

A few Structured English Immersion programs have been developed and tested in the past two decades. The experience of these programs, especially Seattle's, can provide much-needed guidance to California's schools and reformers of bilingual programs. Although not necessarily an all-English program, SEI employs the original language less extensively…

A 4-year science education project in a rural southern California elementary school involved kit- and inquiry-based science instruction, including the use of science notebooks. Evaluations of fourth- and sixth-grade students in the program for 0-4 years found that English-learners with longer program participation had increased achievement scores…

Describes the experiences of one California elementary school teacher who, after being involved in bilingual education, helped author a referendum to eliminate bilingual education as practiced in California, replacing it with sheltered English immersion and regular English classes. He notes failures in bilingual education and discusses successes…

A study of whole language teaching in urban heterogeneous classrooms was undertaken to identify teacher student classroom discourse patterns. Using the Gutierrez Index of Coding Schema researchers identified three discourse scripts in the 14 bilingual and multicultural classrooms in Southern California under investigation. These were: the…

Describes the development of a Title VII bilingual program in a California community where Hispanics constitute 46 percent of the population. Examines change strategies used over a ten-year period of renewal. (NEC)

This article updates the Culver City Spanish Immersion Program. Research results for the third year of the program (1973-74) are summarized, and research in progress during the 1974-75 year is discussed. The article closes with a discussion of a series of research issues for investigation, issues in many ways prompted by already completed…