Using research from two eleventh-grade U.S. history classrooms in the San Francisco area, this article examines how students draw on their lived experiences to create historical meanings. Specifically, a three-day lesson on "Mendez v. Westminster" was used as part of a curricular intervention to explore the following question: How do…

Words are more than a string of sounds and letters that denote a particular meaning. Linguistic anthropologist Judith T. Irvine contends that speaking is a social activity where the relationship of language, culture, and society is enacted (249). Linguist Deborah Cameron defines language ideology in "Verbal Hygiene" as the notions,…

In an effort to identify factors contributing to the poor achievement levels of American Indian students, a sample of juniors and seniors from the Albuquerque Indian School (AIS is a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school) were administered the following tests: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); Iowa Test of Educational Development…