In elementary classrooms, teaching immigration often begins and ends at Ellis Island--without discussions of racist migration policies or engagement with current issues. Although contemporary immigration is rarely discussed with elementary students, the number of young people from immigrant and/or refugee backgrounds in the U.S. continues to rise.…

The early 1980s saw an influx of Southeast Asian refugees from various demographic groups and backgrounds to Minnesota. As teachers, the author and her colleagues regularly added children from these groups to their classrooms, receiving little explanation of a student's history or language proficiency. To counteract increasing teacher resentment…

After a brief description of the origins and languages of the three major groups of Indochinese refugees in the United States--Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians--and short references to subgroups, 20 observations on the general cultural traits of the Indochinese are given. These observations touch on the following: the importance of harmonious…

Discusses responses of the Catholic church to the special needs of Indochinese refugees in the United States. Reviews the influence of Catholicism in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, and describes activities of itinerant ministries to Catholic refugee communities across the U.S. The church's mission must be openness and hospitality toward newcomers.…

Although the study of delinquency has previously focused on identifying individual, family, peer, and social risk and protective factors, little empirical research has studied cultural factors and their relations to delinquency. In a large community sample of 329 Chinese, Cambodian, Laotian/Mien, and Vietnamese youths, individualism was positively…

This paper summarizes the findings of a descriptive research project conducted among Southeast Asian parents in an Oregon school district, and discusses the issue of fieldwork methodology among refugee populations. The district studied had a student population of 18,000 (kindergarten through grade 12), with Southeast Asian refugees accounting for…

This article explicates the diversity within the Asian American community by focusing on Southeast and South Asian American students. Focusing on these two groups is important given their recent migration (relative to other groups) and tenuous position within Asian American research, discourse, and representation. In particular, this article…

This monograph analyzes the recruitment and retention of Asian Americans in University Affiliated Programs (UAP), which train personnel for the provision of health, education, and social services to people with developmental disabilities. It is designed to assist UAP faculty and staff at each UAP to develop a comprehensive plan to increase the…

The ESL (English as a second language) Cottage Industry Education and Employment Program was developed to provide ESL and life skills instruction to homebound and elderly refugees while, at the same time, fostering the continuation of native crafts and folklife. The program was the cooperative effort of local adult education staff, leaders and…

This paper evaluates the Seattle (Washington) School District's 5-year Bilingual Resource Service Model project. The project aimed to improve bilingual education services for elementary limited English proficient students of Chinese, Laotian/Hmong/Mien, Vietnamese, or Cambodian native language backgrounds by increasing the instructional…

This collection of essays focuses on issues in bilingual education. First, Elizabeth Flynn examines different kinds of bilingual programs; efforts made towards cultural pluralism in a number of countries; national benefits to be derived from bilingualism; the needs of American ethnic groups, new immigrants, and foreign students; and the pros and…

The purpose of this project was to develop three mailing brochures that would describe the basic cultural differences that exist among the prominent bilingual groups in Eastern Pennsylvania. These brochures could be used to enhance the vocational education environment by providing the vocational instructor working with limited English speaking…

An experimental course on Asian American women, offered by the Department of Family life at the University of Minnesota is described. The curriculum innovation was designed in response to the Asian refugee settlement in the St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, area. The undergraduate course used a 1982 anthology containing works focusing on Asian…