Finds that 25 Spanish-dominant Mexican-American students in a transitional bilingual program for grades one-three maintained Spanish reading achievement scores above national norms, and had English reading scores that equaled or surpassed those of 118 English-dominant Mexican-American students in regular classes. Contains 28 references. (SV)

The need to improve evaluation practices in Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title VII bilingual education programs is addressed. The study examined existing efforts in bilingual program evaluations through a meta-evaluation of a sample of ESEA Title VII projects funded in 1979-80 that were representative of five regions of California.…

The promise of dual language education has spurred a movement in the field of bilingual education to shift from remedial programs to enrichment forms of bilingual education. Although research supports the effectiveness of such programs, many programs do not maintain their level of implementation and quickly revert to their original remedial form.…

This report examines the practices of vocational education programs that serve limited English-proficient (LEP) students without the benefit of federal bilingual vocational training funds. Visits were made to seven areas of the United States with large numbers of LEP persons: South Florida, Southern California, Connecticut, Metropolitan New York,…

Rossell's critique of the Walsh and Carballo (1986) study of five bilingual education programs in Massachusetts is marred by a number of problems, here identified. (BJV)

Defends the Walsh and Carballo (1986) study of five bilingual education programs in Massachusetts against Rossell's critique of the study. (BJV)

Three meta-analytic studies have shown that bilingual education is an effective method for teaching students who are English language learners. However, there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of bilingual education in preschool. This study used multiple years of data from the Manchester (New Hampshire) Even Start program and relevant…

While much has been done in the area of bilingual education since Title VII was passed in 1968, some changes in the direction of programs should be made. Advances have occurred in systematizing curriculum development, producing more materials, developing teacher competencies, and generating greater interest in bilingual education. However,…

To study impact of bilingual education programs on reading and mathematics achievement, 278 Mexican-American seventh and eighth grade students were examined over a three-year period. The effects of the following variables on posttest scores were examined: (1) pretest scores; (2) gender; and (3) group (bilingual or mainstream). (BJV)

Discusses controversy between transitional versus maintenance bilingual education programs in Spanish. Claims policy of static maintenance cannot find support in a view of linguistic competence that considers language development to be complete by adolescence and the same among individuals. Suggests developing students' home language or abandoning…

This article describes an early childhood professional development project that took place in the summer of 2005 in Guatemala City. Located in Central America, Guatemala has a population of approximately 12.3 million people, including more than two million children under the age of 5 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2007; UNICEF, 2004). Events…

This discussion of bilingual education in the United States begins with a review of the historical and political context in which it has evolved since the late 1800s. Policy issues and some research are examined here. It then outlines the theoretical and conceptual debate, focusing on four major theoretical frameworks used to justify bilingual…

This article presents a meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on English language learners. The study includes a corpus of 17 studies conducted since Willig's earlier meta-analysis and uses Glass, McGaw, and Smith's strategy of including as many studies as possible in the analysis rather than excluding some on the basis of a priori…

A study assessed the effectiveness of the Success for All Program for grade-one English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners in bilingual or ESL programs in three California elementary schools. The reading instruction program provides both native (in this case, Spanish) language support as well as English language instruction and materials. The…

The materials presented here are designed to provide background information and stimulate discussion of bilingual education in a televised town meeting held on May 9, 1996 in Sacramento, California. The meeting, one of a series, is intended as a forum for California high school students, educators, and legislators to engage in dialogue about…