Fort Belknap College President Carole Falcon-Chandler does not fluently speak the "A'ani" (White Clay) language, but her granddaughter does. The girl, one of the 12 students in the White Clay Language Immersion School located on the college campus in Harlem, Montana, is part of the next generation of fluent A'ani speakers. The language…

This article describes a journey and a rediscovery of what it meant and means to speak from a Cree worldview. The way I was raised created my identity as a "nehiyaw" and to my having a Cree worldview; however, I lost these concepts when I started school and moved to the city. Later, in my adult years, I began re-learning my own history and…

To help students compete in a global economy, American teachers must begin teaching children a second language at an early age. Describes the advantages of learning a second language at the elementary school level, highlighting three currently-used language programs (immersion, Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools, and Foreign Language…

This article focuses on the influence that Arizona's mandated Structured English Immersion endorsement policy has on preservice teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward English language learners. By utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry, our preliminary analysis showed "the campfire effect," which is to say that…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been promoted by the European Union as a means to achieve multilingualism. While in Germany and other European countries the trend to use the L2 as a medium of instruction is increasing, in Hong Kong, however, we see a converse development. Many schools switched from English as a medium of…

The Center for School Success (CSS) at New Visions for Public Schools was founded in 1999 to document and disseminate innovative educational practices demonstrated by New Visions' schools that hold promise for increasing student achievement throughout New York City. Over the first year, CSS concentrated its initial documentation efforts on…

The Huntsville (Alabama) City Schools conduct annual Spanish-, French-, and German-language immersion workshops that move the classroom to a home or church, replace the teacher with native speakers, and extend the 55-minute period to 24 hours. (Author/JM)

Globalization has led to unprecedented interest in expanding foreign language instruction in U.S. schools, particularly at grade levels where traditionally it has not been an option. Languages that previously have been rarely taught, such as Chinese, are frequently the choice of new programs at every level in the K-12 range. As No Child Left…

English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the K-12 student population in the United States, and they are settling in areas that have never before seen such diversity. This article discusses how rural and suburban districts across the United States are moving to keep pace with their rapidly growing English language learner…

In this article, the authors discuss how Bennington College Early Childhood Center (ECC) developed a dual language program. In a dual language program, children are immersed in two languages throughout the day. Each classroom has two teachers, one speaking English, the other the second language exclusively. Children learn the second language in…

This report reviews results of research on the outcomes of French immersion students with special educational needs related to low levels of general academic ability and low levels of first language ability (and possibly impairment), as well as those of students with difficulty or who are at risk for difficulty in learning to read. Studies of the…

Welcome to the classroom of Jill Sontag and her 19 young bilingual collaborators. Join them as they simultaneously explore the world of insects and the world of language. These curious and energetic second graders are easily drawn into the realm of bugs. Encouraging them to speak in Spanish, however, is a bit more complicated. Jill uses her…

Describes the use of two-way immersion education to provide students with opportunities to understand and appreciate other countries and cultures. The main features of two-way immersion education are bilingual language instruction, cross-cultural understanding, and international exchanges. Includes case study of two-way immersion at the Alicia…

Presents a total Spanish immersion program designed to improve students' spoken Spanish and deepen their cultural awareness under the auspices of a natural and informal environment. Students and their teachers meet in the forest at the end of the week from 40 to 50 hours and converse solely in Spanish. (Author/CK)

Describes a Japanese language immersion program in a first grade class in Virginia. Participating students spend half their day learning math, science, and health from a teacher who speaks to them only in Japanese. Though there is some controversy, the program works well, with students excelling in all subjects. (SM)