Language education policy has been a controversial and ongoing issue throughout the U.S., particularly in the state of Texas. This paper reports on a frame analysis of the five bills that amended the Texas Education Code to implement or expand bilingual education and English as a second language programs. Analysis focused on problems and solutions…

This quasi-experimental study tested the efficacy of a research-based biliterate reading strategy, Lotta Lara, that is part of a larger paired literacy instructional program. Its purpose was to investigate whether Lotta Lara, which focuses on reading fluency, comprehension, and oracy through whole group instruction, impacted first grade emerging…

This paper describes the development of Board policy on the reporting, release, and dissemination of National Assessment results and other relevant information. Through selected scenarios, it also illustrates the kinds of issues that required action by the Board. These issues have included concerns about the testing and reporting of English…

It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

Most information on the teaching of ESL/LEP [English as a Second Language/Limited English Language] students is directed towards elementary students and academic areas other than science. Secondary science teachers need research and information on teaching ESL/LEP students. Secondary science educators in the Louisville Metropolitan area were…

The purpose of the study is to examine 27 immigrant teachers' understanding of teaching Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Students. The participants were asked to respond to the 18-item survey of Teacher Efficacy of English Language Learners. The implications of the findings for the cultural differences in teacher efficacy are discussed. Appended…

Research on the learner's role as an active participant in the teaching/learning process suggests that modified content instruction holds promise for influencing the development of second language skills. This research indicates that the effectiveness of learning depends on how the student thinks about the new task as well as on the way in which…

This paper examines problems in U.S. English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs, focusing on the stories of three Chinese ESL learners from immigrant families. All three of these people had been long-term ESL students in New York City (they had been enrolled in ESL programs for 4-8 years but had not mastered the cognitive and academic skills in…

The competency testing movement will yield few improvements in the schools and will create arbitrary barriers to progress for some students. Although it may stimulate educational improvement for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students, as for other students, by giving cohesion to the curriculum, guiding scarce resources for remediation,…

The Kidtalk Interactive Diagnostic Test of Aptitude for Language Knowledge (KIDTALK) is an assessment instrument designed for identifying children with specific language impairments not associated with limited English proficiency. It is based on three principles: (1) a language disorder can be identified by testing an individual's potential for…

Five common assumptions are held by teachers about learners: (1) adults should choose what children need to learn; (2) oral language must be mastered before written language can be introduced; (3) real, whole language is too difficult for students learning language; (4) language learning is different in different languages, and simultaneous…

This paper presents several aspects of the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program for refugees as it was developed at the Bilingual Educational Institute (BEI), an organization that provides refugee and ESL services in the Houston, Texas area. Background information is provided on the development of the current RSS and ESL classes and the…

The paper explores issues in educating young children from minority language backgrounds who exhibit a special need. An overview of language development and use reviews the need for four types of skills and knowledge: grammatical or linguistic command of a language, sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence.…

This paper argues for the "nurture" side of the "nature versus nurture" debate of the nature of intelligence. It argues for the theory of multiple intelligences in relation to sociocultural and cognitive perspectives of second language learning. A brief historical overview of intelligence is presented, and classroom practices that lead to…

Research on themes that offer practical and theoretical bases for teaching language and content simultaneously is discussed. Three theoretical perspectives are cited that are relevant to this approach: the input hypothesis (Krashen's monitor model), the bilingual proficienty theories (Cummins' language proficiency model and the views of its…