This article describes three big programs from Delaware where the less commonly taught languages find their home in Delaware elementary schools. Odyssey Charter School, located in Wilmington, is one of the very few Greek-language-focused public schools in the nation. The school began in 2006 as a Greek immersion program that concentrated on the…

An examination of the effectiveness of English-Ukrainian partial immersion programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba looks at research already done in five areas: student achievement in English language skills, Ukrainian language skills, academic subjects other than English or Ukrainian, students' cognitive development, and students' social…

The first year of the Japanese Language Magnet Program, an elementary school immersion program providing a total language experience in a multicultural setting, is evaluated. The evaluation study assessed the program in terms of program planning, student population, and parent involvement. Data were gathered through interviews, document analysis,…

The Hawaiian Language Immersion Program, implemented at the kindergarten/first grade level in an elementary school on Oahu and one on Hawaii, is described and evaluated. The program was instituted at the request of parents of students who had attended a Hawaiian language immersion preschool and was open to all students, regardless of ethnicity or…

This study investigated the degree of communicative competence of 8-year-old (n=45) students in five Welsh language immersion programs or Welsh-medium schools, comparing the children's skills with those of 10 native Welsh-speaking children. All were asked to retell a story show previously on video, and to participate in a group discussion task. In…

A study addressed educational and psychological issues raised by the phenomenal growth of Irish-medium pre-schools ("naionrai"). Data were gathered in surveys of almost 2,000 parents, over 170 teachers and advisors, and 225 children in 25 Irish-medium pre-schools in both "Gaeltacht" (Irish-speaking districts) and…

The Development of Bilingual Proficiency is a large-scale, five-year research project begun in 1981. The final report contains three volumes, each concentrating on specific issues investigated in the research: (1) the nature of language proficiency, including second language lexical proficiency and the development and growth of metaphor…

A review of 35 reports evaluating 27 two-way bilingual education programs is reported. All programs represented meet basic criteria for language of instruction, student characteristics, and emphasis on developing bilingualism. The review examined program characteristics and student outcomes, when available. Results are summarized in the following…