This paper addresses the importance of the preparation of qualified bilingual teachers and the need for certified, qualified, well-trained bilingual special education teachers. Specifically, it identifies and discusses competencies needed by bilingual special education teachers, discusses the need for reflective practice in the preparation of…

The changing demographics of today's urban schools coupled with the corresponding shortage of bilingual teachers to provide an education for language minority students means that monolingual English teachers will have to carry out content area instruction for students with limited English proficiency (LEP) in the foreseeable future. This paper…

In the complex ethnic mosaic of Macedonia, the Romani people (Roms) have maintained their separateness while at the same time functioning as an integral and accepted part of everyday Macedonian life. This paper reports that, although Roms seek to participate in Macedonian formal educational institutions using their own language, the Romani…

This set of materials consists of three research reports concerning cultural and linguistic acculturation of minority children, and information about Acculturation Quick Screen, a technique, which includes computer software, for measuring students' relative level of acculturation to the public school environment in the United States. The research…

This atlas of language vitality in China covers the majority Han (Mandarin) language and 59 officially recognized minority languages. The first section, on the Han language, gives a breakdown of its oral and written vitality overall and for eight domains (religion, schools, mass media, administration, courts, legislature, manufacturing industries,…

This article systematically reviews research on elementary reading programs for English language learners and other language minority students. It focuses on studies that compared experimental and control groups on quantitative reading measures. Among beginning reading models, research supported structured, phonetic programs emphasizing language…

This book elucidates the amazing life journeys of academically successful migrant students. Most literature on Hispanic students--especially the children of migrant farm workers who have been referred to as the "invisible children," or the children of "ghost workers"--has focused on the sociocultural factors that have contributed to their low…

In 2000, the Public Policy of Institute of California entered into an agreement with the San Diego Unified School District to provide the research and financial support to collect, format, and analyze student, teacher, and classroom data needed to create an accurate portrait of what affects student achievement in San Diego. This report is the…

Though metropolitan Boston is still one of the nation's whitest metropolitan areas, its growth is increasingly non-white and multiracial. Given the demographic trends and the high fragmentation that characterizes the metropolitan area, students are most segregated in regions where they are highly concentrated: black students in Boston, Latino and…

Recognizing the vast disparities in academic achievement throughout Arizona's public schools, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has recently started pushing for tougher standards and demanding for more school accountability. This study analyzes the ranking system implemented by the ADE that categorizes all public schools according to…

This paper provides a comparative perspective on a language minority group in the United States, offering insights into the development of language policies for a new, developing multicultural Europe. It begins with background information that frames the current policies and cultural debates about Spanish, and to a lesser degree other non-English…

This document presents four research-based papers that were the catalyst for discussions at the first Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning diversity roundtable in 1998. The goals established for this roundtable included: building participants' capacity for working with diverse populations; providing a catalyst for participants to…

The purpose of this handbook is to encourage citizenship teachers and tutors to teach in ways that will increase the likelihood that their students will pass citizenship tests and interviews. It provides an overview of the citizenship process and includes activity ideas and a discussion of the elements of good teaching on this subject. This…

The chapters in this collection provide the reader with a unified and systemic framework in which issues of excellence and equity are presented and discussed. The publication is structured to address critical issues and promising practices for linguistically and culturally diverse students in the areas of instruction, assessment, and parent…

This document establishes highly detailed benchmarks for literacy and numeracy (initial, developing, and adequate) in three phases. The guide is a series of tables detailing language competencies, literacy competencies, and conditions as well as sample tasks and examples for each of the three levels in each of the three phases. It details reading,…