This paper examines the amount and type of resources that linguistic minority students--those students who come from households where a language other than English is spoken--need to meet the same challenging standards and to have the opportunity to achieve the same educational outcomes as other students. In this paper we first describe the nature…

Schools of education typically prepare their prospective teachers to work with amorphous "average students"--who are by implication middle class, native, English speaking, and White. They are then given some limited opportunities to adapt these understandings to students with diverging profiles--children of poverty, second language learners, and…

Data-based analysis of the language situation among the Circassian ethnic minority group is presented in this paper. All internal, external, ethnopolitical, sociolinguistic and demographic factors influencing this situation are examined. It is argued that although most empirical evidence indicates a gradual process of ethnic language attrition and…

Among linguistic minorities of industrial nations proficiency speaking the dominant national language increases earnings and wages, but do similar results apply to autarkic linguistic minorities of developing nations? We contribute to studies of the returns to language skills by applying the human-capital approach to a society of hunters,…

The Linguistic Human Rights (LHRs) paradigm is motivated by the desire to combat linguistic discrimination, where speakers of discriminated languages find themselves unable to use their preferred language in society at large. However, in an increasingly globalised world where speakers may feel the need or the desire to travel across state…

This paper uses ethnographic observation and in-depth interview to look at the ways in which an English-dominant school in California, USA inhibits the fulfilment of the goals of its dual immersion "strand" programme. Taking a Bakhtinian perspective on discourses, and leaning on Bourdieu's concept of "linguistic capital", the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions Latino eighth grade students have of school and schooling factors as they transition to high school and the factors that may influence their self-perceived likelihood of graduating from high school. Middle schools are poised to help Latino students prepare themselves for a smoother…

This report examines trends in the characteristics of the U.S. language minority population from 1979 through 1999. It examines changes in the numbers and proportion of the language minority population compared to the total U.S. population 5 to 24 years old and also discusses changes in the language minority population by language subgroups and…

Since the writing section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) computer based test (CBT) is a single-prompt essay test, it is very important to ensure that each prompt is as fair as possible to any subgroups of examinees, such as those with different native language backgrounds. A particular topic of interest in this study is the…

This guide contains specific comments and insights concerning the application of a standards-based evaluation and accountability system in schools and school districts that enroll significant concentrations of language minority and immigrant students. The guide introduces key concepts associated with the development and maintenance of a…

This paper examines the determinants and consequences of immigrant/linguistic concentrations (enclaves), discussing reasons for the formation of those concentrations. It develops hypotheses regarding "ethnic goods" (market and non-market goods and services consumed by members of an immigrant/ethnic group that are not consumed by others), the…

This study evaluated the impact of an urban school district's English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program on 317 participating K-12 language minority students. The study used the Language Assessment Scale (LAS) to examine students' English proficiency after participating in the yearlong program. The LAS measures language skills necessary to succeed…

The bibliography contains 159 annotated citations for works of various kinds relating to the use of extensive reading in second, foreign, and heritage language instruction. An introductory section describes the origins of the citations and construction and use of the bibliography. Citations contain basic bibliographic information and annotations…

This quarterly journal serves literacy programs by sharing information of a practical and theoretical nature with literacy field workers. Articles in this volume include the following: "Long Words" (Ursula Weisemann); "Introduction to Bilingual Schooling Typology through Three Examples" (Scott McCracken); "The Challenge of…

The European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL) seeks to conserve and promote the lesser used autochthonous languages of the European Union, together with their associated cultures. Articles in this volume include the following: "Iurosgoil 99 A Wonderful Experience"; "Law Proposals in Sweden"; "New EBLUL…