According to federal survey data, there are 4.5 million English-language learners (ELLs) enrolled in U.S. public schools (preK?12), nearly one-third more than in 1997?98. Given this fast-growing number of linguistically and culturally diverse children, principals are dealt an increasingly urgent responsibility: to lead their schools in helping all…

The primary focus of this report is to examine the effect that immigrant status and home language background may have on the performance of Australian students who participated in the OECD/Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000). Approximately 5,477 students from 231 schools across Australia participated in the study. In this…

This report presents factors to consider in the design of computer-based testing for all students, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. It also provides a process for the initial transformation of paper/pencil assessments to inclusive computer-based testing. Steps include: (1) assemble a group of…

This book presents a collection of papers on the rights of indigenous students to an equal education. The 15 chapters include: (1) "Gathering Together To Travel to the Source: A Vision for a Language and Culture-Based Educational Model" (Maenette Kape'ahiokalani Padeken Ah Nee-Benham and Joanne Elizabeth Cooper); (2) "Building a Child-Centered…

This publication is a printed version of 54 Web documents as they were at the end of March 2002. It includes selected lists of school textbooks, dictionaries, grammars, grammatical descriptions, and folklore collections in and on 54 indigenous minority languages of Russia, many of which are endangered. The 54 languages are arranged in the…

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) brought to the Canadian education system the right to instruction in the minority language. However, it is the province that must establish the appropriate school structures for exercise of that right. The study reported here outlines the current situation in the Canadian provinces and territories…

Twelve teachers of the gifted who serve elementary English learners participated in focus groups designed to glean practitioner knowledge concerning effective approaches. Participating teachers characterized gifted English learners as enthusiastic, high-level thinkers. They recommended strategies consistent with identified needs and with the…

Examined how one second language learner answered questions in a mainstream second grade classroom, analyzing two conflicting "language games." Results found that the second language learner was often adept at "passing" as knowing, but that he achieved this identity-preserving expertise at the expense of an understanding of…

Examined interactions between limited English proficient students and their native English speaking science teachers, investigating the effect of teacher input on students' access to classroom speech events. Data from classroom discussions, observations, and interviews indicated that differentiation in students' opportunities to take turns varied…

Although challenges faced by refugee children in English schools are those faced by all students, theirs are exacerbated by their refugee status. Particular problems are those of student migration, language, culture, home and school relationships, the pastoral aspect of school care, and the need for time to deal with the child as an individual.…

Assessments of a 6-year-old Spanish monolingual and 5-year-old bilingual children included a home-language survey, parents' and teachers' ratings, cartoon conservation scales, and standardized tests. Nonverbal cognitive development was shown to influence language acquisition. Cultural and linguistic factors affected children differently. (SK)

Traces the Bilingual Education Act's (BEA) evolution from its inception (1968) through its most recent reauthorization (1994) as the primary federal legislative effort to provide equal educational opportunity to language minorities. Discusses assimilation versus multiculturalism as a philosophical basis for education reforms, litigation preceding…

Describes the Bilingual Integrated Curriculum Project (BICOMP), an approach to multicultural science education that uses activities that minority communities are familiar with and feel comfortable with as the basis for teaching English and grade-level concepts as parents share traditional knowledge and primary language skills. Examples illustrate…

Argues for need to move beyond model of "parental" involvement in reading, which presently informs home/school reading programmes for linguistic-minority children in UK. First examines literature informing current model showing marked absence of studies on role played by siblings as mediators of literacy in new linguistic and cultural…

A study involving 373 elementary teachers examined whether perceptions of the characteristics of gifted students in general differed from perceptions of gifted students classified as Hispanic limited-English proficient. Teachers perceived a similar order of importance for the characteristics of both groups but relative importance differed…