Discusses why and how American Sign Language should be used to teach English literacy skills. It is argued that previous studies have not systematically investigated the effects of American Sign Language on the development of English. (22 references) (CB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

From a Hispanic perspective, the current educational reform movement is closely related to three other contemporaneous policy agendas that imply an increasingly ethnocentric policy environment: (1) the Immigration Reform and Control Act; (2) the English-only movement; and (3) efforts of the Department of Education to sabotage the Bilingual…

A collaborative research/school improvement project between a university, Alaskan village, and school district caused conflicts about power and ideology. The article chronicles project planning meetings, noting that the school district eventually instituted Yup'ik as a language of instruction. (SM)

Current inadequacies in addressing the instructional needs of multicultural students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) are discussed, along with language and learning style issues. Approaches for instruction and evaluation of students are suggested that take into account diverse learning styles. (Author/SW)

A pedagogical model for transitional English bilingual classrooms was developed to meet the goals of teacher training and guidance, program evaluation, and empirical validation of bilingual theories. The model defines and integrates theoretical principles useful for pedagogical application in four dimensions: activity structures, language of…

Analysis of the needs of a group of Indo-Canadian women learning literacy in Vancouver suggests that the language of instruction should be based on literate language use, the status of minority and majority languages, gender roles, perceived needs, literacy and second-language proficiency, socioeconomic stability, and program supports. (Author/CB)

Assesses Nigeria's efforts to achieve mother-tongue literacy for its citizens. Describes Nigeria's complicated sociolinguistic landscape, national language policies, and the Ife experimental project, studying the use of the mother tongue in primary schools. Points to nonlinguistic factors in educational success, including parental background,…

A discussion of the state of higher education in South Africa looks at the economic context, the structure of the higher education system, including the role of apartheid and languages (English and Afrikaans), the government's role in governance and funding, and the actual and potential roles of professional associations in education. (MSE)

Participant observations of 15 special education classrooms in 3 linguistically diverse high schools revealed that printed materials used were written in English, academically oriented, and used by students and teachers in a teacher-to-student or student-working-alone interactional structure. English was used to talk about the materials.…

Reports on research done in collaboration with classroom teachers in Arab language kindergartens to demonstrate the educational values of storybook reading. (MG)

Studies Nigerian adult literacy learners reading at about the fifth-grade level. Finds that, although each of the groups had a significant mean score gain, those instructed in a mixture of English and Hausa (1 of 394 recognized languages or dialects in Nigeria) outperformed those instructed in English only or Hausa only. (SR)

A study investigated the lexical knowledge of 40 Turkish-Dutch bilingual children aged 9 and 11 years and living in the Netherlands. Results indicate important differences between available lexical knowledge in the first language (L1) and second language (L2); children allot to L1 words less extensive and less varied meaning aspects than to L2…

Examines the victory of California's Proposition 227, which mandated English-only instruction, and two viewpoints that reflect conflicting analyses of why Proposition 227 passed. To influence future decision making, bilingual-education advocates must learn to participate more effectively in policy debate without distorting research or denouncing…

A study interviewed 360 parents in three California school districts that did exemplary jobs in informing parents of the option of requesting a waiver from English immersion requirements of Proposition 227. Results clearly show that the best informed parents in an atmosphere of complete disclosure were those who chose a waiver and bilingual…

A Massachusetts two-way bilingual education program provides initial first-language (L1) literacy development for all students, teaches half of the curriculum in L1 and half in L2 by third grade, and selectively integrates native and non-native speakers of the target language. Both target groups meet academic and linguistic goals by fifth grade.…