The cases of Estonia and South Africa illustrate how a lack of coherence between a language policy and that policy's implementation plan can reduce both the policy and the implementation plan to symbolic acts of no benefit to students or communities. Comparison of these countries' language-in-education plans highlights the need to examine…

These two single-subject, alternating treatment design experiments with a total of seven young children (Navajo speaking and Spanish speaking) found that receptive learning of novel words in a second language reaches a preestablished criterion in fewer trials under a bilingual compared with a monolingual condition. (Author/DB)

Contends that the Black struggle for educational equality resulted in a new perspective in multicultural education--antiracist education. Stresses that homogeneous mainstream doctrine, international hegemony of English, and political devaluing of ethnicity contributed to the marginalization of community languages instruction. Concludes that the…

Responses of 118 Cantonese-speaking students at Hong Kong English-medium secondary schools to a questionnaire indicated those factors that contribute to the ineffectiveness of the English-medium education include: (1) lack of exposure to English outside the classroom; (2) absence of the Hawthorne effect on the immersion programs; and (3)…

Supports the theory of language policy formulation in a "conflict" paradigm (involving value, resources, and power) with a case example of the development of Ontario's Native language policy. Research and theory were applied to policy formulation when there was significant consensus regarding both societal and educational goals. (CB)

Addresses the issue of language use by German bilingual pupils in a German minority school in South Jutland (Denmark). Fieldwork indicates that pupils experience difficulty with respect to competence in acquisition of standard Danish. Suggests application of model based upon English "Language Awareness" program as potential solution for…

Though the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was designed for elementary and secondary students, school districts often ignore the secondary level. The article examines various accomplishments and struggles in the field of secondary bilingual education, noting increases in the number of secondary students needing special language content area…

The Lower Kuskokwim School District in southwest Alaska developed Yup'ik language materials to support the curriculum and, trained school staff in bilingual practices. The district school in Quinhagak adopted Yup'ik as the primary language of instruction through fifth grade, taught by Yup'ik-speaking teachers. The tribal council offered support in…

Gabonese students who speak French as a second language and are educated through French, learn English using textbooks designed for students in France. Article discusses pedagogical issues, goals that Gabonese students have in learning English, and the linguistic and sociolinguistic context in which learning of English takes place. Materials used…

Teachers in a Spanish/English dual language elementary school in Tucson (Arizona) promote Spanish literacy using a school-designed program. The schoolwide, nonscripted program has been successful in supporting the transfer of reading skills from Spanish to English and in including special education students in dual language schooling. (Contains 33…

Interviews with 32 teachers in 8 California school districts examined how teachers responded to Proposition 227. Three teacher reactions were identified: outward defiance, clarification of pedagogical purpose, and anxiety in the face of change. Key factors in these reactions were teacher ideology and experiences and the course of implementation…

Discusses why the right of access to the socioeconomically dominant symbolic resource, English, is a fundamental language right of Hong Kong children. Discusses why current English curricula design and practices do not provide such access and how they can be changed to provide Hong Kong with access to an English education that is compatible with…

More than a decade ago, no one held out much hope for the poor, immigrant children at Kennedy Middle School. Nobody thinks that now. This article presents how Kennedy Middle School transformed and beat all the odds to be a "school to watch." In many ways, Kennedy Middle School has become a model of middle-grades improvement. Test scores,…

Two studies of Grade 1 reading interventions for English-language (EL) learners at risk for reading problems were conducted. Two samples of EL students were randomly assigned to a treatment or untreated comparison group on the basis of their language of instruction for core reading (i.e., Spanish or English). In all, 91 students completed the…

A fair and valid assessment for every child, as mandated by legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and the Improving America's School Act of 1994, must consider the complexity inherent in assessments for subgroups of students. Due to the rapid growth of the population of English language learners (ELLs) in the United…