Recent crede_edupractrpts items

Leading for Diversity: How School Leaders Promote Positive Interethnic Relations

Wed, 8 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

This book provides models of leadership that are effective in developing schools where positive interethnic relations can flourish. Vignettes and case studies allow readers to assess and develop their leadership skills in interethnic relations by recognizing and developing their strengths, assessing how organizational structures support or constrain positive relations, understanding the nature of ethnic tension in the school, identifying the school's priority needs, developing a core vision of interethnic relations, creating and implementing a plan for promoting positive relations, and documenting the effectiveness of the plan. Part 1, "A Framework for Developing Positive Interethnic Communities," includes; (1) "Leading from Within"; (2) "Assessing the School Context"; (3) "Understanding Racial and Ethnic Conflict"; (4) "Identifying Priority Needs--Individual and School-Wide"; (5) "Envisioning Positive Interethnic Relations"; (6) "Selecting Approaches"; (7) "Implementing and...

Two-Way Immersion 101: Designing and Implementing a Two-Way Immersion Education Program at the Elementary Level

Wed, 8 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

In the United States, two-way immersion (TWI) is an educational approach that integrates native English speakers and native speakers of another language (usually Spanish) for content and literacy instruction in both languages. In recent years, the number of TWI programs has grown rapidly. This report examines key issues to consider when planning elementary level TWI programs, noting the fundamental characteristics that must be in place for the development of successful programs. Suggestions are based on over 15 years of research on TWI education conducted by the Center for Applied Linguistics. Much of the research involves visiting and working with new and experienced programs and learning first-hand about features necessary for a strong program. TWI education is a dynamic form of education that holds promise for developing high levels of academic achievement, bilingualism and biliteracy, and cross-cultural awareness among participating students. Because it requires instruction...

Educating Hispanic Students: Obstacles and Avenues to Improved Academic Achievement

Wed, 8 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

This report synthesizes the research on the education of Hispanic students, summarizing these problems and suggesting possible solutions for approaching them.

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol: A Tool for Teacher-Researcher Collaboration and Professional Development

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Professional development for teachers is a complex and multifaceted endeavor and is becoming more so as popularity grows for standards-based education. Teachers generally report feeling pressure to cover the curriculum at nearly any cost. For English language learners, the cost is greater than usual as teachers often inadvertently pay less attention to the language needs of these students in content courses. The project described in this report was designed with the belief that teacher professional growth can best be fostered through sustained collaborative inquiry between teachers and researchers. It has set out to incorporate what we know about quality professional development with the special features needed to meet the needs of English language learners.

The purpose of the research project was to develop an explicit model of sheltered instruction that teachers could use to improve the academic success of their LEP students. The project has defined a model of sheltered...

Broadening the Base: School/Community Partnerships Serving Language Minority Students at Risk

Sun, 23 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Language minority students, including immigrants and the U.S.-born children of immigrants, may have to contend with a mismatch between the language and culture of their schools and those of their homes and communities. To broaden the base of support for these students and to help address their academic needs appropriately, some schools have been partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs). This report outlines findings from a study of school/CBO partnerships that promote the academic achievement of language minority students. It describes the types of CBOs that partner with schools, the ways that partners work together, and the work that they do. Crucial elements of program success are discussed, as well as challenges that partnerships may face. There are recommendations from experienced partners that may benefit new partnerships.

Implementing Two-Way Immersion Programs in Secondary Schools

Sun, 23 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Elementary two-way immersion (TWI) programs continue to proliferate throughout the United States, but the number of successfully implemented secondary TWI programs remains small. Many districts with TWI cohorts that are reaching the upper elementary grades must now make complex decisions about whether and how to extend their programs into middle school and high school. For this report, telephone interviews were conducted with project coordinators from seven schools that have secondary TWI programs. Their responses provide a preliminary sense of the key challenges confronting TWI programs operated above the elementary level along with some experience-based options for meeting these challenges. Issues addressed include program planning; language distribution, curriculum and materials; student participation and motivation; attrition and late entries; student scheduling; teams, clusters, and houses; staffing; transportation; and parent involvement. A general overview of each program...

Successful Transition into Mainstream English: Effective Strategies for Studying Literature

Sun, 23 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

This is one of a series of reports on various aspects of a multi-year Spanish-to-English language arts transition curriculum that seeks to promote first and second language acquisition and academic achievement in the early grades. After providing an overview of the multi-year transition program, this report focuses on how an 8-week literature unit—the intensive study of a carefully chosen literature text—is conducted.

The following four fundamental theoretical premises that undergird the project are described: (1) challenge, (2) comprehensiveness, (3) continuity, and (4) connections between students' existing knowledge and the academic content to be learned.

Four strategies found to be effective and the corresponding tools used are as follows:

(1) Build students' background knowledge. Background-building lessons and activities support the literature unit and provide a means to integrate language arts and social studies. Students complete supplemental reading...

Personalizing Culture Through Anthropological and Educational Perspectives

Sun, 23 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

This report is written primarily for teachers and teacher educators who, in their teaching, curricula, and relationships with students, are struggling with fundamental cultural questions: Who are my students? What kinds of cultural influences shape their lives? How do they — and I, as their teacher — shape and construct this culture on an ongoing basis? What are my own cultural assumptions and how do they influence my teaching?

Much has been written about how schools should respond to the needs of diverse learners and how teachers should alter curricula and teaching practices to accommodate them. We do not intend to reiterate what has already been accomplished in this area. Rather, this report covers ground that we think has been less well covered — namely, the personalization of culture and how it can enhance teaching and learning. These pages represent a distillation of ideas and strategies shared in 1996 at a two-day institute for teachers and anthropologists.1

Many...

Program Alternatives for Linguistically Diverse Students

Wed, 30 Oct 2002 00:00:00 +0000

This report looks at programs and approaches for educating students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is intended as a guide for decision makers in schools and school districts to help them identify the instructional approaches and programs that would best serve their students, meet their goals and needs, and match local resources and conditions. An underlying assumption of this report is that no single approach or program model works best in every situation. Many different approaches can be successful when implemented well. Local conditions, choices, and innovation are critical ingredients of success.

We discuss four program alternatives that are currently available to meet the diverse and complex needs of English language learners: (1) newcomer programs, (2) transitional bilingual education,...