Editor's Introduction: Bilingual Education as a Moral Imperative
Alfredo H. Benavides
Tempe,Arizona
April 2000
Returning from the NABE Conference
this year, I reflected on the changes that have taken place in our field
over the past quarter century. Attending this conference in recent years
I have noticed that many familiar faces in the crowd slowly and imperceptibly
changed. The faces are much younger now and I don't recognize as many
of them as before. It seems only recently that the nation took note of
the rights of children to equal educational opportunities and of bilingual
education as an important aspect of providing those opportunities. While
many of us started our academic careers with little knowledge about bilingual
education, we quickly embraced it as a truly viable weapon in this fight.
Although research was virtually non-existent, we nevertheless believed
in the basic right of people to self-determination—including their
choice of language. A corollary of this was that children were entitled
to comprehensible instruction. Arguably, for the first time in the history
of American public education language minority children have acquired
a substantial number of advocates who argue on their behalf in the public
policy arena.
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Bilingual Education: Beyond Linguistic Instrumentalization
Abdeljalil Akkari
University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
Abstract
This paper assesses the current state and potential future of bilingual education. It presents an overview of the emergence of bilingual education in various national contexts. Although bilingual education was initially implemented to address political, social, economic, and educational injustices, it instead remains a powerful instrument of mainstreaming minority-language students. It is futile to expect that bilingual education will ever lead to a multicultural society unless a restructuring of the historical, hegemonic relationship between language and culture takes place. In conclusion, the author calls attention to the need to apply the theoretical framework of critical pedagogy in order to improve bilingual education programs. The first section of this paper summarizes the global, historical context of bilingual education, followed by a brief discussion of the principles of different models of formal bilingual education. The article then focuses on the meaning of bilingual education programs for minority children. Finally, the fourth section discusses bilingual education as an opportunity to practice critical pedagogy.
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Improving the Academic Performance of Hispanic Youth: A Community Education Model
Gary G. Aspiazu Jefferson Parish Public School System and University of New Orleans
Scott C. Bauer and Mary Dee Spillett University of New Orleans
Abstract
This paper examines the creation of the Oakwood Family Education Center, a community-based education center created using the principles of liberation theology as the change strategy to attempt to improve the educational achievement of Hispanic students through community involvement and empowerment. Results from interviews with 16 parents show that lay leadership was activated at the center and that parents believe their children have benefitted academically by having the opportunity to get assistance with homework in a nurturing, community-based environment. Results suggest that Hispanic parents are willing to become active participants in educational improvements, provided that appropriate opportunities are created.
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Development of Mathematical Communication in Problem Solving Groups By Language Minority Students
Mary E. Brenner University of California, Santa Barbara
Abstract
This article is an examination of mathematical communication in two algebra classes with ESL students. Using videotaped data, the author found that students in one classroom engaged in very little mathematical communication, most of which was oriented toward simple answers and fragmented procedural descriptions. This is attributed to instructional decisions that minimized the authority and use of small groups, and students' difficulties with the mathematical register in both English and Spanish. This contrasted with the other classroom in which students engaged in extensive mathematical communication in small and large group formats. The paper discusses how small groups facilitate the development of communicative competence and the potential value of computers for stimulating discussion.
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No Habla Inglés: Exploring A Bilingual Child's Literacy Learning Opportunities in A Predominantly English-Speaking Classroom
Cynthia H. Brock & Mary Birgit McVee The University of Nevada, Reno
Angela M. Shojgreen-Downer Michigan State University
Leila Flores Dueñas The University of New Mexico
Abstract
In this investigation, we explore the nature of language-based social interactions of a Spanish-speaking child (pseudonym Adriana) in her predominately English-speaking classroom. In particular, this study examines ways in which a monolingual English_speaking teacher (the first author) and her research colleagues critically analyzed classroom discursive practices in the first author's third-grade classroom with an eye toward exploring Adriana's literacy learning opportunities in that classroom.
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Profile of a Group of "Successful" Bilingual Senior High School Students
Rosemary Foster University of Manitoba
Abstract
Student enrollment in French immersion programs in Canada is declining (Commissioner of Official Languages, 1997). This article addresses the issue of attrition and retention in secondary school bilingual programs through the presentation of a descriptive profile of a group of "successful" French immersion high school students. The construction of this profile is supported by the major findings of a qualitative study that investigated reasons why a group of Anglophone students of varying abilities made the decision to continue and complete their high school studies in French immersion (Foster, 1992). By offering this perspective of "success," the contention here is congruent with what other researchers have claimed (Johnson & Swain, 1997; Tardif & Weber, 1987); consideration must be given to factors other than academic achievement and program limitations when probing the issue of participation levels in this bilingual alternative in high school programming.
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Un Estudio de Evaluación Educativa Manipulativos en el Aprendizaje de las Matemáticas con Estudiantes Hispanos Adquiriendo Inglés Académico como Segunda Lengua
Rafael Lara Alecio, Richard Parker, Claudia Aviles, Samantha Mason Texas A&M University
Beverly J. Irby Sam Houston State University
Sumario
El propósito de este estudio fue examinar el uso de manipulativos de instrucción basado en tareas de matemáticas como una forma alternativa de evaluar la metodología en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje con estudiantes Hispanos en proceso de adquisición del inglés como segunda lengua. Cuarenta y cinco estudiantes del nivel educativo parvulario y de los grados segundo y tercero de educación bilingüe en los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica participaron en este estudio. Se administraron un total de 14 tareas basadas en el empleo de manipulativos para la enseñanza de las matemáticas. Se volvió a examinar cada tarea en un período de 2-3 semanas. Cada tarea se calificó en cuatro escalas: (1) Entendimiento conceptual, (2) uso eficiente en la estrategia a seguir, (3) precisión, y (4) fluidez. La presente investigación estudió los temas siguientes: (a) La confiabilidad en la re-examinación, (b) la dificultad de la tarea y relación entre las sub-escalas, y (c) la relación con el dominio de ambos idiomas. Se presentan posibles respuestas a cada pregunta con la salvedad de que estos resultados provienen de una muestra pequeña diseñada con el propósito de una exploración. Para el propósito de generalizar, se precisa una réplica del presente estudio con la participación de un número significativo de participantes.
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A Case Study of Parental Involvement in a Conversion From Transitional to Dual Language Instruction
Robert A, Peña Arizona State University
Abstract
This case study examines the socio-political context of a K-8 public elementary school. In particular, the interchanges that occurred between the school and the parents involved in developing a dual language school program are examined. Findings indicate that school personnel and parents were routinely involved in planning and developing a move to dual language at first, and that these individuals opted for philosophies, practices, and procedures geared toward making dual language students appear normal. As the program developed, parent satisfaction and involvement declined. Teachers, administrators, and staff generally seemed good-natured and easy going, but "distant," according to parents. The practitioners addressed the demands and objectives of the intended change but interacted with the parents in such a way as to appear detached and removed. The parents suggested that school personnel were taking steps to address school issues, and that while they acknowledged the needs and interests of parents, the teachers and administrators appeared to be involved but not in such a way as to support family values.
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Exito Bilingüe: Promoting Spanish Literacy In A
Dual Language Immersion Program
Patrick H. Smith University of Arizona Universidad de las Américas-Puebla
Elizabeth Arnot-Hopffer Davis Bilingual Magnet School
Abstract
In this article, the authors describe how teachers in a Spanish/English dual language elementary school in Tucson, Arizona promote Spanish literacy using a school-designed program, Exito Bilingüe. Based on ongoing work and participant observation with dual language students and teachers, the authors show how dual language schooling has evolved at the school, and how the model currently in use compares to case studies in the literature in terms of program goals, type, and distribution of languages of instruction. The components of Exito Bilingüe, a school wide, multi-age, non-scripted Spanish literacy program, and its implementation are described and preliminary results are discussed. The authors find support for the transfer of reading skills from Spanish to English and for the inclusion of exceptional education students in dual language schooling. They argue that, contrary to the promises of commercially prepared, scripted reading curricula, dual language readers are best served by teachers working together to design literacy instruction to meet local conditions and learner needs.
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Class Placement of Elementary School Emerging Bilingual Students
Kip Téllez University of Houston
Abstract
The present study tracks course placement and achievement from a large data set of "LEP" elementary students. The results indicate that the course placement for many students is uneven and unlikely to support the goals of bilingual or ESL education. For instance, many native Spanish-speaking students who began their schooling in a bilingual education classroom were later placed in ESL classes, then placed back into bilingual education, resulting in language learning disruptions. An analysis of achievement data suggests improper placement may result in lower achievement. However, it is argued that the general data collected by schools does not currently render much useful evaluation of bilingual or ESL education.
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Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga:
The Development of an Indigenous Language Immersion School
Barbara Harrison University of Waikato
Abstract
In the early 1980s, the Maori people of New Zealand began a dynamic language revitalization movement. The establishment of Maori immersion programs in state funded schools constituted one major aspect of the movement. This article describes the development of the Maori language immersion program in one New Zealand school for children ages 5 to 17. In 1985, the first immersion classroom of 5-year-olds was established. Immersion classrooms were added year by year as the first class of children progressed through primary school, junior high, and high school. The first class completed the final year of high school in 1997, and students entered polytechnics or university programs in 1998. The article briefly summarizes the historical background, cultural context, and program of the school. Indicators of school performance, including student achievement on national examinations, are considered. The findings are examined in terms of a selection of the research and theoretical literature. This case study has implications for researchers and educators who are working in indigenous language schooling and for those who are interested in theoretical explanations relating to the success or failure of minority students in school.
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