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This chapter examines trends and issues related to the identification and recruitment of migrant children and youth for the Migrant Education Program (MEP). The MEP is federally funded and implemented by the states. Requirements and definitions of student eligibility and the functions of state MEP programs are spelled out in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was reauthorized in 2002 as the No Child Left Behind Act. To meet these requirements, states have devised varying methods of student identification and recruitment (ID&R). While not all states have taken a strong initiative in ID&R, five trends show great promise: (1) increased interstate and intrastate communication and resource sharing; (2) detailed clarification of eligibility criteria by the U.S. Office of Migrant Education; (3) more flexible application and reporting mechanisms for federally funded programs, which encourage local school-based and district ID&R innovations; (4) streamlined processes to target students most at risk of not achieving content and performance standards; and (5) increased technical assistance and training, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and made accessible to more people by new communications technologies. The knowledge and skills needed by successful recruiters are briefly listed, and several models for ID&R operations and administration are described, based on their locus of control: ID&R focused on a whole state, a region of a state, or a community, or external systems supporting any such efforts. (SV)

This chapter is part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District and the university, with an enrollment representative of Corpus Christi's population. This chapter focuses on the process of collaboration between faculty at the ECDC and the Zavala Special Emphasis School (SES). The collaboration was an effort to replicate the regular education 3-year-old program at the ECDC and expand early start opportunities to an additional 44 low-income children in the school district. More specifically, the chapter addresses how collaboration served to develop and implement an early childhood program, the Zavala Early Childhood Development Center, to: (1) advance early childhood education through comprehensive high-quality teaching and research efforts specifically designed to meet the needs of 3-year-old children in the Zavala SES attendance zone; (2) provide professional development opportunities for inservice and preservice teachers; (3) promote literacy and community health initiatives; and (4) promote dual-language literacy development. (Contains 26 references.) (EV)

The report summarizes an evaluation of Colorado's English Language Proficiency Act (ELPA) program for 1996-97. ELPA provides partial support for programs for limited-English-proficient elementary and secondary school students for a maximum of 2 years per student. It is noted that while the number of students eligible for the ELPA program has quadrupled from 1981 to 1996, funding was reduced for the 1996-97 school year. The program served 22,255 students during that year, primarily students whose dominant language was not English. About two-thirds of participating students showed a gain in English proficiency test scores. School districts rated themselves on the effectiveness of their programs in English as a Second Language (ESL), bilingual education, tutorial and individual assistance, and other program types. Perceived areas of strength include ESL staffing, student instruction, program management, and individualized instruction. Problems encountered included funding, staffing issues, and the restrictiveness of state requirements. Major recommendations include increasing financial support to teach students English, increasing the student eligibility period, and continuing funding until the student achieves the state-recommended proficiency level. (MSE)

A mail survey was conducted of all migrant youth who had received awards from the Gloria and Joseph Mattera National Scholarship Fund for Migrant Children during 1986-1992. Of the 354 scholarship recipients, 129 responded. In addition, 26 scholarship recipients were interviewed through structured telephone surveys. Over 92 percent of the mail respondents were Hispanic, with over 84 percent indicating that their home language was Spanish. Respondents indicated that 31 percent of financial aid was scholarships and fellowships, 22 percent was loans, and 33 percent was work or work-study. Approximately half indicated that the family and themselves were the most significant factors affecting decisions to enter and to continue postsecondary education. The most frequently mentioned obstacle to postsecondary education was lack of financial support. The greatest benefits acquired from college experience were access to a career, personal growth and knowledge, and increased self-confidence. Advice provided by respondents to other migrant students planning on attending college included talking to counselors, setting high goals, being persistent and open-minded, and applying what they had learned in school to life and careers. The document contains data tables, graphs, and survey questionnaires. (KS)

This paper deals with the history and practices of the language assessment policy being used by the state of Illinois' transitional bilingual education programs serving over 42,000 students. The first section of the paper treats the history of bilingual program evaluation efforts. It divides the discussion into three periods, prior to 1976, from 1976 to 1979, and current activities and special projects. Part two deals with Illinois' uniform data collection procedures, which provide the framework for the longitudinal studies that began with the first annual "Program Summary and Evaluation Report" in 1980. The components of these procedures are the public school bilingual census, program application, student cumulative record, and the annual student report. The final section of the paper outlines the information that was obtained as a result of the data collection and language assessment policy. These findings derived from questions related to issues such as transition and exit rates, program participation information and student identification information, and analysis of achievement as a measure of program exit. A discussion of several language proficiency testing instruments completes the paper. (Author/AMH)