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This report, the fourth in a series, integrates findings from research pertaining to content area instruction of linguistically and culturally diverse learners (LCDLs). The focus is on the education of secondary-level English language learners (ELLs) within mainstream mathematics classes. The intent of this document is to give teachers and teacher educators a better understanding of how mainstream mathematics instruction can be designed and implemented to enhance academic achievement and learning for these students. Research for this report included an extensive search of National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE) bibliographic database, the ERIC bibliographic database, and various World Wide Web sites for information regarding effective curriculum and instruction, content standards, student assessment, teacher training, and education. (Contains 41 references.) (KFT)

This monograph reviews the findings and recommendations of the Hispanic Dropout Project (HDP) and describes successful school-based strategies to combat the dropout problem and promote academic achievement among Hispanic students. Chapter 1 discusses the high Hispanic dropout rate; why Hispanic students drop out; stereotypes and realities; and HDP recommendations encompassing minimum guarantees of a quality education, schools' relationships with parents and families, the role of teachers, effective school strategies, and educational policy. Chapters 2-5 describe specific effective programs: (1) Lennox (California) Middle School's approach to personalizing the curriculum and involving parents and families; (2) Calexico (California) School District's secondary-level strategies, including emphasis on equity, commitment to bilingual education, a culture of continuous refinement, high expectations and support for meeting them, and alternative dropout programs; (3) three elementary programs--Success for All, Helping One Student to Succeed (HOSTS) (a mentoring and tutoring program), and Cognitively Guided Instruction (mathematics problem solving using students' prior knowledge); and (4) two secondary programs--the Coca-Cola Valued Youth program, in which high-risk middle school students tutor younger students, and Project AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), which features coaching, advocacy, and college preparation. In Chapter 6, four HDP members summarize observations and recommendations related to the quality of instruction, role of bilingual education, effects of tracking, resources and physical conditions, investing new resources, achieving attitudinal shifts, teacher preparation and professional development, identification and implementation of effective programs, challenging content and valuable relationships, individualization, time for results, aspects of program design and implementation, and politics of education. (Contains 13 references and a bibliography with an additional 131 references.) (SV)

This publication presents a summary of an ongoing collaborative research study that is both national in scope and practical for immediate local decision making in schools. It is written for bilingual and English as a Second Language program coordinators and local school policy makers. The research includes findings from five large urban and suburban school districts in various regions of the United States where large numbers of language minority students attend public schools, with over 700,000 language minority student records collected from 1982-1996. A developmental model of language acquisition for school is explained and validated by the data analyses. The model and findings from this study make predictions about long-term student achievement as a result of a variety of instructional practices. Instructions are provided for replicating this study and validating the findings in local school systems. General policy recommendations and specific action recommendations are provided for decision makers in schools. (Contains 71 references.) (Author/SM)

High stakes assessment involves testing students for purposes such as grade level retention or advancement, high school graduation, selection for special programs or services, or for other "high stakes" consequences. Issues surrounding the high stakes assessment of English language learners (ELLs) were the focus of an August 1997 invitational symposium sponsored by the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (Department of Education), whose proceedings are summarized here. The report addresses three central questions, describes the symposium discussion on each, and presents research recommendations arising from the discussion. The questions include: at what point does testing a child in a second language yield meaningful results?; What accommodations are appropriate for testing ELLs?; and What is the role native language assessment plays in high stakes testing? A list of participants is appended. (MSE)

Current research literature on the education of language minority students in the United States is reviewed as it relates to the Bilingual Education Act of 1994 (Title VII of the Improving America's Schools Act). The review specifically examines these areas of concern: language diversity in the United States; limited English skills, poverty, and education; challenges for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students; the special status of Native Americans; teacher training and the role of higher education institutions; Title VII instructional programs; promoting high standards and bilingual skills; the national need for language resources; educational technology and LEP students; parent involvement; improving research, evaluation, and data collection; goals of the Title VII program; Title VII and equal educational opportunity; and capacity-building for language-minority education. Contains a glossary and 124 references. (MSE)

This report offers insights on the experiences and techniques used in the Dearborn Public Schools effort to integrate Title VII and Chapter 1 programs prior to their reauthorization. The school system is located near metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, and has over 14,500 students representing 24 languages, many from the Middle East, Romania, and Albania. The system includes 26 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 3 high schools; approximately 5,000 students were eligible for bilingual education services. Program goals stem from the philosophy that all children can attain language competency and academic success through the shared vision and focused efforts of teachers. Results of a preliminary needs assessment survey and later parent interest survey suggest the establishment of a strong partnership between home and school and a collaborative, systemic, and student-centered educational reform system. Restructuring must make schools more responsive to students through various forms of individualization and the elimination of stereotypical labels, such as slow or special need, and intensive staff development plans should focus on preparing teachers to work effectively with language minority as well as majority students. (Contains 23 references.) (NAV)

This report describes Teamworks, a 3-year project in Chicago, Illinois, that addressed the need for greater collaboration and teamwork between general program and bilingual/ESL teachers in the teaching community. Infrequent communication between these two teacher groups caused fractured education for the limited-English-proficient (LEP) students who participated in the bilingual/ESL program. The project reviews the Chicago programs, from inception to conclusion and follow-up in this large, urban setting. The 4-member Teamworks staff provided a variety of support services to the schools involved, such as needs assessment and help with specific problems. Teamworks staff conducted individual teacher interviews, surveyed school principals, and coordinated teacher interaction. Pre- and post-data surveys revealed that the instructional competencies of both mainstream and bilingual teachers were enhanced by the Teamworks effort and discovered the need for greater involvement by school principals in such program activities. Appendixes list sample activities to improve coordination between teachers and sample training topics for enhancing instructional competencies. (Contains four references.) (NAV)

This report identifies, describes, and analyzes exemplary elementary and middle school reform efforts for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in grades 4 through 8 in language arts, science, and mathematics in 20 states; 75 schools were screened originally by telephone to identify those exhibiting excellence in high quality language arts, significant school restructuring, and implementation of a well designed English-language acquisition program. Fifteen sites were selected for 1-day preliminary field visits based on demographic, geographic, and programmatic variables. Eight schools total in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Texas were selected for more intensive field work. Findings reveal that LEP education is viable and that all such successful programs possess certain essential elements that provide segregated, specialized instruction combined with meaningful integration into an all-English instructional environment. Success results from collaboration between LEP instructors and English-proficient instructors, giving more block time to LEP instruction, and the existence of a comprehensive language and literacy development program that emphasizes the same kinds of activities. An appendix details selected schools and their programs. (NAV)

The need to restructure the relationship between bilingual education and special education is examined. Common criticisms of special education and changing assumptions underlying it are outlined. Models that have been proposed to explain minority failure in school as something other than inherent disability are analyzed; these models focus on social and cultural factors influencing education. Directions for changing the process of special education to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students are offered in the areas of assessment and intervention. Three primary goals for the restructuring of bilingual special education are identified: (1) inclusion (conforming the classroom to the needs of all students); (2) increased academic performance; and (3) a shift from the remedial approach to a diagnostic teaching paradigm, with teachers actively involved in assessment and curricular adaptation. Four successful program models are described briefly. It is argued that new assumptions about special education must be adopted for more useful and equitable bilingual education, and five new assumptions are presented. Recommendations are made for personnel preparation, curricular modification, and role changes for mainstream teachers, special educators, parents, and students. Contains a 38-item bibliography. (MSE)

Considerations in designing and implementing family literacy programs for the limited-English-speaking population are examined and some solutions are illustrated in one federally-funded program for Latino families, Project FLAME (Family Literacy: Aprendiendo, Mejorando, Educando/Learning, Bettering, Educating). An introductory section looks at the family's role in children's learning and barriers to family involvement in education. Family literacy programs are seen as a means of forging closer ties between homes and schools. Project FLAME, which emphasizes the role of parents as teachers, is then described. A discussion of program development looks at these considerations: taking the appropriate first steps; determining the location and scheduling of classes; curriculum design; language of instruction; selecting instructional materials; staffing; maintenance of attendance and involvement; and program evaluation. A Project FLAME model lesson plan and a list of resource organizations are appended. Contains 29 references. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

A method for evaluating and improving the secondary school environment for limited-English-proficient students is presented. The first section outlines research findings about elements in the school context, curriculum, and staffing found effective in serving LEP students. Desirable factors in the school context include: valuing of students' languages and cultures; use and development of native languages in and out of the classroom; high expectations of LEP students; staff development explicitly designed for serving this population; encouragement of family involvement; and appropriate support services and extracurricular activities. An effective curriculum characteristic is its capacity to accommodate the heterogeneity of the population and its needs. Positive staff factors include: making LEP education a priority; knowledge and active support of LEP-oriented programs among all staff; counseling services designed for this population; and commitment to empowering LEP students. Two additional characteristics of effectiveness are the longevity and pervasiveness of the above school elements. A checklist for use in evaluating the secondary school for these and related features is presented. It details specific elements of effectiveness in the school environment, curriculum, and staff practice, provides a scale for rating them in the school in question, and contains spaces to note examples and ideas for improvement. (MSE)

The literacy club described is a model cross-aged, paired reading program that is being successfully used in an elementary school in Redwood City, California to teach literacy skills to non-native speakers of English. The literacy club pairs older students--"rapid readers"--with younger students--"little readers"--in a yearlong reading experience that is managed by the teachers from both classes. As mentors, the rapid readers develop their literacy, reading, and social skills by helping little readers learn to read. This guide outlines the day-to-day activities students engage in as part of the program at the elementary school level and provides invaluable insights into the students' development and to the implementation of the literacy club program. A step-by-step checklist for replicating the literacy club model program at other schools and grade levels is provided. (VWL)

Language minority students can be served effectively by schools that are organized to develop educational structures and processes that take into consideration both the broader attributes of effective schooling practices and the specific attributes relevant to language minority students. Effective classrooms exemplify instructional strategies that build on socialization factors in the population. In some cases, this instruction is characterized by student-to-student communication about academic material, building on culturally relevant interaction strategies and promoting higher-order linguistic and cognitive functioning. Specific effective programs reviewed in this paper include three Phonenix, Arizona elementary school curricula and the J. Calvin Lauderbach School program in Chula Vista, California. A serious body of literature addressing instructional practices, organization, and effects is emerging. (MSE)

A review of the literature on staff training for individuals working in programs for limited-English-speaking students suggests that eight characteristics should be considered and developed in a training plan: governance, needs assessment before program planning, analysis of local and other resources, determination of training objectives, trainee attendance incentives, a variety of training options, follow-up training, and evaluation of training program effectiveness. Discrepancies between these ideals and existing program characteristics persist. Research on effective program models reveals four types: social, information processing, personal, and behavioral systems models. Four program components, used in various combinations, appear to be necessary in an effective teacher learning process: theory, demonstration, practice, and feedback. Five approaches based on cooperative professional development, each using teacher teams for feedback through social support, focus on professional dialogue, curriculum development, peer supervision, peer coaching, and action research. Training programs exemplifying these trends include the Multidistrict Trainer of Trainers Institute (California and New York), the Bilingual Education Training Institute (New Jersey Department of Education), and the Language Development Specialist Academy (Hunter College, New York). (MSE)

The language minority and limited-English-proficient students attending American schools in increasing numbers must be prepared as well as possible for their continued education in the mainstream. This can be begun by implementing mainstreaming procedures that fairly and accurately determine student readiness for learning in the mainstream and making recommendations toward that end, treating the process as a set of placement procedures. These procedures would include defining what the various placement decisions are, determining student needs and other information needed to make those decisions, developing and implementing procedures and instruments for gathering the information, and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting it. The apparent simplicity of the steps masks complexity resulting from the interplay of variables such as program size and structure and the intricacy of individual linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural backgrounds. Small teams of individuals from both bilingual/English-as-a-second-language and mainstream programs could have responsibility for making placement decisions. (MSE)