Bilingual students are the fastest growing demographic group in U.S. P-12 public schools and offer promise and hope to our increasingly global workforce. However, many bilingual students are lagging behind in school, too many do not complete high school, and their schooling experiences are overshadowed by racial and linguistic segregation, low-academic tracking, and subtractive educational experiences. There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of bilingual and bicultural teachers and leaders who can include students' linguistic, cultural, and community assets in school. This qualitative research study explores the experiences of a specialized group of elementary bilingual and bicultural teachers that learned English in U.S. P-12 public schools and currently teach bilingual students in Oregon public schools. Through in-depth interviews and classroom observations, this study amplifies the voices of three bilingual teachers as they offer valuable insight into teaching and learning and contribute to how we can create excellent educational experiences for bilingual students. The findings point to how the interconnected nature of language, culture, and identity impacted these bilingual teachers' approach to teaching, the power of culturally responsive practices in the classroom, and the promise of building positive relationships and community with students and families.

Research on the education of Vietnamese-Americans is very limited, and mainstream media continue to project Vietnamese students either as high achievers or gang affiliated (Castro, 1983; Davis & McDaid, 1992). This kind of projection can mask the real issues that Vietnamese students are facing. Based on Cummins' (1979) Contextual Interaction Theory, this study examined the views of Vietnamese-American high school students in Oregon regarding their schooling under four major areas: Community Background Factors, Educational Input Factors, Instructional Treatment, and Student Input Factors. In particular, this study examined factors, within the above four areas, pertaining to the schooling of Vietnamese-American high school students such as parental concerns, peer relationships, language use in the classroom, ESL learning, subject areas, teacher support, first language usage, discipline issues, home/school communication, teacher knowledge about culture, extracurricular activity, drug/alcohol issues, gang affiliation, dropping out, student effort in learning, homework, career planning, and future concerns. A survey of 145 subjects was conducted in the Portland and surrounding high schools. The study was supplemented by two interviews of two unique students: a high-achiever and a high-risk case to illuminate the real life and school experiences they encountered in their schooling. The interviews added a holistic dimension to this study. The survey data were analyzed descriptively, statistically, and inferentially to provide answers for the research questions. The overall conclusion was Vietnamese-American high school students in this sample came from large families with strong family support and value for education. They brought with them a strong motivation for learning. They were committed to school work and put much effort in learning. They reported doing well in mathematics and science. They reported difficulties in English language comprehension, but only one third of them perceived ESL as a strong treatment. Very few were participating in extracurricular activities. Their relationships with American peers were poor. They perceived a good level of staff welcome and support but were not sure about the staffs understanding of their culture. These students showed a respect for school rules, but reported little school/home communication. Many worried about their future. Briefly, their perceptions regarding educational input factors and instructional programs were not as strong as community background factors and students' contributions.

In response to the increasing number of United States school students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds at all grade levels, often called "simultaneous bilinguals," the U.S. school districts are opening schools that offer bilingual instruction. One instructional strategy that seems promising is the "Bridge," where students contrast and connect the literacy skills learned in one language to the literacy skills in their other language. An underlying component of learning a language is student attitude and motivation to learn. Research also seems to indicate that student attitude and motivation toward biliteracy can affect their achievement. There seems to be a lack of research on how students respond to becoming biliterate. The purpose of this study is to explore how simultaneous bilingual middle school students respond to becoming biliterate in Spanish and English as a result of participation in a humanities dual language/immersion class, taught through the instructional strategy the Bridge. This study used a case study design. The focus was on 12 simultaneous bilingual middle school students who had at least three years of bilingual education. The methods used to gather data were: the students' achievement in biliteracy, a survey, a Draw-a-Bilingual-student activity, a narrative response, and a focus group. I identified five themes from the data analysis: (a) Positive role of family in developing biliteracy; (b) Confidence in becoming biliterate; (c) Using their biliteracy skills in the community; (d) Biliteracy valued for their future; and (e) Appreciation of bilingual programs in our schools. Future research should continue to investigate the power of the Bridge strategy in furthering student success in becoming biliterate.

<p>This thesis is concerned with three language debates that reached their most crucial peaks in Sweden at the beginning of the twenty-first century: (i) the debate on the promotion of the Swedish language, (ii) the debate on language testing for citizenship, and (iii) the debate on mother tongue instruction. The main scope of the thesis is to take a theoretically multi-pronged approach to these debates trying to shed light on the following aspects: Why did such debates emerge when they did? Which discourses were available in those specific historical moments? Who are the social actors that intervened in these debates? What is at stake for them? What do they claim? What systems of values, ideas and beliefs – i.e. ideologies – underlie such claims? What are the effects in terms of identities, objects of political intervention, commonsensical knowledge and authority that these discourses and ideologies produce?</p><p>Taking Sweden as a case in point, the thesis adds to the existing literature another example of how language debates are the manifestation of conflicts between different language ideologies that struggle for hegemony, thus attempting to impose one specific way of envisaging the management of a nation-state in a time of globalisation. In their outer and most patent facets, these struggles deal with the relationships between languages in today’s Sweden, and how the state, through legislation, should – or should not – regulate such relationships in order to (re)produce some kind of linguistic order. However, the thesis also illustrates that when social actors appeal to a linguistic order, they not only draw boundaries between different languages in a given society, but they also bring into existence a social world in which the speakers of those languages come to occupy specific social positions. These linguistic and social hierarchies, in turn, are imbricated in an often implicit moral regime of what counts as good or bad, acceptable or taboo in that society.</p>

This thesis is concerned with three language debates that reached their most crucial peaks in Sweden at the beginning of the twenty-first century: (i) the debate on the promotion of the Swedish language, (ii) the debate on language testing for citizenship, and (iii) the debate on mother tongue instruction. The main scope of the thesis is to take a theoretically multi-pronged approach to these debates trying to shed light on the following aspects: Why did such debates emerge when they did? Which discourses were available in those specific historical moments? Who are the social actors that intervened in these debates? What is at stake for them? What do they claim? What systems of values, ideas and beliefs – i.e. ideologies – underlie such claims? What are the effects in terms of identities, objects of political intervention, commonsensical knowledge and authority that these discourses and ideologies produce? Taking Sweden as a case in point, the thesis adds to the existing literature another example of how language debates are the manifestation of conflicts between different language ideologies that struggle for hegemony, thus attempting to impose one specific way of envisaging the management of a nation-state in a time of globalisation. In their outer and most patent facets, these struggles deal with the relationships between languages in today’s Sweden, and how the state, through legislation, should – or should not – regulate such relationships in order to (re)produce some kind of linguistic order. However, the thesis also illustrates that when social actors appeal to a linguistic order, they not only draw boundaries between different languages in a given society, but they also bring into existence a social world in which the speakers of those languages come to occupy specific social positions. These linguistic and social hierarchies, in turn, are imbricated in an often implicit moral regime of what counts as good or bad, acceptable or taboo in that society.

A path model of second language (L2; English) oral language and reading comprehension variables was tested on a sample of 100 Spanish-speaking English-language learners enrolled in a transitional bilingual program over a 3-year period. The data collected were a part of a longitudinal, federally funded experimental project entitled English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA). The purpose of this study was (a) to test a path model on discrete L2 academic language proficiency variables on L2 reading comprehension, (b) to test a path model on discrete L2 academic language proficiency variables and L2 reading comprehension on L1 reading comprehension, and (c) to compare the influence of L2 language development on reading comprehension development in L2 and L1 between students enrolled in transitional bilingual education experimental (TBE-E) classrooms and those enrolled in the transitional bilingual education control or typical (TBE-T) classrooms. Results indicated the two groups did not differ significantly in their overall levels of achievement. However, striking differences were noted in how the academic language proficiency variables influenced reading comprehension outcomes. English listening comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar had significant influences on reading comprehension in the TBE-E group while English listening comprehension was the only predictor variable for the TBE-T group. Cross-linguistic transfer was established in the TBE-E group from English reading comprehension to Spanish reading comprehension whereas no transfer was detected in the TBE-T group. It is evident that high quality comprehensive ESL instruction develops academic oral language proficiency that contributes to effective reading comprehension while students continue to learn in their native language. However, in the absence of a high quality ESL instruction, students may develop academic oral language proficiency, but are ineffective in utilizing these skills for reading comprehension. It is also evident that time spent developing quality L2 reading comprehension influences L1 reading comprehension even though less time is spent in L1, suggesting cross-linguistic transfer from L2 to L1. More effective English skills coupled with effective native language skills suggests the TBE-E students have added cognitive benefits of bilingualism while the TBE-T students remain ineffective in using available language proficiency skills for effective reading comprehension.

This quantitative study examined state and local funding and district spending patterns for English language learning (ELL) students in Texas. The purpose of this study was to examine the vertical equity of the state public school funding system from 1997-2007 for purchasing educational resources for ELL students. Vertical equity was operationalized through a research-based framework that places ELL students at risk of academic failure. Regression analysis examined vertical equity through (a) the extent to which the quantity of ELL students within districts predicted the TPSFM funding output for ELL students in districts over 10 years and (b) the extent to which, when districts are grouped by like-sized populations of ELL students within each of the 10 years, the quantity of ELL students within districts with like-sized populations of ELL students predicted the TPSFM funding output for ELL students. The findings revealed that from 1997-2007, the ELL student funding component was not found to be a statistically significant predictor for district spending on ELL students in any given Texas district. The present study therefore concludes with a discussion of policy implications and recommendations for further study. Within the current punitive culture for student assessment results and annual yearly progress measures, these findings indicate that programs serving ELL students may be constrained to produce results in areas where they are not equitably funded to be able to do so. In the daily life of school operations, teachers and administrators may be well aware that the state's mechanism does not supply adequate funding for the education of ELL students, therefore the results of this study may serve policy makers to clearly see the elephant of inequitable funding standing in the classroom.

This study aimed to examine and describe the perceptions of English-medium instruction of tertiary &ndash / level students in a private university in Turkey. The scale which consists of a demographic inventory, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview were used by the researcher. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed through SPSS 15.0. This data gathering instrument was implemented on 233 students studying at three different faculties at Atilim University which offer English-medium instruction. In analyzing the data, descriptive statistics as frequency, percent, and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as one sample t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlations were used. As the second scale of the present study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 students studying at three different faculties at Atilim University which offer English-medium instruction (EMI). The results of the interviews were analyzed through content analysis. The results of the study revealed that students support EMI at tertiary level and they hold positive attitudes towards EMI in terms of the improvement of language skills in English / nevertheless, they experience some difficulties in the learning of the content delivered in English. Results also showed that there is a positive relationship between students&rsquo / proficiency levels and perceptions towards EMI regarding the learning of the subject matters. Moreover, it was found that there is also a positive relationship between students&rsquo / attitudes towards EMI regarding the learning of the subject matters and their academic success.

This research concerns a Kuna-Spanish bilingual elementary school in Panama City, founded for Kuna children by Kuna teachers. Based on ethnographic and linguistic fieldwork, this research investigates the socio-cultural context for the emergence of the school and the ways that students, teachers and parents, together with Kuna elders, navigate the path of indigenous schooling. The process of negotiating linguistic and cultural meanings in Kuna-language education includes both "traditionalized" Kuna forms of learning and informal education in and around the home. These various foundations of Kuna knowledge, from the use of Kuna oral history to eating Kuna food in the home, are incorporated into the curriculum in various ways, highlighting the potential of schooling as a place of knowledge production for indigenous peoples that is culturally inclusive. At the same time, the manner in which Kuna identity is indexed in the school is uneven. It is liberating in some moments while very restrictive in others, reflecting similar patterns, often in relation to state-sponsored notions of "multiculturalism" in the Kuna community and in the broader context of Panamanian society. In order to fully explore the complexities of the school and its workings, this research explores the Kuna experience in Panama City, where more than half of the Kuna population currently resides. This dissertation is a contribution to the fields of linguistic anthropology and the anthropology of education, analyzing the case of an urban Kuna school that employs both Western and indigenous pedagogy and content, with specific implications for studies of language socialization, bilingual education and educational politics for indigenous peoples. / text

English-language learners (ELLs) demonstrate lower levels of English reading proficiency than do native English-speaking students. Oral reading fluency (ORF), the number of words read correctly in 1 min, is one indicator of reading proficiency. Within second language (L2) reading research, there have been few studies of L2 ORF development. The purposes of this study were to: (a) model the trajectory (i.e., initial status and growth) of English ORF in Grades 2 and 3 for Spanish-speaking ELLs in bilingual education programs, and (b) determine the effect of a 4-year structured intervention in English language and reading on L2 ORF development. Data were archived from Project ELLA, a longitudinal, randomized study documenting ELLs' acquisition of English language and reading from kindergarten through third grade. Data included 1,470 observations of English ORF from 283 ELLs at 17 schools. Schools were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=8) or control (n=9) condition. In intervention schools, a one-way dual language program and a comprehensive ESL intervention were implemented. The intervention emphasized L2 oral language development in kindergarten and first grades, basic L2 reading skills in second grade, and content-area reading skills in third grade. In the control schools, the district's typical transitional bilingual education program and ESL curricula were implemented. L2 ORF was measured using DIBELS ORF on six occasions. Piecewise multilevel growth models were used for data analysis. In Grades 2 and 3, ELLs followed a two-stage linear growth trajectory in English ORF, with a large decrease in level between grades. Slope parameters were positive in both grades but decreased slightly in third grade. Participating in Project ELLA added 1.52 wcpm per month to students? ORF scores in Grade 2. Both intervention and control groups improved at the same rate in Grade 3; however, intervention students maintained the higher level of ORF that was attained during second grade. Therefore, the ELLA intervention accelerated L2 ORF growth in second grade, such that intervention students read with greater fluency compared to control students throughout second and third grades.