The purpose of this study was to examine the factors important to the establishment of a Chinese language immersion program in San Francisco, parent motivations and attitudes toward the program, and the impact of the program on student achievement. Descriptive data collected on the 1st and 2nd year of program implementation included summaries of interviews with school personnel, information from documents of the San Francisco Unified School District, tabulations of parent questionnaire responses, and scores from a kindergarten skills inventory and Cantonese Language Skills Test. The comparative portion of the study included an analysis of CTBS-S scores of the program participants and a comparable group of students. The District implemented the Chinese immersion program because of the prior success of a Spanish immersion program, and the influence of a group of parents who were highly interested, organized and motivated. The Chinese immersion program is basically patterned after the Canadian early total immersion model. Both programs were initiated by parents. The major differences from the Canadian model were the ethnic and linguistic composition of students and the timing of introduction of English instruction. Parents enrolled their children in the Chinese immersion program because of a desire for their children to better understand and respect their own and others' cultural and linguistic heritages. Parents were highly satisfied with all aspects of the program. Program participants acquired Cantonese proficiency and literacy skills while developing and maintaining English academic skills. Further research is necessary to address the long term effects of the Chinese immersion program on participants' English academic skills, English language development, Chinese fluency and literacy, and their appreciation of multiculturalism and multilingualism.

Despite current research evidence connecting family involvement to students' academic learning, non-mainstream families' funds of knowledge are insufficiently valued as relevant to public schools' curricula and academic genres, a practice that limits diverse families' inclusion as equal partners in their children's education. This two-year-long ethnography (2005-2007), grounded in sociocultural and sociohistorical theories, investigated the struggles and possibilities that two elementary teachers and their students' non-mainstream families faced while trying to reach common understandings about working collaboratively to develop home-classroom partnerships at a time of a national educational reform under the politics of high stakes accountability of the NCLB Law of 2001 and a state local policy of English-only education in Western Massachusetts. Focusing on a third grade teacher and her English Language Learners (ELL) Latino students and on a regular kindergarten teacher with half of the students of Latino origin, the study explored the evolution of participants' assumptions about non-mainstream students and their families, the participants' co-construction of social and literacy practices, and the dialogical practices conducive to partnerships for fostering home-school partnerships and improving diverse students' literacy development. Findings suggest that: (1) some specific social and literacy practices co-constructed through dialogical interactions between urban school teachers and Latino families positively influenced home-classroom partnerships that worked for nonmainstream families; and (2) the participant teachers' critical reflections on their own assumptions and ideologies brought them new understandings about Latino families' funds of knowledge and child socialization practices, helping them to know the whole child and to better provide academic support for ELL students. Implications for practitioners point at the importance of gaining an in-depth understanding of building relationships with non-mainstream families in urban schools to implement home-school partnerships that work for all families. Implications for state agencies, stakeholders, and administrators are: (1) a need to redefine the field of family involvement for a comprehensive action plan for involving non-mainstream families as equal partners in their children's education; and (2) the need for serious commitment towards supporting urban teachers by allocating time and funds for professional development.

This qualitative study addressed the question: What are the perceptions of preschool and elementary bilingual and ESL teachers on how technology-enhanced classroom environments support native Spanish-speaking English language learners in the acquisition of English as a second language? With the support of six school districts representing three different regions and 15 schools in Texas, this research investigated technology-enhanced learning environments and the influence of emerging technologies on language acquisition by focusing on classroom interactions and learner engagement in preschool and elementary settings. Forty-six teachers completed the self-identified online questionnaire and from that initial group of participants, 10 were chosen for the face-to-face semi-structured interviews. A two-cycle progressive refinement coding technique was used for the analysis of the teacher interviews. In Vivo coding was selected for the first-cycle coding methodology to study teacher perspectives using their direct language. For the second-cycle methodology, focus coding was chosen as a continuation of the analytical process examining the developing patterns resulting in the initial codes being grouped to form salient categories. This process of reanalyzing and reorganizing coded data led to the creation of four emergent themes and in the views of the teachers interviewed describes how emerging technologies influences English language acquisition. The four emergent themes identified were “engaging students for learning,” collaborating with others,” “developing and clarifying concepts,” and “creating authentic work.”

This study was designed to investigate the environment at a predominantly White public university, seeking to identify factors the literature suggest have an impact on Black attrition and retention rates. More specifically, this study focused on examining the perceptions and interactions with the institutional environment that are believed to affect Black students' academic performance and dropout behavior at predominantly White colleges. A student-environment congruence model is used to explain the process of Black student persistence and withdrawal. Data was obtained by the use of two questionnaire instruments. The Environmental Satisfaction Questionnaire and a specially constructed biographical data survey instrument were used to obtain the perceptions of Black undergraduate students of their campus environment. Black male and female undergraduate students at a large public predominantly White university were the respondents in the study. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed; one hundred and thirty-three were returned completed. An ex post facto, survey research design was used. Investigated were: Satisfaction with minority advising, perceived racial climate, feelings of alienation, presence of minority faculty, adequate financial assistance. Five hypotheses were tested; two were supported by the research data. Significant differences were found to exist between the various classes, with juniors being the most dissatisfied with the environment and with their relationships with the faculty on campus than either the freshmen, sophomores, or seniors. The findings of this study also revealed that the majority of the sample of Black undergraduate students: (1) indicated that the financial aid was inadequate in meeting their educational costs, (2) expressed feeling alienated on campus, (3) perceived some degree of racial hostility on campus, and (4) felt that more recruiting of Black students and faculty was needed. This study concluded that increased contact with professors, and administrators on campus can create a more supportive and friendly environment for Black students. Recommendations include faculty and student awareness workshops and suggestions to address these areas.

While campuses across the country struggle to become more multicultural, there appears to be an increase in various hate crimes on campus. Studies have documented that homophobic harassment on campuses is especially severe, and that lesbians, gays, and bisexuals are among the most likely targets of hate crimes. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, staff, and faculty face other forms of discrimination as well. Campuses are often caught unaware of these problems, and are at a loss for solutions. The fields of organizational development and multicultural organizational development, which have traditionally addressed issues of diversity within organizations, have predominantly focused on issues of race and gender. This study served to broaden the range of issues included within the domain of multicultural organizational development by explicitly focusing on the issue of sexual orientation. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how and why change occurs with respect to lesbian and gay concerns on campus. An in-depth case study was conducted of one university that was decisively addressing heterosexism. Findings were derived from a review of various documents and interviews conducted with advocates for change. Specific factors and successful change strategies were identified. These strategies were analyzed with respect to meta-paradigms of strategies for social change, as well as concepts from the field of multicultural organizational development. A developmental model for how campus change happens on lesbian and gay concerns is suggested. This model provides a useful framework for those wishing to improve campus conditions for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. It also can provide an important foundation for those seeking to address heterosexism within other institutions. Researchers concerned with how change on lesbian, gay, and bisexual concerns compares with change on issues of race, gender, or ethnicity may also find this study of use. Implications of the findings of this study for the field of education are explored and directions for future research are proposed.

This dissertation evolved from a need to investigate whether the goals and objectives of the school system are the same as the expectations of the client Hispanic parents, especially in a school system where over 60 percent of the student population is Hispanic. The purpose of this study is to examine the interrelationship between the goals and objectives of the school system and Hispanic parents' expectations within a small, urban industrial city in Western Massachusetts. In order to implement this study, a questionnaire was devised and administered to randomly selected Hispanic parents. The questionnaire explored the attitude of Hispanic parents through responses to the following: (1) The following statements are my expectations for my son and/or daughter (18 items listed). (2) Yes, I know about or have heard of the following ideas and programs described in the goals and objectives of the school system where I live (21 items listed). (3) Yes, the following ideas and programs described in the goals and objectives of the school system satisfy my expectations as a parent for my son's and/or daughter's education (21 items listed). A Likert rating scale was used to measure parental expectations and the goals and objectives of the school system. The researcher utilized both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What are the goals and objectives of the school system? (2) What are the characteristics of the parents whose children attend these schools? (3) What do the parents do to enforce achieving these goals? (4) What is the interrelationship between parent expectations and the school system with regard to the achievement of these goals? The researcher's major findings are that: (1) Hispanic parents should have the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process in developing the goals and objectives of the school system. Parental expectations can be addressed and taken into account as a result. (2) When families and communities have strong connections with schools, everyone benefits--children, families, teachers, schools, communities, and our democratic society. (3) Reliance on the delegation model in public education has created a fundamental gap between families and schools. There are other conclusions presented in this study concerning parental expectations and the goals and objectives of the school system.

Student affairs divisions at colleges and universities across the nation are currently implementing a variety of programmatic responses to develop multiracial campus environments. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the multiracial change efforts currently utilized by student affairs administrators. This study surveyed 225 Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) using a specially designed questionnaire which assessed the levels and types of multiracial change efforts utilized on individual campuses. A conceptual model, Multicultural Change Intervention Matrix (MCIM), based on the concepts of multicultural organization development (MCOD), provided a framework for codifying and understanding the range of activities that student affairs divisions currently use to address multiracial issues. A total of 126 questionnaires (56%) were returned. Over 70% of the respondents were from schools with 10,000 students or less. The range of multiracial interventions reported was 0-300. Nearly 60% of the respondents reported offering five or fewer multiracial interventions during the past two years. There were no significant differences found in the frequency of interventions across institutional size or region. Using the MCIM for analysis, student affairs divisions instituted an almost equal number of 1$\sp{\rm st}$- and 2$\sp{\rm nd}$-order changes targeted at both the individual and group level. However, student affairs practitioners attempted fewer 2$\sp{\rm nd}$-order than 1$\sp{\rm st}$-order change interventions targeted at the division level. Only six respondents utilized MCOD strategies as the basis of their multiracial change efforts. While additional work needs to be done with the underlying model (MCIM) and the questionnaire designed for this study, this research has provided an initial and important step in understanding the multiracial interventions currently utilized in student affairs. Gathering this type of information is crucial in order for student affairs administrators to make informed and effective decisions about what interventions will help create affirming and inclusive multiracial campus environments.

In this dissertation, peer editing as one pedagogical practice in ESL writing is studied from a sociocultural perspective. Such a perspective has been neglected in the previous research in the field. In this study, the theories of the self, the ethnic identity and the acculturation are examined and an ethnographic study reported. The study suggests that pedagogical practices such as peer editing in ESL writing are also sociocultural practices. We cannot fully understand ESL teaching and learning if we ignore the sociocultural aspects and concentrate only on linguistic, psychological, and cognitive aspects. Using Mead, Bakhtin, Freire, and MacIntyre's theories, I have constructed a theoretical framework for my research in critique of the previous sociocultural theories on ESL acquisition. This theoretical framework has three interrelated components: a non-essentialist theory of the self, a non-ethnocentrist theory of ethnic identity, and a theory of acculturation as pluralistic cultural coexistence and amalgamation. Of these three components, the most important is the constructing and ever changing of a person's ethnic identity, which in turn could have a strong impact on transforming the social world. My ethnographic study, which has been conducted in four ESL writing classes in a college on the West Coast, suggests that students' interaction in peer editing helps students enact their ethnic identity and acculturate into the multicultural American society. Telling and retelling their stories in peer editing, student writers and readers reach out to each other as narrative selves and narrative others. Together, they use the stories to give their life-world meaning. Peer editing not only could help students understand their past and present, but could also help them to choose the actions they want to take to transform themselves and their life-world.

Although popular education efforts developed during the decade of Sandinista government in Nicaragua were singularly successful in promoting literacy and constructing popular power, they were limited by an exclusive focus on class analysis and a masculine epistemological framework. In the deployment of the practice-theory-practice methodology of popular education, the specificities of women's day-to-day experience--centered in both private and public realms, and including subjective as well as "objective" dimensions--were not considered as aspects of that practice or reality. Because reality was not understood dialectically, (a) its transformation was limited to the public sphere, at the expense of challenging inequalities for women in the domestic realm; (b) was concerned only with women's immediate needs, at the expense of the strategic gender needs which must be pursued if women are to overcome their marginalization; and (c) neglected women's intimate, psychological aspects, at the expense of examining sources of rivalry and competition between women so that a new form of "sisterhood" or "power-with" could be developed to replace the verticalism and "power-over" inherent in the male exercise of power. Feminist pedagogy might contribute more to popular education than a modification of content--adding gender consciousness to class analysis, and introducing themes such as the validation and reclaiming of women's bodies in order to deconstruct their subordinated identities. By recognizing the existence of multiple forms of oppression and the complexity of interconnected power relations, this pedagogy has opened pathways toward achieving a holistic approach to confronting oppression by means of educational practices. Using power relations as a point of departure for popular education, regardless of the specific context of any particular group, would allow the development of the critical consciousness, common visions, and collective will to strive for comprehensive equity in social relations.

International students have attended American colleges since colonial times. Although international students attend all types of colleges and universities, most studies and reports which have examined their presence on American campuses have been directed at four-year institutions. This is not surprising in that 86% of all international students in the United States, (based on 1990/91 data), were enrolled in four-year institutions. 57,720 international students were enrolled in two-year institutions by 1990/91. While such research is helpful in providing key data and information regarding international students at some of the largest and most prestigious U.S. institutions, comparatively little research has been directed at international students in two-year colleges. The purpose of this study has been to conduct a qualitative examination of international students in three public two-year colleges in New England. Using a case-study approach, four questions were investigated: Why do international students choose a public two-year college? What are their experiences? What are the experiences of faculty and administrators who work with them? What policy questions are important for these institutions? Field research included twenty-one interviews with international students, twenty-two interviews with faculty, and eight interviews with administrators. Also, on-site observations were conducted and available institutional documents reviewed. The study revealed a group of highly motivated international students who, for the most part, were quite satisfied with their educational experiences in the two-year community colleges. The study also revealed that international students are prominent in the academic life of the institutions and faculty members were, on the whole, pleased with the performance and presence of international students. The greatest policy challenge to public two-year community colleges that enroll international students, is the challenge of fully embracing a wider philosophy and vision of the institution's role and contribution in international education. While the overall assessment of the two-year college experience from international students, faculty and administrators was a positive one, it is also clear that institutions could do more to improve the educational experience of international students and the faculty who work with them. Ten recommendations are offered including an examination of mission statements, development of on-going faculty and staff training programs, strengthening of international student orientation programs, development of more creative recruitment efforts, and strengthening of the institutional data base on international students.