Focus groups and interviews with 37 teachers and 4 principals examined their roles and experiences in Papahana Kaiapuni, a K-12 program taught entirely in Hawaiian. Teachers integrated Hawaiian culture into the curriculum and viewed the program as a model of school reform for Native Hawaiians. The program transformed many teachers' views of…

Among 56 Mexican American fifth-graders participating in two-way bilingual education for 3 years or more, standardized test scores of both English-dominant and Spanish-dominant participants equalled or surpassed those of nonparticipant peers. Participants developed high levels of English literacy skills, but Spanish literacy was not as well…

A study examined beliefs about language acquisition among seven Spanish-speaking Mexican American mothers with young children (24-37 months) receiving early intervention services for language disabilities. Emerging themes included mothers'"alternative" explanations for children's communication difficulties, mothers' efforts to help…

A study in a south Texas preschool found that Mexican American children, when given the opportunity to engage in sociodramatic play, displayed various language functions needed for the development of early literacy skills. The preschoolers created elaborate monologues and dialogue in their native language (sometimes in their second language),…

Interviews with parents from nine families who were foreign born, were Portuguese-speaking, and had at least one child in special education revealed that parents had to fight for what they wanted in their child's education, and lacking proficiency in English was a barrier to procuring the services their child needed. (Contains 28 references.) (SV)

Language policies targeted at schools, such as California's Proposition 227 and Arizona's Proposition 203, are often based on rash assessments of public opinion or personal biases, with no consideration of long-term consequences for heritage-language speakers. Excerpts from interviews with over 100 Spanish speakers reveal how harsh English-only…

Derisive attitudes towards Spanish in the United States threaten its survival. Four issues vital to the preservation of Spanish in the United States are examined: the arbitrary nature of linguistic prejudice, the linguistic validity of all dialects, the overwhelming linguistic overlap between nonstandard and standard dialects of Spanish, and the…

Oralism, which teaches lip reading and speech instead of American Sign Language (ASL), was hostile to deaf culture in the early 1900s. Deaf resistance to oralism solidified the deaf community through support of deaf teachers; establishment of deaf newspapers, clubs, and churches; and production of sign-language films and dictionaries. (Contains 60…

Japanese immigrants opened a Saturday school in a small Northeastern town to teach Japanese to their children as a heritage language. Because of parents' limited time and resources, a Saturday school worked well. The school became a place to share culture as well as teach language. Background, curriculum, and factors contributing to success are…

Numerous simultaneous educational reforms and limited data prevent drawing conclusions about the independent effects of California's Proposition 227, a 2-year-old English Only initiative. Achievement scores show little benefit for English learners. Observational data indicate that implementation of high stakes testing has encouraged teaching that…

A study of 8 California school districts immediately following passage of Proposition 227, and another study of 39 districts a year later interviewed personnel, principals, and teachers about implementation of the English Only initiative. Specific implementation strategies reflected schools' previous programmatic efforts for limited English…

Personnel at seven Northern California school districts were interviewed concerning implementation of Proposition 227. The disposition of district staff toward primary-language instruction and community attitudes influenced district policy; district decisions largely determined school policy; change occurred at all sites and was most evident in…

A qualitative study examined how three urban California school districts and teachers in three case study classrooms interpreted and implemented Proposition 227. School district implementation varied according to district language ideology. Nevertheless, English only policy and accompanying highly scripted reading reforms stripped teachers of…

Interviews with parents, teachers, and administrators of a California Bay Area elementary school explored the impact of Proposition 227 on parent involvement, student achievement, classroom instruction, and student and teacher emotions. Data indicate that an overemphasis on language of instruction overshadowed other critical issues such as…

An analysis of SAT-9 scores since passage of Proposition 227 indicates that scores increased for all students, not just for English-learning students; scores increased for most districts regardless of the programs implemented; it was not possible to isolate the impact of Proposition 227; and SAT-9 is not an appropriate measure for assessing…