Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Editorial: Bilingual Educators As Professionals: The Need For Standards, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Notes On Contributors To This Issue

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Multicultural School Psychology: A Kaleidoscopic View, Melissa Laracuenta, Maria Acevedo

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Gaining Appreciation And Understanding For Writing In English In A Bilingual Class, Nadia Mykysey

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

While participating in the Bilingual Teacher Research Forum (a teacher inquiry group), I decided to do research in my classroom to investigate the ways in which emergent bilinguals (EBs) expanded their appreciation and understanding of writing in English as a second language. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe first-grade EBs’ development of writing. A variety of assessment tools were used to document students writing growth over time. All the children made progress both in their spelling and in their writing of stories. Engaging in teacher-based research became a professional development tool to document and reflect on …

Developing Academic Language And Content For Emergent Bilinguals Through A Science Inquiry Unit, Sandra Mercuri, Ann E. Ebe

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

There is growing evidence that schools are not meeting the needs of emergent bilinguals who are falling behind in both academic language development and content knowledge learning. In response to this concern, this article proposes five research-based guidelines for promoting effective instruction for emergent bilinguals. In order to connect theory to practice, implementation of these guidelines is explored through a descriptive study, within a qualitative paradigm, involving Jessica, a Spanish/English bilingual third-grade teacher. Through a description of her science inquiry unit on water, the authors outline how Jessica’s instruction reflected the five guidelines. The analysis of her instruction revealed that …

Perspectives On Teacher Quality: Bilingual Education And Esl Teacher Certification, Test-Taking Experiences, And Instructional Practices, Nancy Lemberger, Angela Reyes-Carrasquillo

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This descriptive exploratory study looked at the certification process, test-taking experiences, and instructional practices of a group of graduate bilingual education (BE) and English-as-a- Second-Language (ESL) teachers to understand why some had problems passing teacher certification tests after completing their degrees. The study surveyed 63 BE and ESL teachers on their certification and test-taking experiences and their perceived instructional strengths. From this group of 63 participants, 15 volunteer teachers were interviewed and observed in their classrooms. Findings reveal most teachers passed certification tests on the first or second attempt. However, several failed tests due to language, content, and time difficulties, …

U. S. Mainland-Born And Non-Mainland-Born Children Referred For Special Education, Miriam Eisenstein Ebworth, Jay Gottlieb, Barbara Gottlieb, Marjorie Goldstein, Justin B. Bennett

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

In this study, we compared the referrals for special education evaluation of U.S. mainland-born children with those of mostly Latino non-mainland-born children in two school systems in the Northeastern United States. The investigation focused on whether there was a significant difference between referrals for special education from each group, based on either language or behavior. According to the literature, nonnatives are both overrepresented and underrepresented in special education, with reasons for referral including problematic use of language and inappropriate behavior. The researchers found that referrals for behavior in our sample were more frequent among natives compared with nonnatives, while referral …

Competing Discourses About Education And Accountability For Ells/Bilingual Learners: Dual Language Educators As Agents For Change, Rebecca Freeman Field

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This paper situates the contemporary debate about education and accountability for English language learners/bilingual learners within a sociocultural context and suggests ways that dual language educators and researchers can help move this debate forward. I begin with a brief review of competing discourses about bilingualism and education for diverse learners on the national level in the United States. The paper then provides an insider’s perspective on dual language education in three different contexts (Washington, D.C.; Schaumburg, Ill.; Philadelphia, Pa.) at different times (before and after NCLB was passed) to illustrate how these dual language educators hold themselves accountable for student …

Unpacking Writing And Channeling Change, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Multilingual Education Research-Volume 2

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Jmer Description And Publication Guidelines

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Notes On Contributors To This Issue

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Short biographical information on the authors of the articles in this issue.

Testing English Language Learners: Another Special Case Of Bias, Evangeline Harris Stefanakis

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Book Reviewed:

Menken, K. (2008). English learners left behind: Standardized testing as language policy.

Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters, LTD.

Transient Ells: A Teacher’S Inquiry Into Literacy Instruction, Dianne Maysonet

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This narrative describes my learning process in becoming a teacher-researcher as I worked with an ELL, Jayla, who experienced a transient lifestyle. As a member of a teacher-inquiry group, the Bilingual Teacher-Research Forum I collaborated with other bilingual and ESL teachers from schools in a large city in the northeastern part of the United States. I learned to systematically investigate my practice to identify instructional strategies that promoted ELL students’ literacy in English. My first inquiry was guided by one query: What instructional strategies may promote the language and literacy development of transient ELLs? In this article I describe how …

The Development Of The Bilingual Special Education Field: Major Issues, Accomplishments, Future Directions, And Recommendations, Chun Zhang, Su-Je Choh

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

In this paper, we review various challenges in regard to educating children with and without disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. The challenges discussed include (1) biased assessment that results in mis- or overrepresenting CLD students in special education, (2) difficulty distinguishing between disability and differences, and (3) lack of competent bilingual special educators. As recommended practices, we propose to use the response to intervention model in identifying and instructing CLD children with and without disabilities. We point out that future research should examine how collaborative service delivery models contribute to referrals of CLD children into special education …

Depositioning The "Foreign": Considering The Challenges And Opportunities Of A Postmodern Foreign Language Education, Manuela Wagner, Terry A. Osborn

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article focuses on how attitudes toward HLLs have changed, both with regard to program development and in learning and teaching. First, the ambiguity towards heritage language preservation is illustrated by examining historical aspects of heritage languages in the United States. Secondly, a closer look at two examples of heritage language learning, namely Korean and Spanish, reveals the complexity of language policies and funding decisions regarding HLL. Finally, research in language teaching and linguistics confirms that a shift in attitude toward the HLL is underway. Rather than considering HLL as a pedagogical challenge or problem, researchers and practitioners start investigating …

Bilingualism In Education In The Multilingual Apple: The Future Of The Past, Ofelia García

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article traces the ways in which New York City schools have responded to the multilingualism of its children in the last forty years. I review here the past to construct the future—the future of the past. I argue that in the predominantly Puerto Rican community of the 1960s and 1970s a simple approach toward languages and bilingualism in education was an appropriate response to meet the needs of language minority children. Thus, subtractive and additive bilingual education programs might have been sufficient. However, in the 21st century, with the demographic shifts and the technological advances of a globalized world, …

The Importance Of Disseminating Knowledge: An Issue Of Mission, Voice, And Passion, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Letter To Nysabe Members And Colleagues, Margarita Reyes

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Letter To Nysabe Members And Friends, Nancy Villarreal De Adler

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Multilingual Education Research, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre Editor

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Title page, verso, and Table of Contents of Volume 1, 2010.

Notes On Contributors To This Issue

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Notes on Contributors to This Issue; Description; Guidelines for Submission

Book Review. No Easy Answers: Bilingualism Or Language Delay?, Patricia Velasco

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Introduction to book review.

Educators Taking The Lead To Transition High School Emergent Bilingual Learners With Disabilities, Diane Rodríguez, Lora Lee Smith Canter, Karen Voytecki, Kimberly Floyd

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article seeks to improve transition services for Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) with disabilities in secondary education. The authors provide recommendations to school administrators and educators on how to design a promising transitional context within classrooms and schools for EBs with disabilities. This article considers transition issues from multiple perspectives and urges secondary school educators to broaden their programmatic and teaching practices in order to increase successful transition of their multilingual students from school to work or to post-secondary education.

Native And Emergent Bilingual University-Level English Speakers Reading Online: The Influence Of Hypertext On Comprehension, Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth, Tommy Mcdonell

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Our study contributes to our understanding of Internet reading by Emergent Bilinguals (EB) and Native English speakers (NS) by investigating their recall of two Internet reading passages containing additional information available through either hypertext links or footnotes. Participants included 25 EB and 25 NS college students. Answers to cued recall questions were scored on the basis of the number of correctly recalled propositions (Kintsch, 1998). Additional interpretive data came from semi-structured interviews with four NS and four EB participants. Quantitative results showed that both groups of students recalled significantly more propositions with linear text than with hypertext. However, although descriptive …

Promising Pedagogical Practices For Emergent Bilinguals In Kindergarten: Towards A Mathematics Discourse Community, Sandra I. Musanti, Sylvia Celedón-Pattichis

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

In the current U.S. context, it is relevant to disseminate research that portrays in detail how bilingual teachers create challenging and safe mathematics learning environments for emergent bilinguals. It is critical to identify pedagogical approaches that foster emergent bilinguals’ participation in mathematics conversations and discourse practices where language is considered a pedagogical resource. This is possible when teachers understand that young Latino/a students come to school with a wide range of cognitive and linguistic tools, which they can use to help them make sense of problems posed in the classroom. Using case study methodology, we define and provide a detailed …

Where Have All The Bilingual Programs Gone?!: Why Prepared School Leaders Are Essential For Bilingual Education, Kate Menken, Cristian Solorza

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Enrollment in bilingual education has declined significantly in New York City in recent years, in spite of state and city policies that support it. To better understand this alarming trend, we interviewed school leaders, particularly principals, who have dismantled their school’s bilingual education programs in recent years. We also interviewed school leaders who have managed to preserve their bilingual education programs within the same time period. We examined these leaders’ knowledge and understandings about bilingual education and their emergent bilingual students, and their rationale for the respective language education policies they have adopted. Our research points to the very important …

Editorial: Necessary Paradigm Shifts In Bilingual Education: Rethinking Language, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Multilingual Education Research

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.