Segregación escolar del alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales en Educación Infantil en el contexto local / School segregation of students with special educational needs in Early Childhood Education in the local context

Esta investigación busca profundizar en la segregación escolar del alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil estimando su magnitud, determinando la incidencia de la titularidad del centro y de su adscripción al Programa Bilingüe y describiendo su evolución. Para ello, se realiza un estudio ex post facto con datos de los 10.182 estudiantes del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil matriculados en alguno de los 77 centros ordinarios públicos y privados-concertados situados en dos ciudades de tamaño medio-grande de la Comunidad de Madrid. Los resultados indican que la magnitud de la segregación escolar está en torno al 0.20 (ISG); que la incidencia de la titularidad es baja (4.6 %), pero es alta la del Programa Bilingüe (17.2 % de promedio); y que la segregación ha descendido ligeramente en los últimos años, pero las diferencias entre centros atendiendo a su titularidad y adscripción al Programa Bilingüe han crecido. Con ello, se concluye que hay que prestar atención a la segregación en Educación Infantil y tomar medidas para combatirla. También se destaca la necesidad de replantear el Programa Bilingüe por su incidencia en la segregación escolar. (AU)

This research aims to explore the school segregation of students with special educational needs in the second cycle of Early Childhood Education by estimating its magnitude, determining the incidence of school ownership and affiliation to the Bilingual Program, and describing its evolution. To achieve this, we conduct an ex post facto study with data from the 10,182 students enrolled in one of the 77 public and private-subsidised schools in the Community of Madrid. The results indicate that the magnitude of school segregation is around 0.20 (ISG); that the incidence of school ownership is low (4.6 %), while the incidence of the Bilingual Program is high (17.2 % on average); and that segregation has slightly decreased in recent years, however the differences between schools based on ownership and affiliation to the Bilingual Program have increased. Therefore, we conclude that it is necessary to address segregation in Early Childhood Education and that measures need to be taken to combat it. We also highlight the importance of reconsidering the Bilingual Program due to its impact on school segregation. (AU)

Segregación escolar del alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales en Educación Infantil en el contexto local / School segregation of students with special educational needs in Early Childhood Education in the local context

Esta investigación busca profundizar en la segregación escolar del alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil estimando su magnitud, determinando la incidencia de la titularidad del centro y de su adscripción al Programa Bilingüe y describiendo su evolución. Para ello, se realiza un estudio ex post facto con datos de los 10.182 estudiantes del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil matriculados en alguno de los 77 centros ordinarios públicos y privados-concertados situados en dos ciudades de tamaño medio-grande de la Comunidad de Madrid. Los resultados indican que la magnitud de la segregación escolar está en torno al 0.20 (ISG); que la incidencia de la titularidad es baja (4.6 %), pero es alta la del Programa Bilingüe (17.2 % de promedio); y que la segregación ha descendido ligeramente en los últimos años, pero las diferencias entre centros atendiendo a su titularidad y adscripción al Programa Bilingüe han crecido. Con ello, se concluye que hay que prestar atención a la segregación en Educación Infantil y tomar medidas para combatirla. También se destaca la necesidad de replantear el Programa Bilingüe por su incidencia en la segregación escolar. (AU)

This research aims to explore the school segregation of students with special educational needs in the second cycle of Early Childhood Education by estimating its magnitude, determining the incidence of school ownership and affiliation to the Bilingual Program, and describing its evolution. To achieve this, we conduct an ex post facto study with data from the 10,182 students enrolled in one of the 77 public and private-subsidised schools in the Community of Madrid. The results indicate that the magnitude of school segregation is around 0.20 (ISG); that the incidence of school ownership is low (4.6 %), while the incidence of the Bilingual Program is high (17.2 % on average); and that segregation has slightly decreased in recent years, however the differences between schools based on ownership and affiliation to the Bilingual Program have increased. Therefore, we conclude that it is necessary to address segregation in Early Childhood Education and that measures need to be taken to combat it. We also highlight the importance of reconsidering the Bilingual Program due to its impact on school segregation. (AU)

Em Defesa de Escolas Bilíngues de Surdos: Interlocuções dos Movimentos de Resistência em Portugal e Brasil / In Defense of Bilingual Schools for the Deaf: Interlocutions of Resistance Movements in Portugal and Brazil

RESUMO: Este trabalho parte de uma aproximação entre estudos realizados no Brasil e em Portugal, cenários em que as lutas pelo reconhecimento das pessoas surdas como participantes de uma comunidade linguística minorizada vêm pautando as discussões em defesa de uma escola bilíngue. Olha-se para os dois contextos a partir do entendimento da escola como lugar do encontro com a diferença, dando atenção no que se aproximam e, também, nas suas singularidades, dadas suas condições históricas, políticas e sociais. Realizaram-se interlocuções entre os movimentos de resistência pela manutenção dos espaços "Escola" - Escolas de Surdos (Brasil) e Escolas de Referência para Educação Bilíngue de Alunos Surdos - EREBAS (Portugal) - como também aproximação aos discursos de estudantes surdos, com o objetivo de olhar as potencialidades desses espaços possibilitarem experiências de ser Escola. Os estudantes — sujeitos da experiência — perceberam que a identificação linguística proporcionada pela Escola de Surdos/ EREBAS está relacionada ao acesso ao conhecimento, que vem sendo negado — ou não garantido — nos espaços da "escola inclusiva". A defesa desses espaços precisa estar atrelada à busca de um lugar que dê significado às coisas do mundo, que abra o mundo e possibilite experiências que só acontecem nesses espaços de encontro com a diferença.

ABSTRACT: This work starts from an approximation between studies carried out in Brazil and Portugal, scenarios in which the fights for recognition of deaf people as participants of a minoritized linguistic community has been the topic of discussions defending a bilingual school. Both contexts are seen from the understanding of school as a place to meet with the difference, with an attentive look into what approximates them and also their singularities, given their historical, political, and social conditions. Interlocutions were held between resistance movements for the maintenance of "School" spaces - Schools for the Deaf (Brazil) and Reference Schools for Bilingual Education for Deaf Students - EREBAS (Portugal) -, as well as the approximation approaching the speeches of deaf students, with the aim of looking at the potentiality of these spaces to enable experiences of being a School. The students - subjects of experience - noticed that the linguistic identification offered by the School for the Deaf/EREBAS is related to access to knowledge, which has been denied - or not guaranteed - in the spaces of the "inclusive school". The defense of these spaces needs to be linked to the search for a place that gives meaning to the things in the world, that opens up the world and enables experiences that only happen in these spaces of encounter with difference.

Effects of Bilingualism on Students' Linguistic Education: Specifics of Teaching Phonetics and Lexicology.

In the study of English in a bylingual environment, issues related to the need to develop students' phonetic and lexical competencies, which include communication, phonetic and auditory skills and lexical sufficiency, are of particular relevance. The motive of this study is the need to improve the methodology of teaching English in the context of student immersion in a foreign language educational environment, by implementing additional thematic courses in the general educational program aimed at improving the phonetic and lexical competencies necessary for successful learning in a bilingual environment. The purpose of the article is to study the feasibility and effectiveness of studying phonetics and lexicology by students-translators who study in a bilingual educational environment. An educational experiment was conducted with the participation of 75 students-translators, in the educational process of which the disciplines of phonetics and lexicology were integrated for two academic hours per week for one year. The effectiveness of studying phonetics and lexicology within the framework of bilingual education has been proved and the skills and achievements of students that they have acquired in the process of bilingual education with an emphasis on phonetics and lexicology have been analyzed. Control tests yielded the following results: among the 46 Russian-speaking participants the percentage of English speakers at the C2 level was 7% (3 people), C1-79% (36 people), B2-14% (7 people). To achieve the most effective learning in a bilingual environment, especially when it takes place in a minority language, it is worth emphasizing students' learning of phonetics and vocabulary. Using this approach, students were able to form and develop a number of phonetic and lexical skills and improve academic performance.

Conceptions of geography and history as school disciplines: an approach from lexical availability.

This paper aims to examine students' conceptions of Geography and History as school disciplines at different educational stages. The sample, composed by a total of 73 participants from Primary School (n = 26), Secondary School (n = 29) and Higher Education (n = 18), completed a lexical availability test in Spanish and English or in Spanish and French. The results show that lexical availability increases as the educational stage increases, although the differences are not significant between all of them. The available lexical items on Geography and History, most of which are not shared between the different stages, are very generalist, showing a rigid and formal view of the disciplines. After the analysis carried out, we consider that lexical availability may constitute a valid tool for accessing students' conceptions.

Examining Field Experiences of Teacher Candidates During COVID-19: Systemic Inequities Unveiled for Underserved English Learners in K-12 Grades.

The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 challenged schools and credential programs to adjust pedagogy, but rapid changes impeded equitable practices to K-12 grade English Learners (ELs). The framework stems from critical multicultural education. Data represented 81 credential candidates across three universities. Study confirmed that ELs lacked access to online learning, active engagement with peers/teachers, and differentiated instruction due to rapid changes and uncertainties to their programs.

El Impacto de COVID-19 retó a las escuelas y programas certificados a ajustar su pedagogía, pero cambios rápidos impidieron prácticas egalitarias para estudiantes de inglés (ELs siglas en inglés) en K-12. El marco de referencia se originó en la educación multicultural crítica. La información representó 81 candidatos de credencial a través de tres universidades. El estudio confirmó que ELs no tenían acceso al aprendizaje en línea, al compromiso activo de compañeros/maestros, y a la educación diferenciada debido a los cambios rápidos y la incertidumbre de sus programas.

A conceptual model of second language pronunciation in communicative contexts: Implications for children's bilingual education.

Second language (L2) pronunciation patterns that differ from those of first language (L1) speakers can affect communication effectiveness. Research on children's L2 pronunciation in bilingual education that involves non-English languages is much needed for the field of language acquisition. Due to limited research in these specific populations and languages, researchers often need to refer to literature on L2 pronunciation in general. However, the multidisciplinary literature can be difficult to access. This paper draws on research from different disciplines to provide a brief but holistic overview of L2 pronunciation. A conceptual model of L2 pronunciation is developed to organize multidisciplinary literature, including interlocutors' interactions at three layers: the sociopsychological, acquisitional, and productive-perceptual layers. Narrative literature review method is used to identify themes and gaps in the field. It is suggested that challenges related to L2 pronunciation exist in communication. However, the interlocutors share communication responsibilities and can improve their communicative and cultural competencies. Research gaps are identified and indicate that more studies on child populations and non-English L2s are warranted to advance the field. Furthermore, we advocate for evidence-based education and training programs to improve linguistic and cultural competencies for both L1 speakers and L2 speakers to facilitate intercultural communication.

Training of a Future Teacher-Psychologist in Multilingual Education Conditions.

Bilingualism and polylinguism necessitate the development of multilingual competence of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The specific feature of the study of languages as an academic discipline lies in the teaching of communicative activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the aspects of training a future teacher-psychologist in the conditions of multilingual education. To study this issue, theoretical works on the influence of a multilingual environment on the development of a personality and the training of future specialists in the field of education were analyzed. The fundamental goal of teaching foreign languages is the development of a multicultural multilingual person with information, communication and intellectual needs, abilities, and competences. This is important for teacher-psychologist since they are responsible not only for their judgments but also for the results of their students.

Libras no contexto escolar: instrumento ilustrado de avaliação de narrativas sinalizadas1 / Libras in the school context: illustrated instrument for evaluation of signed narratives

RESUMO O contato inicial com uma língua acessível ocorre, para os estudantes surdos brasileiros, frequentemente no ambiente escolar, ao entrar em contato com outras crianças surdas e com interlocutores adultos fluentes em Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras). Esse acesso tardio pode ocasionar um certo atraso na aquisição e no desenvolvimento da linguagem. Assim, a educação bilíngue de surdos coloca os professores frente ao desafio de como avaliar a Libras no contexto escolar. Diante das propostas educacionais, ainda há poucos instrumentos que contribuam para avaliar os conhecimentos em Libras dos estudantes surdos. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo é, por meio de um instrumento ilustrado de investigação de narrativas sinalizadas, contribuir com a avaliação da Libras e com o trabalho pedagógico de professores que atuam na educação bilíngue de surdos. O instrumento de avaliação de textos narrativos mostra-se bastante sensível para detectar o desenvolvimento linguístico dos discursos narrativos sinalizados, contribuindo intrinsicamente para a observação de funções/necessidades comunicativas.

ABSTRACT The initial contact with an accessible language occurs, for Brazilian deaf students, often in the school environment, when they encounter other deaf children and with adult interlocutors who are fluent in Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS). This late access can cause a certain delay in language acquisition and development. Thus, bilingual education for the deaf place's teachers in the face of the challenge of how to evaluate LIBRAS in the school context. In view of the educational proposals, there are still few instruments that contribute to assessing deaf students' knowledge in LIBRAS. Therefore, the objective of this study is, through an illustrated instrument for investigating signaled narratives, to contribute to the evaluation of LIBRAS and to the pedagogical work of teachers who work in bilingual education for the deaf. The instrument for evaluating narrative texts proves to be quite sensitive to detect the linguistic development of signaled narrative discourses, intrinsically contributing to the observation of communicative functions/needs.

Family Attitudes towards Multilingualism in Bilingual Education Programs and Their Relationship with Academic Performance.

This article reports on a large-scale study investigating the overall perception of multilingualism in the family environment of children enrolled in an English immersion program in primary schools across Spain and the potential relationship between these attitudes and the student's academic performance. One thousand and one families participated in the study, based on a tailored questionnaire that evaluated three main aspects: (1) parents' and guardians' ratings of their children's language skills; (2) language practices in the home, especially with respect to time allocated to different languages and multilingual practices such as code-switching; and (3) attitudes and general perception of the benefits and drawbacks of multilingualism in socio-economic, cultural, cognitive and professional terms. The complex results from this questionnaire, in addition to providing a more accurate picture of the family environment of students enrolled in these programs, show some significant correlations with academic performance, which we discuss here, with some reference to their educational implications.

La educación bilingüe en la enseñanza médica superior, actualidad y necesidades / Bilingual education in higher medical education, current affairs and needs

La educación médica superior se enfrenta a un proceso de constantes transformaciones dada por los adelantos científico-técnicos que vienen sucediendo en el campo de la salud. Estos adelantos concluyen en un volumen gigantesco de información en forma de publicaciones científicas que reúnen información valiosa sobre nuevos avances, esquemas terapéuticos y otros elementos relacionados con la enfermedad. La academia y práctica de la medicina se orienta al uso de la medicina basada en evidencia, por lo que los docentes y estudiantes tendrán una preparación y formación con elevado rigor científico, según las exigencias del contexto médico actual. Sin embargo, uno de los mayores problemas a los que se enfrenta la docencia médica universitaria se relaciona directamente con el dominio del idioma inglés, ya que una parte importante de estos documentos se publica en ese idioma. La educación bilingüe, a pesar de estar incluida dentro del proceso docente educativo como uno de los requisitos a vencer por los estudiantes, continúa siendo un desafío para poder lograr una mayor actualización científica que resulte en una mejor preparación profesional. El objetivo de esta investigación es exponer la situación actual de la educación bilingüe en la educación médica superior y cuáles son las necesidades actuales en este sentido(AU)

Higher medical education faces a process of constant transformations given by the scientific-technical advances that have been taking place in the field of health. These advances conclude in a gigantic volume of information that is expressed in the form of scientific publications that gather valuable information on new advances, therapeutic schemes and other elements related to the disease. The academy and practice of medicine is oriented towards the use of Evidence-Based Medicine; Therefore, teachers and students will have preparation and training with a high level of scientific rigor, according to the demands of the current medical context. However, one of the biggest problems faced by university medical teaching is directly related to the command of the English language, since a significant part of these documents are published in English. Bilingual education, despite being included within the educational teaching process as one of the requirements to be met by students, is presented as a current need in order to achieve a greater scientific update that results in better professional preparation. The objective of this research is to expose the current situation of bilingual education in higher medical education and what are the current needs in this regard(AU)

Meeting the bilingual learning needs of Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province: A multiple perspective investigation into problems and solutions.

Using student and teacher open-ended questionnaires, and interviews with teachers and school principals and administrators, this study examined the bilingual learning difficulties faced by the Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province, China, the challenges in meeting their needs, and the suggestions for coping with these challenges. The participants included 200 Tibetan minority students, 20 classroom teachers, and 10 school principals and administrators randomly selected from eight secondary schools located in eight different counties, where there are the most Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province. The results showed that they experienced considerable difficulties in both spoken and written Chinese, which had prevented them from understanding the lectures, answering questions, interacting with peers in the classroom, and communicating with friends and classmates outside of classroom. The challenges in meeting their bilingual learning needs include: (a) a language choice dilemma for parents, (b) insufficient training of bilingual education teachers, (c) lack of bilingual education resources; (d) short of qualified teachers; (e) lack of parent-school communication; and (f) insufficient training of principals and administrators. Suggestions for coping with these challenges and educational implications are discussed.

Four decades after Castañeda: a critical analysis of Bilingual/Dual Language Education in Colorado.

The Castañeda Standard was handed down in 1981. We use this Standard along with Latino Critical Race Theory (Solorzano & Yosso, 2001) and Ruiz's Language Orientations (1984) to conduct a historical analysis of bilingual education in Colorado from 1976 to 2019 to examine the availability of bilingual/dual language education for Latinx students over four decades. Our historical analysis resulted in dividing Colorado's bilingual history into four time periods (1976-1981; 1981-2000, 2000-2018 and 2019-present). Findings indicated that other than a brief period (1976-1981) the history of bilingual education and all other program types in Colorado has been oriented toward language as a problem and toward systemic racism with regard to language policies and practices. However, the community also developed resistant capital to maintain bilingual education despite formidable odds. This is particularly true for Spanish speaking Mexican origin children and families. Moreover, we demonstrate that while Castañeda had some influence on bilingual education over the past 40 years, it could have had much more if the Standard had been updated over time especially regarding Prongs 1 and 3. We conclude that Castañeda needs to be updated and strengthened especially in states such as Colorado with weak oversight and monitoring of programs for EB students.

Is language a 'right' in U.S. education?: unpacking Castañeda's reach across federal, state, and district lines.

Castañeda v. Pickard (648 F.2d 989, [5th Cir. 1981]) was a significant legal case in the history of educational policy for non-native English-speaking students in the United States. The case established a three prong 'test' for programs for those students, including the right for students to have an educational program based on sound educational theory; resources and personnel to properly implement the program; and evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. After 40 years of interpretation of the Castañeda case, the issue of language rights for non-native English speakers in United States public schools continues to be debated by scholars and interpreted through various legal statutes and case holdings. This article examines the Castañeda case and its recent interpretations in the literature as applied to non-native English-speaking students. We use a theoretical lens of orientations in language planning (Ruíz 1984) and language policy text as reported by Lo Bianco and Aliani (Language planning and student experiences: Intention, rhetoric, and implementation, Multilingual Matters, 2013). We then discuss the socio-historical context of the case and position it with respect to the 1974 seminal case of Lau v. Nichols. Using the state of Florida as an example, we next describe the complex language ecology of local and state language policies and how those relate to Castañeda and inhibit progress for bilingual students in Florida. We conclude with caution to academics and advocates who work on behalf of language minoritized students in the United States, with implications for international scholars.

A Aprendizagem da Língua de Sinais por Crianças Surdas / Learning Sign Language By Deaf Children

RESUMO: Atender às necessidades linguísticas e de escolarização de crianças surdas impõe desafos às famílias e à escola. Assim sendo, este artigo está alicerçado nos estudos realizados em uma pesquisa de Mestrado em Educação, a qual teve por objetivo compreender como acontece a aprendizagem da língua de sinais por crianças surdas, desde os primeiros anos de vida, até a aquisição do português escrito nos anos iniciais da Educação Básica. A pesquisa caracteriza-se como qualitativa e para o seu desenvolvimento foram adotadas entrevistas narrativas com famílias de crianças surdas e professores atuantes com esses estudantes. As materialidades empíricas oriundas das entrevistas foram organizadas em agrupamentos temáticos e analisadas pela perspectiva da Análise do Discurso com base em Foucault. As narrativas dos familiares evidenciaram que as crianças surdas passam a ter acesso tardiamente à língua de sinais, somente quando frequentam a escola. Nesse espaço, os docentes seguem um currículo escolar homogêneo, com práticas escolares que são elaboradas de forma independente, sem articulação com os intérpretes ou os professores da Língua Brasileira de Sinais do Atendimento Educacional Especializado. O texto evidencia os desafos das famílias e dos docentes infuenciados pela falta de conhecimento da especificidade de comunicação de crianças surdas e da língua de sinais.

ABSTRACT: Fulfilling language and schooling needs of deaf children challenge families and school. Thus, this article is based on studies carried out in a Master's research in Education, which aimed to understand how deaf children learn sign language, from the first years of life, to the acquisition of written Portuguese in the early grades of Basic Education. The research is characterized as qualitative and for its development narrative interviews were adopted with families of deaf children and teachers working with these students. The empirical materialities arising from the interviews were organized into thematic groups and analyzed from the perspective of Discourse Analysis based on Foucault. The family members' narratives showed that deaf children have late access to sign language, only when they attend school. In this space, the teachers follow a homogeneous school syllabus, with school practices that are prepared independently, without articulation with the interpreters or teachers of Brazilian Sign Language from the Specialized Educational Service. The text highlights the challenges of families and teachers infuenced by the lack of knowledge of the specificity of communication of deaf children and sign language.

Application of mixed teaching mode based on SPOC and interactive tool in course of nursing bilingual education / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the application of mixed teaching mode based on small private online course (SPOC) and interactive tool in course of obstetric and gynecological nursing bilingual education.Methods:Nursing undergraduates from Batch 2018 of Chongqing Medical University were recruited in the study, with 336 students in the intervention group and 332 students in the control group. Mixed teaching method based on the SPOC and interactive tool was used for teaching in the intervention group, and traditional teaching methods were used in the control group. At the end of the course, formative evaluation indicators, such as students' academic performance, online study and students' classroom performance were compared between the two groups. SPSS 26.0 was used to perform t test and chi-square test of the data. Results:The final scores of the intervention group were (67.84±8.65) points, compared with the control group [(66.50±7.29) points]; the bilingual section scores of the intervention group were (5.32±1.90) points, compared with the control group [(4.95±1.92) points], with statistically significant differences between the two groups ( P<0.05). The online study and students' classroom performances of the intervention group were better than those of the control group ( P<0.05). Most students of the intervention group believed the mixed teaching method based on the SPOC and interactive tool could develop the ability of autonomous learning, improve the professional achievement and enhance the level of English. Conclusion:The mixed teaching method based on the SPOC and interactive tool can develop the students' ability of autonomous learning and enhance the teaching effect.

Self-derivation through memory integration under low surface similarity conditions: The case of multiple languages.

A primary objective of development is to build a knowledge base. To accumulate knowledge over time and experiences, learners must engage in productive processes, going beyond what is explicitly given to generate new knowledge. Although these processes are important to accumulating knowledge, they are also easily disrupted. Individuals often depend on surface-level similarities, such as visual features, to recognize the relation between learning episodes. When the surface-level similarity is low, performance on tasks that depend on productive processes, such as self-derivation through integration of new knowledge, suffers. The major purpose of the current research was to examine whether presentation of related information in different languages poses a challenge to memory integration and self-derivation due to low levels of surface similarity between episodes of learning through different languages. In Study 1, 62 children (Grade 2; mean age = 8 years 1 month) listened to story passages containing novel facts that could be integrated to self-derive new knowledge. Related passages were presented either through the same language or through two different languages (cross-language condition; Spanish and English). There were no significant differences between presentation conditions. In Study 2, 100 children (Grades 3 and 4; mean age = 9.7 years) heard novel facts in single sentences, again presented in either a same-language or cross-language condition. Whereas third-grade cross-language performance suffered compared with same-language English controls, fourth-grade performance did not. Results suggest that in addition to language proficiency, rich contextual support and experience in a bilingual environment facilitate cross-language integration.

The effects of Spanish heritage language literacy on English reading for Spanish-English bilingual children in the US.

Models of monolingual literacy propose that reading acquisition builds upon children's semantic, phonological, and orthographic knowledge. The relationships between these components vary cross-linguistically, yet it is generally unknown how these differences impact bilingual children's literacy. A comparison between Spanish-English bilingual and English monolingual children (ages 6-13, N=70) from the U.S. revealed that bilinguals had stronger associations between phonological and orthographic representations than monolinguals during English reading. While vocabulary was the strongest predictor of English word reading for both groups, phonology and morpho-syntax were the best predictors of Spanish reading for bilinguals. This comparison reveals distinct developmental processes across learners and languages, and suggests that early and systematic biliteracy exposure at home and through afterschool programs can influence children's sound-to-print associations even in the context of language-specific (monolingual) reading instruction. These findings have important implications for bilingual education as well as theories that aim to explain how learning to read across languages has a positive impact on the acquisition of literacy.

Bilingual education for young children: review of the effects and consequences.

Bilingual education has been an educational option in many countries for over 50 years but it remains controversial, especially in terms of its appropriateness for all children. The present review examines research evaluating the outcomes of bilingual education for language and literacy levels, academic achievement, and suitability for children with special challenges. The focus is on early education and the emphasis is on American contexts. Special attention is paid to factors such as socioeconomic status that are often confounded with the outcomes of bilingual education. The conclusion is that there is no evidence for harmful effects of bilingual education and much evidence for net benefits in many domains.

Analyzing Complex Longitudinal Data in Educational Research: A Demonstration With Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) Data Using xxM.

When analyzing complex longitudinal data, especially data from different educational settings, researchers generally focus only on the mean part (i.e., the regression coefficients), ignoring the equally important random part (i.e., the random effect variances) of the model. By using Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) data, we demonstrated the importance of taking the complex data structure into account by carefully specifying the random part of the model, showing that not only can it affect the variance estimates, the standard errors, and the tests of significance of the regression coefficients, it also can offer different perspectives of the data, such as information related to the developmental process. We used xxM (Mehta, 2013), which can flexibly estimate different grade-level variances separately and the potential carryover effect from each grade factor to the later time measures. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.