In recent years American colleges and universities have become the locus of impassioned debates about race-conscious social policies, as conflicting theories clash over the ways to distribute the advantages of higher education in a fair and just manner. Just below the surface of these policy debates lies a complex tangle of ideologies, histories, grievances, and emotions that interfere with a rational analysis of the issues involved. As never before, the need for empirical research on the significance of race in American society seems essential to solving the manifest problems of this highly politicized and emotionally charged aspect of American higher education.
The research evidence presented in this book has a direct relevance to those court cases that challenge race-conscious admission policies of colleges and universities. Though many questions still need to be addressed by future research, the empirical data collected to date makes it clear that affirmative action policies "do" work and are still very much needed in American higher education. This book also provides a framework for examining the evidence pertaining to issues of fairness, merit, and the benefits of diversity in an effort to assist courts and the public in organizing beliefs about race and opportunity.

In English Language Learners and the New Standards, three leading scholars present a clear vision and practical suggestions for helping teachers engage ELL students in simultaneously learning subject-area content, analytical practices, and language. This process requires three important shifts in our perspective on language and language learning-from an individual activity to a socially engaged activity; from a linear process aimed at correctness and fluency, to a developmental process focused oncomprehension and communication; and from a separate area of instruction to an approach that embeds language development in subject-area activities. In English Language Learners and the New Standards, the authors: Clarify the skills and knowledge teachers need to integrate content knowledge and language development Show how teachers can integrate formative assessment in ongoing teaching and learning Discuss key leverage points and stress points in using interim and summative assessments with ELLs Provide classroom vignettes that illustrate key practices Finally, the authors explain the theories and research that underlie their vision and examine the role of policy in shaping pedagogy and assessment for ELL students.

In recent years American colleges and universities have become the locus of impassioned debates about race-conscious social policies, as conflicting theories clash over the ways to distribute the advantages of higher education in a fair and just manner. Just below the surface of these policy debates lies a complex tangle of ideologies, histories, grievances, and emotions that interfere with a rational analysis of the issues involved. As never before, the need for empirical research on the significance of race in American society seems essential to solving the manifest problems of this highly politicized and emotionally charged aspect of American higher education.
The research evidence presented in this book has a direct relevance to those court cases that challenge race-conscious admission policies of colleges and universities. Though many questions still need to be addressed by future research, the empirical data collected to date makes it clear that affirmative action policies "do" work and are still very much needed in American higher education. This book also provides a framework for examining the evidence pertaining to issues of fairness, merit, and the benefits of diversity in an effort to assist courts and the public in organizing beliefs about race and opportunity.

The Committee on Educational Excellence and Testing Equity was created under the auspices of the National Research Council (NRC), and specifically under the oversight of the Board on Testing and Assessment (BOTA). The committee's charge is to explore the challenges that face U.S. schools as they work to achieve the related goals of academic excellence and equity for all students. This report provides not only the summary of a workshop held by the forum on the testing of English-language learners (students learning English as an additional language) in U.S. schools, but also a report on the committee's conclusions derived from that workshop and from subsequent deliberations.

In English Language Learners and the New Standards, three leading scholars present a clear vision and practical suggestions for helping teachers engage ELL students in simultaneously learning subject-area content, analytical practices, and language. This process requires three important shifts in our perspective on language and language learning-from an individual activity to a socially engaged activity; from a linear process aimed at correctness and fluency, to a developmental process focused oncomprehension and communication; and from a separate area of instruction to an approach that embeds language development in subject-area activities. In English Language Learners and the New Standards, the authors: Clarify the skills and knowledge teachers need to integrate content knowledge and language development Show how teachers can integrate formative assessment in ongoing teaching and learning Discuss key leverage points and stress points in using interim and summative assessments with ELLs Provide classroom vignettes that illustrate key practices Finally, the authors explain the theories and research that underlie their vision and examine the role of policy in shaping pedagogy and assessment for ELL students.

How do we effectively teach children from homes in which a language other than English is spoken?
In Improving Schooling for Language-Minority Children, a committee of experts focuses on this central question, striving toward the construction of a strong and credible knowledge base to inform the activities of those who educate children as well as those who fund and conduct research.
The book reviews a broad range of studies--from basic ones on language, literacy, and learning to others in educational settings. The committee proposes a research agenda that responds to issues of policy and practice yet maintains scientific integrity.
This comprehensive volume provides perspective on the history of bilingual education in the United States; summarizes relevant research on development of a second language, literacy, and content knowledge; reviews past evaluation studies; explores what we know about effective schools and classrooms for these children; examines research on the education of teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse students; critically reviews the system for the collection of education statistics as it relates to this student population; and recommends changes in the infrastructure that supports research on these students.

Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta view second-language acquisition as one way of coming to grips with the fundamental nature of language, mind, and brain. Although they have conducted some of the key research in the area of second-language acquisition, they also work more broadly in the fields of cognitive and language development as well as in education policy, and thus they are ideally suited to address this issue. Using an array of vivid illustrations, lively anecdotes, and fascinating research examples, they show how five elements - brain, language, mind, self, and culture - make up the complex ecology of language learning. The book considers vital questions: Is the brain "hard-wired" for language learning? Why are the mental operations that allow us to learn language different from those we use to solve math problems or play a musical instrument? How do differences between languages affect language learning? What are various cultures doing to encourage bilingualism?

A leading Yale psycholinguist separates myth from fact in the first comprehensive account of the psychological, linguistic, educational, and social aspects of bilingualism.