OVERVIEW
Beverly Boyson of the Center
for Applied Linguistics provided an extensive review of CAL's 4-year
research project
on secondary level newcomer programs designed to ease the transition of
language minority students into U.S. schools. Lourdes Burrows described the
curriculum and activities of the Academy for New Americans at the Newcomers
High School.
ISSUE
Definition:
·
educates recent immigrant students
with
·
little or no English language
proficiency
·
little formal education in their native
country
·
offers special academic environment
·
operates at secondary level for a limited period of
time
Goals:
·
to help students acquire beginning English
skills
·
to provide some instruction in core content areas in
native languages or with classroom strategies(such as sheltered instruction in
English) that will promote learning for ELLs
·
to guide students’ transition into the U.S.
school system
RESEARCH
Research
Study: "Newcomers: Language and Academic Programs for Recent
Immigrants" consisted of 115
programs at 196 sites in 29 States and the District of
Columbia
Project
Goals:
·
to identify and document secondary newcomer programs
in school districts around the United States
·
to examine more closely several of the programs for
evidence of their effectiveness
·
to evaluate the ways in which these programs promote
transitions into U.S. schools for newcomers
FINDINGS
Common
traits:
·
each program is distinct from the regular
school
·
uses instructional strategies for literacy
development,
·
offers courses or activities for student orientation
to U.S. schools and community
CONCLUSION
Burrows, as principal of a
High School devoted to newcomers, raised the important question: "Will diversity lead to
divisiveness?" Her response
was to stress the need to humanize education, to create a climate in the
classroom and school that will both support diversity and promote intercultural
understanding through comprehensive, continuous, and effectively implemented
multicultural education.
For more information, visit CREDE’s newcomer research project website
at: www.cal.org/crede/newcomer.htm