A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Model Strategies in Bilingual Education: Professional Development - 1995

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to three groups of people who formed our learning community for this task. First, many scholars and practitioners guided our review of the literature on educating language minority teachers and students and informed our search for projects founded on sound principles of effective professional development. Representing many language groups and all regions of the country, these advisors included university faculty, multifunctional resource center and bilingual clearinghouse personnel, district-based educators, and members of professional associations. Thanks to the support and coaching of these experts, the study team was launched in the right direction and ultimately rewarded with a stimulating professional development experience.

Second, project staff, teachers, and students at the sites we visited gave us a warm welcome and detailed information about their work. They invited us to team meetings, parent workshops, advisory board sessions, cultural events, and training programs. They showed us how they make hypercard language tutorials that combine the voices of elderly native speakers with the latest in computer-based audio-visual technology. Moreover, they provided the photographs that appear in this report. Through their openness, we were able to learn more about how dedicated people put research to work.

Third, colleagues at Policy Studies Associates and the U.S. Department of Education offered substantial help. At PSA, Heather McCollum, Karen Panton, and Ellen Pechman participated in field work and drafted site visit reports. Alexander Russo reviewed literature and Ben Lagueruela edited the final draft and oversaw production. In the U.S. Department of Education, staff of the Planning and Evaluation Service and the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs provided ongoing assistance in framing the initial study and in shaping this document. Their insights made a valuable contribution.
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