Eugene E. Garcia - Böcker

Challenging perspectives that often characterize Latinos as ‘at-risk,’ this book takes an ‘asset’ approach, highlighting the favorable linguistic, cognitive, education, and cultural assets Latino children bring to educational settings. An Asset-Based Approach to Latino Education in the United States addresses the increasingly important challenge and opportunity of educating the linguistic and cultural diversity of the growing population of Latino students. The book confronts the educational debate regarding effective instructional practices for Latinos, bilingual education, immigration, and assimilation.

Among the many recent books on educational reform, Eugene E. Garcia's Hispanic Education in the United States stands out as a landmark work. Garcia vibrantly portrays what works in creating better educational opportunities and effective school reform. He also offers a telling reflection on the bicultural experience of minority groups in the U.S. Culture is an asset in any individual's educational attainment. Garcia shows how and why our educational reforms therefore must seek to build upon rather than downplay the native culture and language of minority students. Poignant stories from the author's life—and from many other teachers and students—make this a vital book for the university classroom, and for any reader interested in the rapidly changing dynamics of America's schools.

This is the most comprehensive, up-to-date volume on the state of bilingual education in the United States and, in particular, on effective curriculum and instructional approaches. Eugene Garcia, renowned authority, depicts the vast scope and complexity of the problem of educating English language learners. He sets forth a conceptual framework to guide educational policy and practice that reflects democratic ideals and values.

It is well known that the number of non-English speakers is on the rise in the United States. What is less well known is that the largest proportion of this population is children under the age of 5. These young English language learners (ELLs) often demonstrate achievement gaps in basic math and reading skills when they start school. How best to educate this important and growing preschool population is a pressing concern for policymakers and practitioners. The chapters in this important book provide up-to-date syntheses of the research base for young ELLs on critical topics such as demographics, development of bilingualism, cognitive and neurological benefits of bilingualism, and family relationships, as well as classroom, assessment, and teacher-preparation practices. Each chapter reviews the research and answers the following questions:What does the research clearly indicate for policy and practice?How solid is this database and what findings are emerging?What should the research agenda be for young ELLs?

Young Hispanic children are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority population in the United States, representing diverse racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. Educational skills and achievement lag significantly for this population creating an unacceptable achievement gap at the beginning of kindergarten that grows even further by the end of third grade. What can we learn from the empirical literature, theory, programs, and policies associated with language and early learning for young Hispanics? What are the home and school factors important to differences in early cognitive development and educational well-being? In this timely collaboration, a renowned researcher and a seasoned practitioner explore these questions with a focus on specific instructional interventions that are associated with reducing the achievement gap for young Hispanic children. Chapters emphasise educational practices, including teacher competencies, instructional strategies, curricular content, parent involvement, and related policy. The text includes teacher-friendly artefacts, instructional organisers, and lesson descriptions.