Title VII: Bilingual Resource Service Model. Report No. 89-6, June, 1989.
Author(s):
Koopman, Roberta; And Others; Seattle Public Schools, Wa.
Format:
Report
Publisher:
1989.
Language:
English
Abstract:
This paper evaluates the Seattle (Washington) School District's 5-year Bilingual Resource Service Model project. The project aimed to improve bilingual education services for elementary limited English proficient students of Chinese, Laotian/Hmong/Mien, Vietnamese, or Cambodian native language backgrounds by increasing the instructional coordination between the mainstream classroom and the bilingual center in each school. The focus was on coordination in language arts/English as a Second Language, reading instruction, and mathematics instruction. The project began in six sites, with changes taking place over the 5 years. The project format involved a half-time bilingual resource teacher to coordinate classroom instructional programs, 10 instructional assistants, curriculum development, project staff training, and involvement of parents and community members in bilingual education. Results of a process evaluation show the model to have been successfully implemented at all schools. Increased instructional coordination resulted in improved communication between bilingual and mainstream teachers. Also there was better communication between home and school and the level of participation by students' parents improved. Participating students showed improved mathematics achievement; however, they did not demonstrate the expected improvement in reading and language. Qualitative results suggest that the program was successful in other ways. Included are nine tables and two references. Three appendices outline the program designs, five elementary school bilingual programs, and selected sites and program descriptions. (JB)