Language, Culture, and Education: Challenges of Diversity in the United States

Description

Exploring language, culture and education among immigrants in the United States, this volume discusses the range of experiences in raising children with more than one language in major ethno-linguistic groups in New York. Research and practice from the fields of speech-language pathology, bilingual education, and public health in immigrant families are brought together to provide guidance for speech-language pathologists in differentiating language disorders from language variation, and for parents on how to raise their children with more than one language. Commonalities among dissimilar groups, such as Chinese, Korean, and Hispanic immigrants are analyzed, as well as the language needs of Arab-Americans, the home literacy practices of immigrant parents who speak Mixteco and Spanish, and the crucial role of teachers in bridging immigrants' classroom and home contexts. These studies shed new light on much-needed policy reforms to improve the involvement of culturally and linguistically diverse families in decisions affecting their children's education.

Elizabeth Ijalba is Associate Professor in Linguistics and Communication Disorders, Queens College, City University of New York. She is a speech language pathologist. Her research focuses on narrative analysis as a method of assessment in bilingual children with language and reading disorders. Patricia Velasco is Associate Professor in Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Queens College, City University of New York. She is the author with Ruth Swinney of Connecting Content and Academic Language for English Learners and Struggling Students (2011). She works with teachers and students in the New York City public schools. Catherine J. Crowley, J.D., CCC-SLP is Professor of Practice in the program of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a lawyer and speech language pathologist. Her work focuses on ensuring that students receive culturally and linguistically appropriate disability evaluations.

'... the book encompasses rich analyses and strong conclusions to be used by research specialists, parents, and practitioners in multicultural communities.' Laura Dubcovsky, LINGUIST List