Professional Materials

Abstract

America is in the midst of societal change. Immigration policies are currently being reformed. Needless to say, the immigration reform proposals are also being intensely debated. During this new wave of immigration policy reform, schools are expected now more than ever to respond to the needs of their newcomer students. Creating Access: Language and Academic Programs for Secondary School Newcomers helps school administrators, policymakers, and researchers to create newcomer programs, make their preexisting programs more effective, or examine the outcomes of newcomer programs. The authors, Deborah J. Short and Beverly A. Boyson, explain the purpose of newcomer programs, present findings from a four-year study of 115 middle and high school newcomer programs across the United States, provide ideas for how to create such programs, include case studies of successful programs with contact information, and suggest further research.Chapter 1, "Introduction to Secondary School Newcomer Students and Programs," describes the four-year study and explains the common features of newcomer programs, such as the target population, learning objectives, and how they are distinct from English as a second language or bilingual education programs. The diversity in immigrant experiences is acknowledged by the authors, who note differences in language proficiency, educational experiences, socioeconomic status, and age of arrival. Functional literacy skills such as how to follow a high school schedule, how to use public transportation, and how to read a textbook also were pointed out. In spite of the strides that are being made to address