Understanding the language development and early education of Hispanic children / Eugene E. Garcia and Erminda H. Garcia.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 171-188) and index.

Introduction : What's in a name? What's in a culture? -- Name lessons -- Education of Hispanics in early childhood -- Educational attainment and academic achievement -- 1. Demographics and educational circumstances of Hispanics in early childhood -- A growing population -- Parent education levels -- Child poverty -- English language learners -- Hispanic educational performance patterns in early childhood -- 2. The concept of culture in the classroom -- Cultural perceptions and expectations -- 3. Language development and early education of young Hispanic children -- Variations in language environments -- Bilingual language development -- The effects of policies and practices on academic achievement -- 4. Rich language environments -- Home and classroom cultures -- 5. Teaching and learning for Hispanics in early childhood -- Evaluations of Head Start and State Pre-K programs -- Reading with young Hispanic children -- Writing with young Hispanic children -- The assessment process -- Cooperative structures -- Best practices that facilitate literacy development -- Promising program practices -- 6. Responsive teaching for Hispanic children -- developing teachers -- Responsive teacher preparation -- Constructing responsive pedagogy and learning communities -- Responsive teaching practices -- 7. The significance of family engagement -- Family characteristics -- Family involvement in education -- Learning from our communities -- 8. Policy and young Hispanics -- Early intervention -- What should policymakers do? -- 9 Conclusion -- Recommendations from research, best practices, and experience -- A personal set of recommendations : the four "R" (los Cuatro "R"s) and a "T" -- Preparing young Hispanics and the United States for the future -- Appendix A : recommended books as windows and mirrors -- Appendix B : recommended wordless books.

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 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 Hispanic children. Chapters emphasize educational practices, including teacher competencies, instructional strategies, curricular content, parent involvement, and related policy. The text includes teacher-friendly artifacts, instructional organizers, and lesson descriptions.