Contents, communicational needs and learner expectations: a study of SSL in Haitian immigrants

This research aims to prove the effectiveness of Spanish as a Second Language lessons for Haitians designed by volunteers in Santiago de Chile. The methodology used through the study was based on the application of two questionnaires to Haitian students in order to compare results, and finally obtain an average that reflects the achievement of the communicative functions expected. Results indicate that neither the lessons planned, material giver nor the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages fulfilled such expectations. Findings are discussed in relation to previous studies on methodologies for Spanish as a Second Language for Haitian immigrants in Chile (Toledo, 2016)

The Effects of High-Stakes Accountability Measures on Students With Limited English Proficiency

This article reports on a 3-year ethnographic study in a Boston Public school of the performance of Haitian students on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and its lasting and likely impact upon them. MCAS is a mandated exam required for students to graduate from high school. Although there are certain provisions for students with limited English proficiency (LEP) to participate under the mandate, LEP students face the test with an enormous disadvantage compared with other students. The issue of second language acquisition appears to have been completely dismissed in the mandated policy. In light of the challenges faced by students with LEP, the article focuses on the core issues at hand in the Massachusetts standardized exam. It analyzes the complexities of language use and acquisition with respect to students with LEP, the pitfalls of the mandated exam, and the effects and impacts created by MCAS on students and their communities. It suggests that an educational system should take into consideration the complexity of acquiring a second language in a particular social context and develop new testing policies and requirements for students whose first language is not English.

Working with Students on a Mixed-Methods, Social Justice Approach to Understanding Haiti's Internally Displaced Persons Camps

Haiti's earthquake inspired one of the most generous outpourings of aid ever. Over half of United States households and 80 percent of African American households contributed something to the effort. In addition to an astonishing $1.3 billion contributed in cash donations, many people wanted to volunteer their time and efforts. To accommodate this demand, daily flights to Haiti doubled, and a new air carrier joined the two major United States companies. I was at one of the schools with the highest percentage of Haitian students, York College, so I fielded dozens of requests-from Haitian Americans as well as others, students as well as faculty and staff-to take them with me on a trip to Haiti. Would this have been useful? I pondered. In addition, echoing similar concerns of the National Science Foundation (NSF) program officer, would they be safe? More basically, is this desire to help useful, beyond the tangible results seen in a local effort accompanied by the good feelings of having done something? Also, from the perspective of an applied anthropologist employed as an academic, would the benefits of undergraduate student participation in a research project outweigh the risks? In the end, I would have to say yes.

Rebuilding a Country, Cultivating Local Capacity

In this interview conducted by Harvard Educational Review editor Raygine DiAquoi,Fabienne Doucet of New York University and Louis Herns Marcelin of the University of Miami discuss their roles as Haitian American scholars who are participating in Haiti's reconstruction process after the earthquake of January 2010. Each professor focuses on different sectors of the educational system: Doucet on the importance of investing in early childhood education and Marcelin on the significance of higher education in rebuilding Haitian society. From these scholars we learn about the importance of including local actors in the efforts to rebuild in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Through the Interuniversity Institute for Research and Development(INURED), they work with scholars around the world to facilitate participatory research that seeks to democratize the production of knowledge while simultaneously building the capacity of Haitian students and educators to use research to effect change in their own communities.

The Use of Argumentation in Haitian Creole Science Classrooms

In this article, Josiane Hudicourt-Barnes critiques the claim that Haitian children cannot actively engage in science classrooms. Drawing from her own work as a bilingual science teacher and educational researcher, Hudicourt-Barnes highlights the Haitian cultural practice of bay odyans, a form of discourse similiar to scientific argumentation, as a potential building block for engaging Haitian children in scientific inquiry. She offers specific examples of Haitian students recreating bay odyans in science classrooms, and suggests that these students have a cultural experience that predisposes them to scientific inquiry. In making links between culture, scientific inquiry, and pedagogy, Hudicourt-Barnes seeks to broaden the research perspective on Haitian students and discourage the use of research paradigms that ignore the impact of culture in the classroom.

Implementing the “Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics”: Teaching Middle School Students with Diverse Cultural Backgrounds

In this second article of the 1993-94 series, a middle school teacher reflects on his work with Hispanic and Haitian students. He used what he has learned to recommend ways to help preservice teachers learn about students of other cultures.– Ed.