CREDE was one of 12 national research and development centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students. CREDE assisted the nation’s population of diverse students, including those at risk of educational failure, to achieve academic excellence. The purpose of CREDE’s research was to identify and develop effective educational practices for linguistic and cultural minority students, such as those placed at risk by factors of race, poverty, and geographic location. CREDE continued to improve upon the work of the National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning (NCRCDSLL). The Center for Applied Linguistics worked in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Houston, and scholars and experts from many other organizations.
From 1996–2001, CREDE operated over 30 projects under six programmatic strands: Language Learning and Academic Achievement; Professional Development; Family/Peers/School and Community; Instruction in Context; Integrated Reform and System Studies; and Assessment.
During 2001-2003, seven teams extracted and synthesized key findings and practices from the work of CREDE’s 31 research projects from the previous five years. Comprised of the nation’s leading experts, practitioners, and policymakers in education, each team focused on a specific theme. Each team produced an array of materials to bring state-of the-art knowledge on diversity education into America’s classrooms and also made recommendations for future research agendas.
CREDE Research Projects Conducted at CAL
Four CREDE research projects were conducted at CAL from 1996–2003. The following provides a brief description.
Two-Way Immersion Education
This study continued the research conducted on two-way bilingual immersion by the National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. This study examined instructional outcomes (English-language attainment), student populations (at-risk English proficient students), and long-term effects (elementary two-way immersion program graduates in secondary grades), and documented program implementation in schools across the country.
Donna Christian, Center for Applied Linguistics and Fred Genesee, McGill University
Additional Contacts: Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, San Jose State University; Liz Howard and Julie Sugarman, Center for Applied Linguistics
Newcomers: Language and Academic Programs for Recent Immigrants
This study documented newcomer programs for recently arrived secondary students with limited English proficiency and the ways in which these programs promote student transitions into U.S. schools. The study identified secondary-level newcomer programs, examined their administrative, instructional, and sociocultural features, and compared their programs with traditional programs serving these students.
Deborah Short, Center for Applied Linguistics
Additional Contact: Beverly Boyson, Center for Applied Linguistics
A National Survey of School/ Community-Based Organization Partnerships Serving Students Placed at Risk
This study identified essential features of successful partnerships between schools and community-based organizations (CBOs) that support the academic achievement of language minority students.
Carolyn Temple Adger, Center for Applied Linguistics
The Effects of Sheltered Instruction on the Achievement of Limited English Proficient Students
This project worked with teachers to identify key practices for sheltered instruction and to develop a professional development model that would enable more teachers to use sheltered instruction effectively in their classrooms.
Jana Echevarria, California State University, Long Beach
Deborah Short, Center for Applied Linguistics
Learn more about the SIOP Model developed as part of the CREDE project at the CAL SIOP website.
