MIGRANT EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS: GRADES K-8 (READING, HISTORY, K-EIGHT

The purpose of this study was (1) to identify the background, training, and experience of teachers responsible for implementing migrant education programs in Texas; (2) to identify and classify inservice activities that have been or are being used to develop teachers involved in migrant education; (3) to describe contemporary programs, instructional methods, techniques, and materials used in migrant education programs; and (4) to solicit recommendations and suggestions for improvement of migrant programs.;A descriptive approach was used to gather data from teachers in kindergarten through eighth-grade migrant education programs in Texas. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 583 migrant teachers. Questionnaires were returned by 345, or 61 percent, of the teachers.;Data obtained in the study indicated that almost all migrant teachers have an appropriate certificate but few have a certificate or endorsement for the specific content area that they teach. The migrant teachers perceive inservice provided by education service centers and migrant institutes as effective. The teachers report a need for more inservice and prefer that it be provided by local districts, education service centers, and migrant institutes. Most migrant programs use resource classrooms. Migrant teachers plan with regular program teachers but do not have scheduled joint-planning periods. Migrant teachers use a variety of instructional methods and materials. Informal reading and mathematics inventories are used for instructional assessment and norm-referenced tests are used for program evaluation.