Tag » language

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  Challenging common myths about young English language learners

  1/1/08 - Linda Espinosa

  This review of research from a variety of disciplines about dual language development and the impact of different educational approaches for children ages three to eight runs counter to much conventional thinking.Scientific studies suggest that young ELL children are quite capable of learning subject matter in two languages. In fact, they may benefit cognitively from learning more than one language. Transitioning from their first language to English before they have a firm grasp of their...

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  English learners in Boston public schools: Enrollment, engagement, and academic outcomes of native speakers of Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese dialects, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Vietnamese

  1/1/09 - Uriarte, M., Lavan, N., Agusti, N., Kala, M., Karp, F., Kiang, P., Lo, L., Tung, R., Villari, C.

  "In 2002, Massachusetts voters approved a referendum (Question 2) against the continuance of Transitional Bilingual Education as a method of instruction for English language learners. . . . Question 2 (implemented across the State in fall 2003), replaced a wide-ranging set of bilingual programs with Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) programs. . . . Unlike Transitional Bilingual Education, which relies on English learners’ own language to facilitate the learning of academic content as they...

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  English learners in Boston public schools: Enrollment, engagement, and academic outcomes, AY2003-AY2006

  1/1/09 - Tung, R., Uriarte, M., Diez, V., Lavan, N., Agusti, N., Karp, F., Meschede, T.

  "In 2002, Massachusetts voters approved a referendum (Question 2) against the continuance of Transitional Bilingual Education as a method of instruction for English language learners. . . . Question 2 (implemented across the State in fall 2003), replaced a wide-ranging set of bilingual programs with Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) programs. . . . Unlike Transitional Bilingual Education, which relies on English learners’ own language to facilitate the learning of academic content as they...

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  Honoring Children's Languages: One Simple Suggestion

  1/1/08 - Sonia Nieto

  Sometimes as soon as I step foot in a school, I can tell of its commitment, or lack of commitment, to affirming the diversity of their students. Some things are obvious, of course: posters, bulletin boards, the nature of the books in the library, the diversity of the staff, and the language or languages displayed in the school – not only whether the home language or languages of your students are visible, but also the tone of signs in the building such as “Visitors must go to...

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  Supporting Bilingual Assessment and Intervention for ELLs and Bilingual Children

  1/1/08 - Maria Adelaida Restrepo

  English and children who are bilingual need to be evaluated in their native language or the languages that they speak. When children are evaluated only in one of the languages, or in the language in which they are least proficient, such as English for English Language Learners (ELLs), they are often misdiagnosed with speech and language problems when they do not exist, or the nature of the child’s difficulty is not determined accurately (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda, 2005). Some...

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  A Cultural, Linguistic, and Ecological Framework for Response to Intervention with English Language Learners

  1/1/08 - Julie Esparza Brown, Jennifer Doolittle

  Looking through the lens of culturally responsive practice, we consider how best to implement Response to Intervention (RTI) in a way that will provide equitable educational opportunity for students who are English Language Learners (ELLs).

• A framework for developing high-quality english language proficiency standards and assessments

  1/1/08 - Southeast Comprehensive Center,

  Edynn Sato, PhD, director, WestEd Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, discusses the framework for creating high-quality English language proficiency (ELP) standards and assessments. The purpose of the framework is to assist states with interpretation and implementation of Title III requirements for ELP standards and assessments.

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  A reading-focused early childhood education research and strategy development agenda for African Americans and Hispanics at all social class levels who are English speakers or English language learners

  1/1/08 - L. Scott Miller, Eugene Garcia

  This report addresses the need for a much expanded early childhood education research and strategy development agenda concerned with making substantial, ongoing improvements in the reading readiness and reading achievement of Latinos and African Americans. The focus is on the early childhood years because the achievement patterns of racial/ethnic groups are largely established in the period from birth through the end of the third grade (ages eight or nine for most children). The emphasis is...

• Academic language across grade levels and content areas

  1/1/08 - Southeast Comprehensive Center,

  Robin Scarcella, PhD, director of the ESL program, University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute, discusses the challenges associated with academic language as well as ways to ensure that all students learn academic language.

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  Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction.

  1/1/07 - Torgesen, J. K., Houston, D. D. , Rissman, L. M. , Decker, S. M. , Roberts, G. , Vaughn, S. , Wexler, J., Francis, D. J. , Rivera, M. O., Lesaux, N.

  This document developed by the Center on Instruction's Reading, Special Education and ELL Strands makes recommendations for improving literacy-related instruction in the content areas or across the entire school day, interventions for students reading below grade level, and recommendations for supporting literacy development in adolescent English language learners.

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  Addressing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Overrepresentation in Special Education: Guidelines for Parents

  1/1/04 - Alfredo Artiles, Beth Harry

  Do bias or inappropriate practice play a role in the placement of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education? Is the representation of low-income students in special education programs larger than their representation in the school population at your child’s school? If the answers to these questions are yes, it is possible your child’s school may be facing a problem that is called “overrepresentation” in its special education programs. This paper is one of...

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  Addressing Diversity in Schools: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

  1/1/04 - Heraldo Richards, Ayanna Brown, Timothy Forde

  This practitioner brief deals with how to address educational needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. It applies to all parents and teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children. The authors of this article suggest that as more and more students from diverse backgrounds populate 21st century classrooms and efforts mount to identify effective methods to teach these students, the need for pedagogical approaches that are culturally responsive intensifies...

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  Assessment of Deafblind Access to Manual Language Systems (ADAMLS)

  1/1/07 - Robbie Blaha, Brad Carlson

  The Assessment of Deafblind Access to Manual Language Systems (ADAMLS) is a resource for educational teams who are responsible for developing appropriate adaptations and strategies for children who are deafblind and who are candidates for learning manual language systems. Includes strategies for organizing the assessment process, assessment questions with considerations for adaptations, and summary results.

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  Before and after-school care arrangements and activities of school-age minority children

  Thurlow, M., Durán, R., Kato, K., Albus, D.

  This report is a first look at the before- and after-school care, programs, and activities of language minority children based on the National Household Education Survey: 2001. It describes the characteristics of the children and their before- and after-school care, programs, and activities, and also examines the relationship of some of these to school grades and school problems, two important outcome variables. The report also looks for the first time at the group of language minority...

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  Building Collaboration Between Schools and Parents of English Language Learners: Transcending Barriers, Creating Opportunities

  1/1/08 - Robin Waterman, Beth Harry

  Parents of English Language Learners (ELLs) represent a vital source of support for increased student engagement and achievement; they bring skills, values and knowledge that would benefit both students and teachers. Most importantly, they bring profound commitment and motivation: The majority of the parents of ELLs have come to the United States in order that they and their children will have a “better life.” And many of these families quickly come to believe that supporting their...

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  Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships

  1/1/04 - M.M. Ostrosky, E.Y. Jung

  This What Works Brief is part of a continuing series of short, easy-to-read, “how to” information packets on a variety of evidence-based practices, strategies, and intervention procedures. The Briefs are designed to help teachers support young children’s social and emotional development. They include examples and vignettes that illustrate how practical strategies might be used in a variety of early childhood settings and home environments. In early childhood settings, each moment that...