The Role of Schools in the English Language Learner Achievement Gap

Examines the extent to which English language learners (ELL) are concentrated in large, low-achieving public schools, and the degree to which this isolation contributes to the gap in math scores between ELL students and others

English Language Learners on the Rise: A Look at Programs Available To Adults in Sonoma County That Support Parent Involvement

How can parents of English Language Learners (ELL) support their children to be successful in school? The importance of involved parents at home is even more imperative today, as schools continue to try to balance the need of English speaking students with the need of ELL’s. This project was designed to gain a better understanding of how parental involvement impacts the academic achievement level of English Language Learners. Research began by looking at the parent involvement programs currently available in Sonoma County, and how schools work to integrate these programs. By examining parent involvement, stressors that influence parent involvement, and the roles that parents of English Language Learners (ELL) take in their children’s education, the programs and schools can gain a better understanding of the successes and opportunities of these programs

How Far Behind in Math and Reading Are English Language Learners?

Compares state and national standardized testing data of English language learners (ELL) with those of other groups in the fourth and eighth grades, and examines changes in the gap and in the ELL group's demographic composition

Teacher Perceptions of Advanced Ability English Language Learners (ELL)

This study explored teacher perceptions of English language learners and giftedness. High school content teachers participated in an interview identifying behaviors that indicate advanced abilities from a series of three vignettes about English language learners. A total of four participants were interviewed. The four emergent themes were (1) critical thinking (2) rate of language acquisition, (3) motivation, and (4) use of language. The themes were behaviors that teachers perceived as demonstrating potential or demonstrating limited potential for advanced learning in English language learners

Impact of Imagine Learning English in Two Northern Mississippi Schools

The study, Impact of Imagine Learning English in Two Northern Mississippi Schools, describes an effectiveness study of the impact that the computer program Imagine Learning English (ILE) has on English language learning. The study sought to determine the impact of ILE on the annual yearly progress and reading skills of mid-level English language learners (ELL). The objective of the study was to see if ILE was successful in raising the reading comprehension skill scores of English Language Learners (ELL) who worked the program as a language training tool. This study is the result of data that was collected from students in grades 3 through 5 with English Language Proficiency (ELP) levels of two through four. End-of the year test results were compared in the following categories: World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment\u27s (WIDA), ACCESS for ELLs and Northwest Evaluation Association\u27s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). The results were further broken down into grade levels and ELP levels to see if the subgroups shovariance

English Language Learners in the State of Maine: Early Education Policy That Can Make a Difference

The authors discuss the increasing number of Maine children who are English language learners (ELL) or who are limited-English proficient (LEP), noting that insufficient attention has been paid to the preschool education of this group. The authors describe lessons learned from an Early Reading First Program in Portland, which enhanced the school-readiness of preschool ELL children

Using Project GLAD strategies in the teaching of literacy genres to second grade bilingual students

The project provides second grade teachers at the Perris Elementary School District with teaching approaches, tools, and strategies that have been proven to increase comprehension skills in English language learners (ELL) when teaching literary genres. Project GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) offers an alternative curriculum to the scripted curriculum as required by the No Child Left Behind Act

UMass Boston and Dever School: Supporting At-Risk Youth through Physical Activity

Given the consistently poor academic performances of Latino English Language Learners (ELL) students, coupled with the known academic and behavioral benefits of physical activity, we implemented a culturally sensitive physical activity-based intervention designed to develop responsibility through movement among ELL Latina 5th graders. Two UMass Boston professors and four graduate students partnered with faculty at the Dever School to deliver this strength-based intervention

Categorical Funding in Arkansas

As a result of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Lake View v. Huckabee Decision, the Public School Funding Act of 2003 established Arkansas’ current funding system. A part of the current system allocates additional funding for districts based on need (categorical funding). In doing so, the state recognizes that it is necessary to distribute additional funding based on educational need to meet adequacy and equity standards. The system allocates funding for groups of students who face particular challenges: Alternative Learning Environment students (ALE), English-language Learners (ELL), and students in poverty (National School Lunch Act). In the current legislative session, lawmakers are examining the poverty funding system (NSLA). In this brief, we examine Arkansas’ system for poverty funding and how districts spend poverty funding

Valuing Students’ Cultural Experiences and Linguistic Abilities In the Classroom

English Language Learners (ELL) and students represented in culturally diverse communities are the fastest growing groups in US public schools (Samway & McKeon, 2007). Mainstream classrooms often struggle to meet the needs of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse (LCD) students, trying to connect instruction to students’ linguistic backgrounds or cultural experiences (Darder, 1991). Unfortunately, the education of LCD students has become exercises of “drill and kill” and highly scripted instruction (Darder & Torres, 2004). This article explores reasons why students’ cultural experiences and linguistic abilities are not recognized in mainstream classrooms in an era of high-stakes testing. Additionally, the article will peer into the role of teachers in meeting the needs of LCD student populations when they are often times presented with scripted or scripted curricula