About ELLs

Bilingual Education and Latino Civil Rights

by Susan Baker and Kenji Hakuta, Stanford University

Baker, S. and Hakuta, K. (1997). Bilingual education and Latino civil rights. Cambridge, MA: Civil Rights Project Harvard University.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Bilingual Education; Multicultural Education / Diversity / Culturally-Responsive Inst;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Latino ELL Students;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: Descriptive report, no research question

Summary: The article examines the history of civil rights for language minority children and assumptions behind attacks on bilingual education. After an introduction to numbers of ELL and immigrant students in the U.S. and California, the authors describe a brief history of congressional and judiciary decisions to institute and eliminate bilingual education. They cite major research findings from bilingual and English immersion programs.

Policy Recommendations:

• English language learners should be assessed and supported in more ways than just in English language development.
• Research should be sensitive to local goals, resources, and populations.

• Link to Project Homepage and Full Report

Closing the Gap: Addressing the Vocabulary Needs of English-Language Learners in Bilingual and Mainstream Classrooms

Carlo, M.S., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow, C.E., Dressler, C., Lippman, D.N., Lively, T.J., & White, C.E. (2004). Closing the gap: Addressing the vocabulary needs of English-language learners in bilingual and mainstream classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 39, 188-215.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Best Teaching Practices / Professional Development; Bilingual Education; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Upper Elementary (4-6);

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Reading; Vocabulary;

Summary: Gaps in reading performance between Anglo and Latino children are associated with gaps in vocabulary knowledge. An intervention was designed to enhance fifth graders' academic vocabulary. The meanings of academically useful words were taught together with strategies for using information from context, from morphology, from knowledge about multiple meanings, and from cognates to infer word meaning. Among the principles underlying the intervention were that new words should be encountered in meaningful text, that native Spanish speakers should have access to the text's meaning through Spanish, that words should be encountered in varying contexts, and that word knowledge involves spelling, pronunciation, morphology, and syntax as well as depth of meaning.

Fifth graders in the intervention group showed greater growth than the comparison group on knowledge of the words taught, on depth of vocabulary knowledge, on understanding multiple meanings, and on reading comprehension. The intervention effects were as large for the English-language learners (ELLs) as for the English-only speakers (EOs), though the ELLs scored lower on all pre- and posttest measures. The results show the feasibility of improving comprehension outcomes for students in mixed ELL-EO classes, by teaching word analysis and vocabulary learning strategies.

• Purchase article

Hidden in Plain View: An Overview of the Needs of Asian American Students in the Public School System

by The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF)

The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (2004, May). Coalition for Asian Hidden in plain view: An overview of the needs of Asian American students in the public school system. New York, NY.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Multicultural Education / Diversity / Culturally-Responsive Inst;

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School, Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What difficulties face Asian American students and how might these difficulties perpetuate myths about Asian students?

Summary: The article discusses a number of issues related to Asian-American communities, specifically in New York City. The diversity of the Asian American community leads to stereotyping and mythmaking that adversely affect students and schools. The authors conducted interviews with students, parents, and school staff about the experiences of Asian Americans in schools and the community. The authors make some broad recommendations about: academics, informal education, parent involvement, and community participation.

Findings:
The sheer diversity in ethnicities, languages, cultures, and experiences represented among Asian Americans creates many myths and misunderstandings. The stereotype of the model Asian minority denies the reality that there are struggling and undeserved students. Emotional and academic needs of Asian American students are easily overlooked.

Policy Recommendations:

DEVELOP CULTURAL COMPETENCY

1. School and regional staff, from superintendents to teachers to security officers, need to be prepared to work with the Asian American community. Training on the diversity in the Asian American community, cultural influences, and barriers to accessing services is imperative.
IMPROVE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

2. Schools, regional divisions and central offices must ensure proper collection of demographic data of all students and make disaggregated data on communities available. Only with a proper understanding of the needs of Asian American students can proper services and programs be planned.
ELIMINATE LANGUAGE BARRIERS

3. Schools must ensure language needs of students and parents are properly assessed. It is necessary that special attention is paid to dialects and written languages. To assist in efficient access to translation and interpretation services, a centralized resource bank of such services must be developed.
4. The Department of Education must create additional dual language programs in other Asian languages. Not only do dual language programs foster fluency in English, but in another language as well.
KEEP PARENTS INFORMED

5. Parents must be informed of the new curriculum, introduced to different strategies of teaching, and directed to where they can find resources to help support their children in their learning.

1. Schools need to take a proactive approach to promoting positive identity formation that includes a healthy ethnic identity
2. Schools need to offer opportunities for students to interact and learn from each other. This might include mentoring programs, planning of heritage months and other efforts to foster inclusiveness.
3. All schools, but especially those with large Asian American populations, need to be inclusive of Asian Americans in their curriculum such as placing Asian American authors on reading lists, taking excerpts from Asian American works to be used in lessons, and having books on Asian Americans and books written by Asian Americans on the shelves in school libraries.
PREVENT ANTI-ASIAN HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE

4. Schools should start anti-bullying programs in the elementary school grades and offer peer mediation programs for higher grades.

1. All schools must assess how welcoming and accessible schools are to parents, especially immigrant and limited English proficient parents.
2. All schools should have orientation for new parents and teach them about ways to be involved.
IMPROVE THE USE OF PARENT COORDINATORS

3. The Department of education needs to establish standards for the allocation of an appropriate number of parent coordinators per school that is based on workload (the ratio between the number of families to every one parent coordinator) as well as language and cultural needs.

1. Asian American community based organizations that work with schools with a large Asian American population should be involved in school planning through School Leadership Teams.
2. Improve collaborative partnerships between schools and community based organizations will result from sharing goals on student performance and maintaining regular communication between schools and organizations.
3. Private foundations and government agencies need to increase grant opportunities for school and community based organization partnerships.
4. Schools need to access support and resources from those community based organizations that are knowledgeable of the ethnic communities in their schools.

• Link to Resource Page (Full Report Available)

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:

The Coalition of Asian American Children & Families
50 Broad St.
Suite 1701
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212.809.4675
Fax: 212.785.4601

*Note: To download report, enter your name and email in the log-in screen. Email addresses will not be shared or added to any email lists.

How Long Does It Take English Language Learners to Attain Proficiency?

by University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute/ Kenji Hakuta, Yuko Goto Butler, and Daria Witt

Hakuta, K., Butler, Y.G., and Witt, D. (2000, January). How long does it take English language learners to develop oral proficiency and academic proficiency in English? Stanford, CA: University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute.

Topics Covered: About ELLs;

Tags: Language Proficiency;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: How long does it take English language learners to develop oral proficiency and academic proficiency in English?

Summary: The paper compiles findings related to how long it takes English language learners to become proficient in speaking English and how long it takes them to master enough English to be successful in classrooms where all academic content is in English. The report draws on findings from four schools. Two schools are in the San Francisco Bay area and two schools are in Canada. The authors collect their own data from the California schools and rely on previous research for the Canadian schools.

Findings:

• Rapid English language acquisition is unrealistic. The two California districts

Policy Recommendations:
California should begin a longitudinal survey to track the normative development of ELL students.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute
University of California, Santa Barbara
4722 South Hall, MC 3220
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3220
Email: lmri@lmri.ucsb.edu
Phone: (805) 893-2250
Fax: (805) 893-8673

National Literacy Panel's Executive Summary

August, D. and Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Center for Applied Linguistics, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Multicultural Education / Diversity / Culturally-Responsive Inst; Parent Outreach;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Comprehension; Latino ELL Students; Transfer of Literacy Skills;

Summary:

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education charged a panel of experts, chaired by Timothy Shanahan, with reviewing and compiling research on literacy attainment for language-minority students.

The panel's report, Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners, identifies factors that support literacy development of language minority students in the classroom. It also discusses various findings on parent involvement and home literacy experiences and offers suggestions for reducing the over-representation of English language learners in special education.

Last year, the Department of Education said the report didn't stand up to peer review and decided not to release the report. The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has released the report's executive summary, written by principal investigator Diane August.

• Download Executive Summary (96KB PDF)*
• Order copy of full report

Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-based Recommendations for the Instruction and Academic Interventions

by David J. Francis and Mabel Rivera/Center on Instruction English Language Learners Strand, Nonie Lesaux and Michael Kieffer/Havard Graduate School of Education, Hector Rivera/Center on Instruction English Language Learners Strand

Francis, David J., Mabel Rivera, Nonie Lesaux, and Hector Rivera. (2006). Research-Based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions. Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners, Retrieved April 11,2008, from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-Interventions.pdf

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Assessment and Accommodations; Learning Disabilities and Special Education; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Comprehension; Content Areas: Math; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.); Phonics; Phonological Awareness; Reading; Struggling Readers; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What students are classified as being English Language Learners? How are they best identified, and what recommendations should be made to more adequately instruct possible ELL students to prevent further learning difficulties?

Summary: After briefly highlighting the characteristics of and how to best identify ELL students the articles attempts to show the importance of effective instruction and intervention not only for academically struggling ELL students, but also for all ELL students including those individuals who are linguistically fluent in English. Before looking into the proposed recommendations the article also briefly looks into the importance of mastering academic language skills as key elements to academic success. The importance of academic language skills is revisited under the recommendations sections for both reading comprehension and mathematics.

Findings:

• Statistics for ELLs may be hard to obtain or may be inaccurate since many ELL students go without being properly identified
• ELL students can better from more individualized instruction
• Mastery of academic language is necessary for academic success, which can prove to be difficult even for English speaking proficient ELLs
• In order to provide effective support of reading comprehension to ELLs educators must have an understanding of the child's individual needs
• In addition to reading comprehension it is crucial for students to become proficient in mathematics

Policy Recommendations:
While the article did not have any specific policy recommendations the recommendations listed in the article could be taken as such and thus included in this section.

Recommendations for Reading Instruction and interventions:

• ELLs need early, explicit, and intensive instruction in phonological awareness and phonics in order to build decoding skills.
• K-12 classrooms across the nation must increase opportunities for ELLs to develop sophisticated vocabulary knowledge.
• Reading instruction in K-12 classrooms must equip ELLs with strategies and knowledge to comprehend and analyze challenging narrative and expository texts.
• Instruction and intervention to promote ELLs' reading fluency must focus on vocabulary and increased exposure to print.
• In all K-12 classrooms across the U.S., ELLs need significant opportunities to engage in structured, academic talk.
• Independent reading is only beneficial when it is structured and purposeful, and there is a good reader-text match.

• ELLs need early explicit and intensive instruction and intervention in basic mathematics concepts and skill.
• Academic language is as central to mathematics as it is to other academic areas. It is a significant source of difficulty for many ELLs who struggle with mathematics.
• ELLs need academic language support to understand and solve the word problems that are often used for mathematics assessment and instruction.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
N/A

Report on the Status of Hispanics in Education: Overcoming a History of Neglect

by National Education Association; Richard Verdugo

Verdugo, Richard R. (2006. "Report on the Status of Hispanics in Education: Overcoming a History of Neglect." National Education Association.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Best Teaching Practices / Professional Development; Multicultural Education / Diversity / Culturally-Responsive Inst;

Tags: Instructional Programs; Latino ELL Students;

Target Population: Preschool; Elementary; Middle; High School; Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the issues facing Hispanic students? How can educators, researchers, communities and policy-makers help Hispanic students overcome these barriers?

Summary: Hispanic students often face unique challenges in student achievement. Because of high levels of poverty, limited English language skills, and immigration factors, Hispanic students must overcome socioeconomic, language, cultural and barriers to succeed in school.

Findings:
The report outlines six key issues in the education of the Hispanic population:

• Innovative classroom strategies including culturally responsive and technology enriched teaching.
• School funding equity
• Professional development for teachers
• Early education and post-secondary education
• The politics of immigration, and migrant education
• Educator recruitment and retention

Policy Recommendations:

• Analyze barriers that Hispanic students face in gaining access to college
• Provide parents with financial information that can be used for students' college education
• Improve teacher's education programs. Teachers are not well prepared for teaching Hispanic students, especially Hispanic ELL students.
• Reduce class sizes, improve student resources, and student social services
• Teachers should be exposed to a curriculum during their university years that teachers them cultural understanding and sensitivity
• Work to pass legislation that changes property tax laws and state laws to broaden the school funding base

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Visit www.nea.org or call (202) 833-4000

Resource Needs for California's English Learners

by University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute/ Patricia Gándara and Russell W. Rumberger

Gandara, P. & Rumberger, R. W. (2007, March). Resource needs for California's English learners. Stanford, CA: University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Access, Equity, and Adequacy;

Tags: Intervention; Language Proficiency;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School, Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses:

1. What are the demographic characteristics and academic performance outcomes of language minority and English learner students in California public schools?
2. What conceptual framework is appropriate for analyzing the resource needs of linguistic minority students?
3. What resources are needed to provide an adequate education for California English learners?
4. How have past studies estimated the cost of these resource needs?
5. What approach do the authors recommend for estimating the cost of educating English learners and linguistic minority students in California?

Summary: Linguistic minorities are students who come from households where English is not the main language spoken. Most of these students do not come to school proficient in English. There is a learning gap between many linguistic minorities and native English speakers that can persist throughout school. Most linguistic minorities require additional resources and support to be successful in school.

Findings:

• Socioeconomic differences do not account for all differences in the needs of all ELL students
• Gaps in poverty are harder to close than gaps in language
• Resources that would help ELL students achieve English and academic proficiency include:
  1. Primary language materials (student's home language)
  2. Assessments in the primary language; and
  3. teachers and staff who speak the languages of the students

Policy Recommendations:

• A sufficient number of teachers who have specific knowledge about the structure of language, know how to use assessments to measure language proficiency, and are bilingual;
• Extra support personnel;
• Appropriate instructional materials;
• Valid and comprehensive assessments;
• Effective school organization that provides EL students with a safe, controlled space in which to use English;
• Effective school leadership; and
• Appropriate district and state support.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
n/a

The Return to English in a Non-English Speaking Country: Russian Immigrants and Native Israelis in Israel

by Kevin Lang and Erez Siniver/National Bureau of Economic Research

Lang, Kevin and Siniver, Erez, The Return to English in a Non-English Speaking Country: Russian Immigrants and Native Israelis in Israel (August 2006). NBER Working Paper No. W12464.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures); Higher Education and Careers;

Tags: Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Fluency; Language Proficiency; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.);

Target Population: High School, Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What role does English play for Russian immigrants to Israel and Israel natives? How does this role differ?

Summary: The purpose of the study presented is to examine the return to English knowledge by reviewing samples of Russian immigrants and Israeli natives. The importance of such data as cited by the article is 1) due to the high level of press on/about globalization and the importance of foreign language knowledge, 2) that examining the Hebrew acquisition as well as the English acquisition among Russian immigrants to Israel they are addressing the criticism of literature on the role of host-country language acquisition on assimilation, and 3) to contribute to other literature showing language-skill complementarities.

Findings:
Below are the findings as listed in the report (p. 2):

• In cross-section estimates there is a significant return to English knowledge for both immigrants and natives with high levels of education.
• Language acquisition is an important element in immigrant/native earnings convergence, but most of this convergence is explained by factors other language acquisition.
• The results are confirmed using panel data on wages and knowledge of Hebrew and English over time.
• The benefits of English knowledge vary across occupations in ways that are largely consistent with past evidence on language-skill complementarities.
• Natives and immigrants with high levels of education benefit similarly from knowing English. While immigrants with low levels of education do not benefit from knowledge of English, there is some evidence that native Israelis do.
• Conditional on occupation the rate at which immigrants learn English and Hebrew are largely orthogonal. Therefore earlier work on the importance of knowledge of the host country language (Hebrew) does not appear to be significantly biased by the absence of measures of English knowledge.

Policy Recommendations:
N/A

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
N/A

Urgent but Overlooked: The Literacy Crisis Among Adolescent English Language Learners

by Alliance for Excellent Education

(February 2007). Urgent but overlooked: The literacy crisis among adolescent English Language Learners. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from Alliance For Excellent Education Web site: http://www.all4ed.org/files/UrgentOver.pdf

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Assessment and Accommodations; Bilingual Education; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Bilingual Instruction; Comprehension; Differentiated Instruction; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.); Reading; Transfer of Literacy Skills;

Target Population: Pre-K, Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What factors prevent ELL students from receiving effective literacy instruction?

Summary: ELL students represent the fastest growing segment of the student population and yet with respect to reading and literacy rates they are among the country's lowest performing students. This article looks at the crisis of low literacy rates among ELL students, what research is currently being done, the findings of that research, addresses key policy questions needing to be addressed by policymakers as well as a brief look into the types of support needed in order to provide ELL students with effective literacy instruction.

Findings:

• ELLs comprise 10.5 percent of the nation's pre-K-12 school enrollment, up from 5 percent in 1990
• ELLs continually score lower on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress
• As the population of ELL students increases so does the demand from teachers for better methods of instruction
• The literacy needs of ELLs are both identical and distinct to their English-proficient peers
• Local, state, and federal policymakers need to address effect of the growing ELL student population's effect on demographic trends, educational challenges, school performance, etc.
• Improvements must be made on the types of support available to teachers working with ELL students, with special recognition that there are no one size fits all approaches to effective literacy instruction
• It should be the goal of the nation to educate all students

Policy Recommendations:
N/A

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
N/A

What Works for the Children? What We Know and Don't Know About Bilingual Education

by The Civil Rights Project Harvard University/ Jacinta Ma

Ma, J. (2002, September). What works for the children? What we know and don't know about bilingual education. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project Harvard University.

Topics Covered: About ELLs;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Curriculum; Instructional Programs; Language of Instruction;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: Has Proposition 227 in California created gains for ELL students in the state?

Summary: Jacinta Ma's report summarizes major research on ELL education including how long it takes for ELL students to learn English; the best types of language support programs; results of Proposition 227 in California; the legality of one-year language programs; and how ELL students are assessed. Ma arrives at several conclusions about ELL instruction in California, primarily that Prop 227 success claims are overstated. He also states that parents and students should have access to varying types of ELL education programs.

Findings:

• There is no sound education research for supporting arbitrary one-year limits on language support for ELLs.
• More time should be devoted to improving ELL education than on arguing about a one-size-fits-all program.

Policy Recommendations:

• Make language support programs one part of an overall strategy for improving the quality of education for ELL children.
• Give parents and schools the flexibility to implement different types of language support programs.
• Clarify the goals of language support programs.
• Support the use of academic or literacy measures to determine when children should be moved from bilingual education or other language support programs to general education classes rather than through the use of time limits.
• Hold schools and school districts accountable for ensuring improved academic achievement of ELLs measured by appropriate knowledge of English, consistent academic achievement over time, improvement in diagnostic test scores, and improvements in graduation rates.
• Provide additional high quality instruction for ELLS.
• Provide additional funding to improve the quality of education for ELLs.
• Support additional research to evaluate language support programs, to develop appropriate tests to measure ELL student achievement, and to evaluate effective testing accommodations for ELLs.
• Use sound education research to influence policymakers through advocacy and litigation.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Civil Rights Project
124 Mount Auburn Street, 500 North
Cambridge, MA 02138
ph: 617-496-6367, fx: 617-495-5210