Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Bilingual & Dual-Language Education
Effective Instruction for English Learners
Author: Margarita Calderon, Robert Slavin, Marta Sanchez. The Future of Children. Princeton University. The Brookings Institute.
Summary: Margarita Calderon, Robert Slavin, and Marta Sanchez identify the elements of effective ELL instruction and review a variety of successful program models, including bilingual versus English–only versus ESL instruction. They highlight comprehensive reform models, as well as individual components of these models: school structures and leadership; language and literacy instruction; integration of language, literacy, and content instruction in secondary schools; cooperative learning; professional development; parent and family support teams; tutoring; and monitoring implementation and outcomes. As larger numbers of English learners reach America's schools, K–12 general education teachers are discovering the need to learn how to teach these students.
Tags: Differentiated Instruction; Intervention; Placement;
Target Population: All
Research Questions the Report Poses: Regardless of language of instruction, what are the most effective practices for teaching English language learners that will produce the most successful long–term outcomes?
Findings:
- Within the long–term English learners classification exist other categories of English learners with very different needs: special education students, those incorrectly labeled English proficient, migrants (within the U.S.), transitional students (return to and attend school in native country at least part of the year), recent immigrants (who have experience with core subjects but still need to learn academic English vocabulary and usage), and refugee children (who have never attended school.)
- Based on recent findings, what matters most in educating English learners is the quality of instruction, not the language. Certain salient features stand out as quality instruction practices: school structures and leadership; language and literacy instruction; integration of language, literacy, and content instruction in secondary schools; cooperative learning; professional development; parent and family support teams; tutoring; and monitoring implementation and outcomes.
Policy Recommendations:
- Reform and intervention should begin at early grades when children's needs are much more manageable and teachers are imparting new skills rather than remediating gaps.
Calderon, M., Slavin, R., Sanchez, M. (2011). "Effective Instruction for English Learners." Immigrant Children 21 (1). The Future of Children. Retrieved from: http://www.futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=74&articleid=542
Reading and Language Outcomes of a Five-Year Randomized Evaluation of Transitional Bilingual Education
Author: From Johns Hopkins University: Robert E. Slavin; Nancy Madden; Margarita Calderón; From Success for All Foundation: Anne Chamberlain; Megan Hennessy
Summary: Recently published results from a 5-year randomized study indicate that Spanish-speaking children learn to read English equally well regardless of whether they are taught primarily in English or in both English and their native language. The first of its kind, the study compares English and Spanish language / reading performance of Spanish-dominant children who, from kindergarten, were randomly assigned to Transitional Bilingual Education or Sheltered English Immersion. A summary of the report is available through the What Works Clearinghouse website.
Tags: Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Reading;
Target Population: Kindergarten and Elementary
Research Questions the Report Poses: What is the appropriate role of the native language in the reading instruction of English language learners?
Findings:
The findings of the present study reinforce the frequently stated conclusion that what matters most in the education of English language learners is the quality of instruction, not the language of instruction (August & Shanahan, 2006; Cheung & Slavin, 2005).
Policy Recommendations:
N/A
Slavin, R.E., Madden, N., Calderon, M., Chamberlain, A., & Hennessy, M. (2010). Reading and language outcomes of a five-year randomized evaluation of transitional bilingual education. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.
Successful Bilingual Schools: Six Effective Programs in California
Author: Norm Gold. San Diego Office of Education.
Summary: The purpose of this study was to identify schools with successful bilingual education programs, and to document their success. It is not a comparative study, and was not intended to support or refute competing claims about the relative effectiveness of bilingual education compared to other approaches. Instead, the goal was to illustrate that bilingual schools are capable of providing opportunities for students to achieve and sustain high levels of academic excellence even when faced with challenges such as poverty and a lack of students' English proficiency upon entering school. The report contains six case studies. Each describes the bilingual program of a successful elementary school in California. Located in San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, all schools enrolled large numbers of Spanish–speaking English learners. The case studies were prepared over a two–year period. Achievement data was taken from state and local databases, and information was gathered from telephone interviews with principals and brief site visits. The studies describe each school and summarize demographic and achievement data. General analysis identified key implementation strategies and notable instructional and organizational features, including elements of leadership, the climate of accountability, teacher qualifications and professional development. Each school profile was compared to a summary of key organizational and instructional features identified by the research as contributing to school success.
Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Differentiated Instruction; Language of Instruction; Placement;
Target Population: Elementary School
Research Questions the Report Poses:
- What are the key elements of successful bilingual schools?
- How do these six high–achieving bilingual schools implement those strategies?
Findings:
Among the features of effective schools and effective programs for English learner found in these six schools were:
- The bilingual programs were a school-wide effort.
- Teachers collaborated and team–taught, particularly for ELD instruction.
- Staff demonstrated extensive language and cultural competence.
- Staff displayed overall support for language and cultural diversity.
- Staff demonstrated a focus on the individual student and differentiated instruction.
- The school culture emphasized consistent monitoring of students' progress and teaching to rigorous academic standards.
- Staff articulated rigorous expectations of staff and students.
- Consistent leadership supported and benefited programs and instruction.
- Staff demonstrated a focus on consistent, coherent program design.
Policy Recommendations:
- Rather than debate the best approach for all English learners, we should improve schools by employing the most effective practices, whether using only English or with some form of bilingual instruction.
- Staff should identify areas of strength already in place at their own school, and then decide which paradigm features schools might improve their school.
- Additional research should be conducted, making use of the tools developed by the five–year Proposition 227 study to identify other successful schools with large proportions of English learners. Additional documentation of successful schools can counterbalance the impact of state and federal accountability systems that more often emphasize the schools that fail to perform to standards.
Gold, N. (2006) Successful Bilingual Schools: Six Effective Programs in California. San Diego, CA: San Diego County Office of Education.
What Works for the Children? What We Know and Don't Know About Bilingual Education
Author: The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University and Jacinta Ma
Summary: This report from the Civil Rights Project and Jacinta Ma summarizes major research on trends in 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.
Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Curriculum; Instructional Programs; Language of Instruction;
Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School
Research Questions the Report Poses:
- What types of programs should we provide for ELLs?
- Which programs are effective?
- How long should children be in these programs?
- Has Proposition 227 in California created gains for ELL students in the state?
Findings:
- Reviewing California data indicates that Proposition 227 has not resulted in major gains for ELLs.
- The implementation of one-year English immersion programs raises "significant legal questions" as well as civil rights questions.
- Inappropriate assessment for ELLs can result in students not receiving appropriate services and instruction and may also affect a student's likelihood of graduating from high school.
Policy Recommendations:
The authors recommend:
- Including language support programs as part of a comprehensive ELL strategy.
- Giving parents and schools flexible options for implementing language support programs.
- Clarifying the goals of federal language support programs so that schools can align instruction.
- Supporting appropriate evaluations to determine when children are ready to transition out of ELL/bilingual classes.
- Increasing accountability for schools and districts regarding achievement, assessment, and graduation rates.
- Focusing on improved instruction for ELLs and additional funding to support better instruction / professional development
- Supporting additional research to evaluate language support programs, assessment, and accommodations.
- Disseminate research-based information to policymakers.
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Civil Rights Project
124 Mount Auburn Street, 500 North
Cambridge, MA 02138
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.
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