Community Outreach

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

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What are the characteristics and data demographics of Asian Americans in the state of Washington?
• How can Asian American ELLs be better served to improve English proficiency, school achievement, and student outcomes?

Findings:

• They speak more than 100 languages and dialects with 40% speaking a language other than English as their primary language. The five largest language groups are Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese-Cantonese, Tagalog, and Khmer (Cambodian).
• There is much variability when it comes to income, family education, English proficiency, etc across the groups (ie: While 36.8% of Asian Americans hold a bachelor's degree or higher, only 6.6% of Cambodians do so, compared to 67% and 58% of Taiwanese and Asian Indians, respectively.)
• More than 30% of Asian Americans receive Free/Reduced Price Lunch and 14% are enrolled in Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program (TBIP).
• Asian American ELL students are underserved, undersupported, and experience academic difficulties. Only one third of Asian Non–Native English speakers are in ELL programs and few receive language assistance services in their native language.
• Asian American students experience alienation and marginalization in schools to varying degrees, but WASL data reveal that Filipino American and Southeast Asian American students are most at risk.

Policy Recommendations:

• Adopt a data collection, research, and evaluation plan.
• Create a seamless pipeline pre–k through 16, incorporating co-curricular activities and community involvement.
• Use a broader range of measurements to evaluate student performance.
• Foster culturally responsive approaches and practices.
• Adopt effective ell programs, including highly–trained and quality teachers.
• Engage Asian American families in schools with informational meetings and translated print materials.
• Strengthen school–community partnerships.

• Read the Full Report

Hune, S. and D. Takeuchi. (2008). Asian Americans in Washington State: Closing Their Hidden Achievement Gaps. A report submitted to The Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.

Tags: Books and Other Reading Materials; Curriculum; Differentiated Instruction; Intervention; Language Proficiency; Motivation; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Reading;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What strategies or programs can educators adopt to create schools in which ELLs learn and thrive?

Findings:
A comprehensive system of schooling for ELLS includes the following nine elements:

• High quality and accessible preschool education
• Supports for newcomers to meet needs of transition
• A comprehensive program of English Language development
• A program providing full access to challenging curriculum
• High quality instruction and materials
• Inclusive and affirming school climate
• Valid, comprehensive, and useful assessments
• Strong family and community partnerships
• Schools structured to meet the particular needs of English learners.

Policy Recommendations:

• Invest in building a qualified educator workforce;
• Build a meaningful accountability system for English learners;
• Assure that educators have the materials they need to deliver high quality English Language Development;
• Demonstrate new models of successful schools for English learners

• Read the full report (128KB PDF)*

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:

University of California

Linguistic Minority Research Institute

4722 South Hall

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3220

Olsen, L. (2006). Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners. University of California: Linguistic Minority Research Institute.

Tags: Intervention; Motivation; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Rights, Students;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• In what ways and to what extent are today's children underserved by parents and adults in general?
• What are the essential resources children require that will assure their success in the future?
• How can parents and communities work to provide these resources to all children?

Findings:

• Children who enjoy the sustained and cumulative benefit of having at least four of the Five Promises across various contexts of their lives are much more likely to be academically successful, civically engaged and socially competent, regardless of their race or family income.
• Having enough of the Five Promises helps to mitigate the disparities among our nation's young people, for instance those based on race/ ethnicity or family income. Though access to these resources remains deeply unequal in America, their presence in critical mass can be a great equalizer. Regardless of race, gender or family income level, children who enjoy at least four of these five core resources are more likely to thrive.
• Only 31% of young people today are receiving enough of the developmental resources that will give them genuine reason for confidence about their success as adults.
• 21% —or over 10 million 6–to–17–year&ndash'olds— have a very low chance of success.
• The stereotype of children and teens as slackers with a weak work ethic is a myth. Young people are looking for more help from adults, but not a handout. They are willing to work hard to reach their goals.
• The greatest returns to society result from a balanced investment strategy throughout childhood, not just in early childhood. The biggest economic benefits result from targeting interventions toward underserved youth. These returns take the form of increased high school graduation rates and college enrollment, reduced involvement with the criminal justice system and reduced welfare dependency, which in turn provide direct and indirect economic benefits to our nation.
• Some of the areas that access to the 5 Promises positively effects are: overall health, grade and school attendance, drug use, social competence, school dropout rates, crime.

Policy Recommendations:

• The bottom–line implication from this research is clear: For maximum return, start investing in young people at an early age—and don't stop.
• Consider the "Whole Child" ie educational reforms should go beyond the school.
• Engage all sectors of society.
• View investments as more than programs—without minimizing their role: Cost–effective, targeted programs may offer the best strategy for mitigating the risk factors otherwise working against children placed at major disadvantages.
• Focus attention on the young people who are most underserved.

• Read the Full Report

"Every Child Every Promise: Turning Failure Into Action." Washington, DC: America's Promise Alliance. Retrieved from http://www.americaspromise.org/Resources/Research-and-Reports/~/media/Files/About/ECEP%20-%20Full%20Report.aspx

Tags: Curriculum; Intervention;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What is the nature of summer learning loss?
• Are summer learning programs effective in improving student achievement?
• What are the elements of effective summer programs?
• How much do summer learning programs cost?
• What are the facilitators and challenges to implementing summer programs?

Findings:

• Summer learning loss, which is disproportionate and cumulative, contributes substantially to the achievement gap.
• Students who attend summer programs have better outcomes than similar peers who do not attend these programs.
• Strategies for maximizing quality, enrollment, and attendance to achieving benefits.
• Cost is the main barrier to implementing summer learning programs.
• Districts question the cost–effectiveness of summer learning programs, and many have discontinued them in response to budget cuts.
• Partnerships can strengthen summer learning programs.
• Developing and sustaining district-based voluntary summer learning programs is challenging but feasible.

Policy Recommendations:

• Invest in highly qualified staff and early planning.
• Embed promising practices into summer learning programs (such as smaller class sizes, involving parents, individualized instruction, maximizing attendance, aligning school and summer curricula, etc)
• Consider partnerships when developing summer learning programs.
• Think creatively about funding.
• Extend the research base: (study multiple outcomes beyond academic performance, cost-effectiveness, how to attract consecutive attendees, etc)
• Support consistent funding sources for summer learning programs.
• Provide clear guidance regarding the use of scarce funds.

• Read the Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451.7002; Fax: (310) 451.6915; Email: order@rand.org

McCombs, J.S., Augustine, C.H., Schwartz, H.L., Bodilly, S.J., McInnis, B., Lichter, D.S. and Cross, A.B. (2011) Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children's Learning. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1120.

Tags: Intervention; Rights, Parents; Rights, Students;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• If discrimination doesn't play a role in the achievement gap in the 21st century then what does?
• What efforts have been undertaken to close the gap in the past; and learning from those efforts, how can we close the gap in the future?

Findings:

• The problem of the 21st century is the problem of the skill gap.
• Eliminating the racial skill gap will likely have important impacts on income inequality, unemployment, incarceration, health, and other important social and economic indices.
• We now know that with some combination of investments, high achievement is possible for all students.
• Closing the racial achievement gap is the most important civil rights battle of the twenty-first century.

• Read the Full Report

Fryer, R.G. (2010, August). Racial Inequality in the 21st Century: The Declining Significance of Discrimination. National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved January 5, 2011 from: http://www.nber.org/papers/w16256.pdf?new_window=1

Tags: Curriculum; Instructional Programs; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: "Why do California elementary schools serving similar proportions of low-income, Spanish speaking EL students differ by over 250 points on California's new EL Academic Performance Index score? What school practices can help explain this API gap?"

Findings:

• One practice strongly correlated with a higher EL-API among our sample of elementary schools was the extensive use of student assessment data by the district and the principal in an effort to improve instruction and student learning.
• EL-API performance was higher in schools where principals reported that a larger proportion of their teaching staff had qualities such as a demonstrated ability to raise student achievement, strong content knowledge, and others.
• Higher EL-API was correlated with schools in which teachers reported most strongly that there is school-wide instructional consistency within grades, curricular alignment from grade-to-grade, and that instruction is based upon state academic standards.
• A shared culture within the school regarding the value of improving student achievement and a sense of shared responsibility for it seems to distinguish the higher performing schools in our sample based on EL—APIs.
• A school's outreach to parents, encouragement of teacher collaboration, and enforcement of positive student behaviors (like attendance and tolerance) have long been recognized as important contributors to the student and professional culture at a school.

Policy Recommendations:

• California should "stay the course with its reforms" to make sure that "curriculum programs and state standards tests are well aligned with the state's academic standards."
• School districts need to provide "better assessment and other data on their students in easy-to-access formats"
• Hire more administrators to try to adjust the highest-in-the-nation pupil-to-administrator ratio in the country
• Professional development needs to provided to ensure that teachers have the resources they need to effectively combat the challenges that educating ELL students provides

• Read more about this report
• Download full report (1.1MB PDF)*

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

Williams, T., Hakuta, K., Haertel, E., et al. (2007). Similar English Learner Students, Different Results: Why Do Some Schools Do Better? A follow-up analysis, based on a large-scale survey of California elementary schools serving low-income and EL students. Mountain View, CA: EdSource.

Tags: Language Proficiency;

Target Population: K-12 Urban Districts

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• Can we identify school districts that have experienced improved student achievement among ELLs?
• What is the historical, administrative, and programmatic context within which ELL student achievement is improving in these districts?
• What district-level strategies are being used to improve ELL student achievement and reduce disparities between ELL and non-ELLs?
• What is the connection between policies, practices, and strategies at the district level and actual changes in teaching and learning experienced by ELLs in their schools and classrooms?
• In what ways do the experiences and strategies of improving districts differ from those of school systems that serve similar populations, but that have yet to make similar progress?

Findings:

Contextual Features

• Shared Vision for Reform
• Leadership and Advocacy on Behalf of ELLs
• Empowerment of the ELL Office
• External Forces as Catalyst for Reforms

Promising Practices

• Comprehensive Planning and Adoption of Language Development Strategies for ELLs
• Extensive and Continuous Support for Implementation
• A Culture of Collaboration and Shared Accountability
• Hybrid Models of Instructional Management and Local Empowerment
• Strategic School Staffing
• High Quality, Relevant Professional Development
• The Use of Student Data
• Reallocation and Strategic Use of ELL Funds

Limiting Factors

• No Coherent Vision or Strategy for the Instruction of ELLs System-wide
• Site-Based Management without Support, Oversight, or Explicit Accountability for Student Progress
• Lack of Access to the General Curriculum
• No Systematic Use of Disaggregated Student Data
• Inconsistent Leadership
• No Systemic Efforts to Build ELL Staff Capacity
• Compartmentalization of ELL Departments and Staff
• The ELL Office Lacked Capacity and Authority

Policy Recommendations:

Contextual Recommendations

• Develop clear instructional vision and high expectations for ELLs
• Approach external pressure to improve services for ELLs and other students as an asset rather than a liability
• Incorporate accountability for ELLs organizationally into the broader instructional operation of the school district
• Empower strong ELL program administrators to oversee progress
• Pursue community support for initiatives designed to accelerate achievement among English language learners

Strategic and Instructional Recommendations

• Review general education and ELL programs to ensure that there is an explicit focus on building academic literacy and cultivating English language development
• Ensure that all teachers of ELLs have access to high quality professional development that provides differentiated instructional strategies, promotes the effective use of student assessment data, and develops skills for supporting second-language acquisition across the curriculum
• Assess district standards for hiring, placing, and retaining teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff members who work directly with ELLs to ensure that these students have access to highly qualified personnel
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the level of access that ELLs have to the entire spectrum of district course offerings, including gifted and talented programs and special education
• Ensure that resources generated by and allocated for English language learners are properly and effectively expended to provide quality ELL instruction and services
• Develop a system for tracking multiple measures of ELLs' educational progress

• Read the Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Council of the Great City Schools 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 702 Washington, DC 20004 202-393-2427 202-393-2400 (fax)

Horowitz, A.R., et al. (2009). Succeeding with English Language Learners: Lessons learned from the Great City Schools. Washington, D.C.: The Council of the Great City Schools.