Motivation

Tags: Curriculum; Instructional Programs; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Motivation; Reading; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Writing;

Target Population: Middle, High School, Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What is the available research base and practice literature to help teachers prepare ELLs to meet the standards?
• What is the quality and quantity of the research base?
• How does it contribute to efforts to improve pedagogy, curricula, and programming?
• Is there a common set of standards for writing across the nation, and if so, what is it?
• Does the research and practice literature connect to the standards? If so, how?
• Where are the gaps, if any, between the research and the standards?

Findings:

• The field of ESL is based on applied linguistics, which has historically focused on oral language and language structure, rather than writing composition. The assumption that oral language precedes and leads to written language ignores the possibility that written language can be a source for oral language development.
• Second language learning research has focused on young or elementary age learners or on higher education and international students but rarely on adolescents, especially U.S. resident and immigrant ELLs.
• The field of composition has focused on native speakers and assumes native competence of writing students, and even when L2 research began to focus on writing, it was in foreign language contexts (EFL and FL teaching) and at the college level.
• ELLs in U.S. high schools receive insufficient writing instruction in ESL; insufficient oral and structural language support in mainstream English; and insufficient content instruction prior to mainstreaming.
• Assessment of second language writing is complex and problematic; timed writing often results in significant underperformance of ELLs, and raters are overly influenced by surface level of L2 writing.
• Motivations for revision and peer interaction are based on context rather than individual learner characteristics.
• The use of computers can facilitate production and revision of written texts.
• Teacher feedback varies in effectiveness and is most successful for immigrant and U.S. resident adolescent students when it is specific (rather than global), when it identifies examples from the student's writing, when it asks for specific information from personal experience or texts, and when it uses indirect error correction (identifying error but requiring student to correct it).
• A disciplinary division of labor exists between the fields of ESL and mainstream English language arts and composition that significantly affects research, curricula, and teacher preparation.

Policy Recommendations:

• There is a need for studies that can provide a solid knowledge base on both middle and high school ELLs.
• Substantial research should be done on what works for effective writing instruction of school-age adolescent ELLs.
• Studies on successful strategies should include: classroom activities, including instruction, interaction, and reading and writing.
• Writing instruction programs need to be examined against the pattern of school structures, the knowledge base of the ESL teachers and the curriculum of the program, and the knowledge base of mainstream teachers.
• Students need to be assessed in oral and written proficiency.
• Students' and parents attitudes on satisfaction with the writing program at their school need to be surveyed.

• Read the Full Report

Fogelman, C., Harrington, M., Kenney, E., Pacheco, M., Panofsky, C., Santos, J., et al. (2005). Approaches to Writing Instruction for Adolescent English Language Learners: A Discussion of Recent Research and Practice Literature in Relation to Nationwide Standards on Writing. Providence, RI: The Education Alliance at Brown University.

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Books and Other Reading Materials; Curriculum; Differentiated Instruction; Instructional Programs; Language of Instruction; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.); Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Middle and high school students, parents, teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors.

Research Questions the Report Poses: This article questions how important it is for higher education institutions, schools, states, and the federal government to help students prepare for post-secondary education and graduate successfully.

Findings:

• For many students, the decision not to apply for college does not reflect a lack of higher education aspirations; instead, many students are discouraged by the application process and tuition rates.
• There is a growing consensus that high schools should be accountable for what their students' outcomes are after high graduation and that high schools and governments at all levels to increase the academic readiness.
• Proper guidance and easy access to available programs of financial aid and college admission application need to be highly promoted in all states, especially for low-income students.

Policy Recommendations:

The report authors identify three strategies that the federal government and states can potentially pursue in order to help all students enter and suceed in higher education:

• Create data systems that track college readiness and attainment and build accountability.
• Support and build the capacity of high school and college educators.
• Develop strong signals and clear incentives to students about the path to college.

The federal government is encouraged to take note of the recommendations made in this article on the economic, social, and academic factors that can prevent students from attending college. In addition, policymakers at the state and federal level are encouraged to create programs that facilitate the transition from high school to college by promoting students current and future college aspirations.

• Read the Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Center for American Progress 1333 H Street, NW, 10th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005

Nagaoka, Jenny; Roderick, Melissa; Coca, Vanessa. (2009). Barriers to College Attainment: Lessons from Chicago. Washington, D.C. Center for American Progress.

Tags: Instructional Programs; Intervention; Latino ELL Students; Motivation;

Target Population: Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are ways to increase the number of Latino STEM graduates?

Findings:

• The U.S. Department of Education reports that nearly 60% of Latinos in the American higher education system are enrolled in a community college. Of these students, 56% attend Hispanic-serving community colleges.
• Recent data from NSF shows that nearly 44% of all STEM B.S. degree holders attend community college at some point in their career.

• Read The Full Report

Dowd, A.C., Malcom, L.E., & Bensimon, E.M. (2009). Benchmarking the success of Latino and Latina students in STEM to achieve national graduation goals. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California.

Tags: Intervention; Motivation;

Target Population: High School, Post-secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are some of the challenges Latino students face in graduating from high school, enrolling in college, completing a college education, and advancing in the workforce?

Findings:

• 86% of Escalera students from the 2008 cohort graduated from high school or obtained a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
• 95% of eligible Escalera students from the 2009 cohort enrolled in college.
• 99% of Escalera graduates from the 2008 cohort persist in college past year one.
• Escalera students have more work experience and career knowledge than their non-Escalera peers.
• Students who have access to college and career exploration activities have a greater knowledge of career paths and associated academic requirements.

• Read the Full Report

Mirabal, F.A., Lucero, S. (2010). Beyond the Classroom: Creating Pathways to College and Careers for Latino Youth. Washington, DC: National Council of La Raza.

Tags: Intervention; Motivation; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Transfer of Literacy Skills;

Target Population: Post-secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the promising practices for transferring students from two-year to four-year institutions?

Findings:
A Structured Academic Pathway:

• Institutional Articulation Agreements
• Dual Enrollment
• Developmental coursework initiatives
• Active learning

• Customer service forums
• Trio Student Support Services (SSS)
• Specialized advising
• Flexible scheduling
• First-year Seminar
• Learning communities
• Student engagement in campus life

• Staff and faculty role modeling
• Strategic planning
• Outreach

• Read the Full Report

Smith, C.T., Miller, A., & Bermeo, C.A. (2009). Bridging the Gaps to Success-Promising Practices for Promoting Transfer Among Low-Income and First-Generation Students. The Pell Institute. Retrieved January 10, 2011 from: http://www.pellinstitute.org/pdf/COE_Pell_Report_layout_3.pdf

Tags: Intervention; Motivation; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Post-secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the ways immigrant workers educate themselves/get themselves to college/post-secondary opportunities?

Findings:

• A clear pathway to employment and/or job advancement is a critical part of the process;
• Employer investments are essential, although they may take different forms;
• Community college innovation is important, but "reinventing" the college is not required;
• Community partnerships are necessary to expand the boundaries of the program, a key element for recruitment and retention; and
• A clear and focused commitment to harness the potential of working Hispanic immigrants is required.

• Read the Full Report

Gershwin, M., Coxen, T., Kelley, B., & Yakimov. G. (2007, March). Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: Promoting the Education & Advancement of Hispanic Immigrant Workers in America. Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. Retrieved January, 4, 2011 from: http://www.skilledwork.org/sites/default/files/Lumina_Jan809.pdf

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Reading;

Target Population: High school, post-secondary (non-collegiate)

Research Questions the Report Poses:

1. What is the policy background for the provision of ESL courses in California? What distinguishes adult schools from other providers?
2. How has the ESL target population changed throughout the state since 1980? What is the level of predicted enrollment and what demographic changes affect enrollment in ESL courses?
3. What are the trends in the provision of ESL courses by adult schools and community colleges statewide and in the different regions of the state? Does the adult school funding formula limit adult school enrollment? To what extent do adult school districts exceed their level of funding?
4. What do adult schools that exceed their funding limit forgo in terms of quality of adult education classes and future growth of adult education programs? How much does the redistribution of unused funding alleviate the challenges facing high-demand regions? How would adult education providers benefit from increased funding?

Findings:

• There is a $15.7 million gap between money spent by adult schools on ESL programs and money awarded to these schools by the state of California.
• Though the adult ELL demographic is growing across the state, it is growing at different rates in different parts of the state.
• Close to 60 percent of adult schools in California exceed their funding limit.
• Among adult schools that do over-enroll students, nearly 80 percent exceed their funding limit by over 2.5 percent.

Policy Recommendations:

The authors recommend:

• Increased overall funding to adult ESL programs
• More mechanisms for distributing funds for ESL programs to areas and schools that have high demand
• Increasd enrollment caps so that schools do not have to pay out of their own pocket to have adult ESL programs

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Public Policy Institute of California 500 Washington Street Suite 800 San Francisco, California 94111

Gonzalez, A. California's Commitment to Adult English Learners: Caught Between Funding and Need. (2007). San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California.

Tags: Intervention; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Rights, Students;

Target Population: Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: How can data be used to determine ways to improve students’ success in community colleges in California?

Findings:

• Students who followed certain enrollment patterns did much better (i.e. earning at least 20 credits within the first year.) Unfortunately few students followed those patterns; therefore efforts should be made to encourage those habits/trends.
• There are bleak disparities between races/ethnicities (i.e., even lower success rate among blacks and Latinos) and given demographics trends (i.e., increase in Latinos) solving this problem is critical for our nation.
• Too many students fail to attain their 2-year degree. (After 6 years of enrollment 70% of students-80% of Latinos had not finished, and only 15% were still enrolled.)
• Transfer success is low. (Only 23% ultimately transferred to a 4-year university; and of Latinos specifically only 14%).
• Completion rates and levels of disparity vary widely across comparable colleges; therefore some colleges do actually find ways to promote completion, while others are lacking.
• For-profit sector's role is growing. (More students are transferring into for-profit sector.)

Policy Recommendations:

• Collect data and act upon it.
• Create a public agenda for higher education.
• Develop a reward system for student success.
• Maintain transfer function of community colleges so successful students will continue on to a state university.

• Read the Full Report

Moore, C. & Shulock, N. (2010). Divided We Fail: Improving Completion and Closing Racial Gaps in California’s Community Colleges. Sacramento, CA: California State University’s Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy.

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: Intervention; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Rights, Students;

Target Population: Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• How does the educational attainment vary among subgroups of immigrants?
• What factors account for these differences?
• What barriers do some immigrant students face? What is the payoff to postsecondary education in U.S. society?

Findings:

• Mexican and Latin American immigrants have, on average, relatively low rates of participation and success in postsecondary education.
• Language barriers and lack of familiarity with U.S. social institutions create difficulties, but it is not immigrant status per se that explains the unsatisfactory outcomes for these immigrant populations.
• Overall, immigrants and their children are actually more likely than natives (of the same countries of origin) to earn college degrees.
• The gaps among groups from different countries of origin are large. Those from China, Japan, and many African countries have high success rates. Those from Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Laos, and Cambodia fare less well.
• The children of immigrants who benefited from postsecondary education in their countries of origin are likely to succeed in the United States. The children of parents who are not in a position to help them prepare for and navigate the postsecondary system are likely to struggle.

Policy Recommendations:

• Because immigration has become such a divisive political issue in the United States, focusing on the benefits to society of opening doors to higher education for all is the most promising strategy.
• Sometimes, changes in motivation and behavior resulting from financial incentives, rather than the extra funds themselves, can be central to improved postsecondary success. Judith Scott–Clayton, for example, found that West Virginia's state grant program increases college completion rates by establishing clear academic goals and providing incentives to meet them.
• Policies to improve the elementary and secondary school experiences of all children are likely the most important components of a strategy to improve the postsecondary success of immigrant children.

• Read the Full Report

Baum, S., Flores, S.M. (2011.) "Higher Education and Children in Immigrant Families." Immigrant Children 21 (1). The Future of Children. Retrieved from: http://www.futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=74&articleid=545.

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Curriculum; Instructional Programs; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.);

Target Population: This article targets the general population, especially those Latino and minority groups in high school or first year in college.

Research Questions the Report Poses: This article raises the question of students' academic preparation to transition from high school to postsecondary education.

Findings:

• Poor academic performance during high school due to poor academic preparation for college can predetermine the failure of students during college.
• Current research shows that to make a different in academic preparation, school administrations and teachers have to create a rigorous academic program that needs to be continuous and based on rich coursework.
• Organizations like Achieve, ACT, and the Education Policy Improvement Center are providing feedbacks for students to better their transition from high school to college.

Policy Recommendations:

• Policymakers should begin to address the importance of academic preparation for students, especially in high school, entering college.
• The federal government should be responsible of distributing and communicating the general public the steps to take to gain greater academic preparation and skills in schools.
• Policymakers should propose and manage the strategies implemented to guarantee the success of the programs.

• Read the report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Center for American Progress 1333 H Street, NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005

Chait, Robin and Andrea Venezia. (2009). Improving Academic Preparation for College: What We Know and How State and Federal Policy Can Help. Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress.

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Books and Other Reading Materials; Comprehension; Differentiated Instruction; Instructional Programs; Motivation; Reading; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary;

Target Population: Elementary School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the most effective ways to teach vocabulary to diverse learners?

Findings:
This article focuses on strategies and techniques for integrating vocabulary into the classroom. Some of the vocabulary areas covered are:

• Synonyms
• Antonyms
• Compound words
• Root words
• Using technology to teach vocabulary

Policy Recommendations:
N/A

• Download full article (159KB PDF)*

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Learning Point Associates 1100 17th Street N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036

Blachowicz, C.L.Z, Watts-Taffe, S. & Fisher, P. (2005). Learning Point Associates.

Tags: Intervention; Motivation; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle school

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the long-term educational consequences of summer learning differences based on family socioeconomic level?

Findings:

• Prior to high school, the achievement gap by family SES traces substantially to unequal learning opportunities in children's home and community environments.
• With learning gains across social lines more nearly equal during the school year, the experience of schooling tends to offset the unequalizing press of children's out-of-school learning environments. Schooling thus appears to play a compensatory role, though there may still be unequal access to resources or opportunities even in school.
• Summer learning differences during the foundational early grades help explain achievement-dependent outcome differences across social lines in the upper grades; this includes the transition out of high school and, for some, into college, which is oftentimes determined by whether a student is in on a college-prep track, which itself is determined by class placement based on freshman test performance.
• Since it is low SES youth specifically whose out-of-school learning lags behind, this summer shortfall relative to better-off children contributes to the perpetuation of family advantage and disadvantage across generations.
• The fact that achievement gaps are smaller during the school year than the summer shows that 2 common assumptions are false: that minority students have less ability to achieve and that school systems are failing.

Policy Recommendations:

• Early interventions to keep the achievement gap from opening wide in the first place should be a high priority, and the earlier the better, with the kinds of preschool compensatory education initiatives that have proven effective.
• Once in school, disadvantaged children need year-round, supplemental programming to counter the continuing press of family and community conditions that hold them back.
• Create summer schools that incorporate so-called best practice principles that target disadvantaged students specifically.
• An accountability system that monitors progress fall to spring, perhaps relative to an expected summer gain baseline be more appropriate for gauging a school's effectiveness. The current arrangement under NCLB is useful for identifying need, but little more, and certainly not for apportioning blame.

• Read the Full Report

Alexander, K.L., Entwisle, D.R., & Olson, L.S. (2007). Lasting consequences of the summer learning gap. American Sociological Review, 72. Retrieved from http://brettberk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/april07asrfeature.pdf

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

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What elements of the Healthy School Community (HSC) project yield the best results for improving school health?

Findings:

• The single most important factor is having an engaged and effective principal who fully embraces the HSC model, actively participating but also distributing tasks among a team.
• Collaboration of various forms is crucial. This includes letting parents have a say in matters, getting community members involved and personally invested in the success of the school, and networking with other healthy schools for strategies.
• "Healthy" schools that focus on the "whole child" are the best kind because teachers can teach to their fullest abilities and students can learn to their highest potential.

Policy Recommendations:

• Build a team dedicated to improving school health that is led by a principal but broken into teams, which incorporates parents, teachers, and stakeholders of the community.
• Enact systemic, rather than programmatic change, by making foundational changes such as rewriting mission/goals and getting everyone involved in changes as opposed to the principal making decisions singlehandedly.

• Read the Full Report

ASCD (2010). Learning, Teaching, and Leading in Healthy School Communities. Alexandria, VA: ACSD.

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Intervention; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: How do female high school Latina students overcome obstacles in order to graduate from high school?

Findings:

Latinas have high aspirations and goals but often are unable to reach them because of academic and social barriers such as:

• Poverty
• Immigration status
• Language barriers
• Lack of parental involvement
• Teenage pregnancy

Policy Recommendations:

• Invest in the future of Latinas. Congress should put more money into providing child care, early childhood education, health care, nutrition assistance, and tax benefits.
• Provide Latina girls with role models and set up programs that help them reach their goals. More money should be put into mentoring programs, school counseling, and college access programs.
• Make sure that all Latina girls are prepared for any post-secondary education opportunity.
• Ensure that schools are free of racial and gender discrimination. Schools should also make sure that they enforce and promote dual language programs for ELLs.
• Aid in gaining more Latino parental involvement. The government and schools should fund more programs to help parents become more active in schools.
• Fund more efforts to prevent teenage pregnancy, including implementing sex education programs.
• Support students who are pregnant or who are currently parenting.
• Schools should require better data collection and promote school accountability.

• Read the Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
MALDEF: http://maldef.org/contact/

National Women’'s Law Center & Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Listening to Latinas: barriers to high school graduation. (2009, August). Retrieved from: http://maldef.org/assets/pdf/ListeningtoLatinas.pdf

Tags: Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Reading; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• Who are immigrant students and students who do not speak English well?
• Where are they from, and what is their family background (social, economic, linguistic, etc.)?
• How well do they do in school?
• Do their literacy levels prepare them to take part in higher education and a skilled workforce?"

Findings:

• ELL populations are growing faster than general student populations
• The growth of ELL populations in different states varies widely
• Students in California are more likely to be "linguistically isolated" than students across the country or in the other three states studied
• 57% of ELLs across the country were born in the United States
• 70% of ELLs in grades 6-12 speak Spanish
• NAEP data examined for 8th grade ELLs shows that only 4% and 6% of ELLs scored proficient in reading and math, respectively
• ELLs performed radically different on state math and reading assessments from state to state
• There is a wide achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students on the 8th grade NAEP as well as state standardized tests
• Former ELL students and non-ELL students scored roughly the same on NAEP and state assessments

Policy Recommendations:

• "Reexamine whether Census data accurately capture the [ELL] population"
• "Examine how varying state exclusion rates for ELL students affect NAEP results"
• "Explore the literacy trajectories of former [ELL] students"
• "Document how states vary in their testing and monitoring practices for ELL students who parents opt out of language instruction services"
• "Leverage the research opportunities that multi-state English proficiency tests offer for analyzing ELL outcomes"

• Read the Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/index.php

Batalova, J., Fix, M., and Murray, J. (2007). Measures of Change: The Demography and Literacy of Adolescent English Learners. Migration Policy Institute, Carnegie Corporation of New York: New York, NY.

Tags: Content Areas: Math; Content Areas: Science; Content Areas: Social Studies; Differentiated Instruction; Intervention; Motivation; Placement; Reading; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What instructional practices dovetail in both the ELL adolescent literacy literature and non-ELL adolescent literacy literature?

Findings:
Eight instructional approaches are supported in both literatures (what's good for ELL adolescents and adolescent native English speakers):

1. teacher modeling, strategy instruction, and using multiple forms of assessment;
2. emphasis on reading and writing;
3. emphasis on speaking and listening/viewing;
4. emphasis on thinking;
5. creating a learner-centered classroom;
6. recognizing and analyzing content-area discourse features;
7. understanding text structures within the content areas; and
8. vocabulary development.

Policy Recommendations:
Any intervention aimed at ELLs should also benefit under–served learners generally.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Education Alliance at Brown
222 Richmond Street, Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
Phone: 800.521.9550
Fax: 401.421.7650
E-mail: info@alliance.brown.edu

Meltzer, J. & Hamann, E. (2004). Meeting the literacy development needs of adolescent English language learners. Part two: Focus on classroom teaching and learning strategies. Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory .

Tags: Content Areas: Math; Content Areas: Science; Content Areas: Social Studies; Motivation; Placement; Reading; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: Review of the literature concerning student motivation and engagement on literacy development of adolescents and research on the schooling of adolescent ELLs.

Findings:

• literacy development and effective instruction for ELL and non-ELL adolescents alike share many commonalities;
• isolated ELL students are further negatively impacted as a result of these findings; and
• content-area teachers may benefit from research and practices designed for ELL teachers

Policy Recommendations:

• Teachers should use current secondary school ELL literature to create a blueprint of classroom contexts in which ELLs will be motivated and engaged to read and write across the content areas, and where reading and writing will contribute to their broader academic achievement.
• Schools should train all secondary–school teachers to promote content–area literacy for ELLs.
• To promote ELLs' or other students' continued development and application of literacy skills for academic learning, educators should plan opportunities that
  1. provide the environmental resources to support the work (i.e., various text materials);
  2. are grounded by high expectations that students can achieve or surpass the state standards and
  3. engage students-that they involve choice, are authentic, promote self–efficacy, and support autonomy.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Education Alliance at Brown
222 Richmond Street, Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
Phone: 800.521.9550
Fax: 401.421.7650
E-mail: info@alliance.brown.edu

Meltzer, J. & Hamann, E. (2004). Meeting the literacy development needs of adolescent English language learners. Part one: Focus on motivation and engagement. Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory.

Tags: Intervention; Language Proficiency; Motivation; Placement; Struggling Readers;

Target Population: Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What is the best middle to high school transitions for ELLs?
• What happens to the ELL moving from eighth to ninth grade in a SLC?
• How are his or her unique educational needs considered?
• Is the instructional program designed to seamlessly integrate English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) instruction with the SLC or ninth?grade transitional programs?
• Is the student required to choose between accessing linguistically appropriate instruction and accessing the benefits of a career or technical academy?
• Does the student's de facto status as an ELL preclude him or her from taking part in programs and courses within the SLC schools?

Findings:

• In order to ensure that ELL students catch up with their peers, the school must place emphasis on intense ELD instruction.
• Teachers should use specialized instructional methodologies to build their abilities to teach content to ELL students.
• Beneficial to ELL transitions are the flexible delivery and scheduling of academic and non-academic supports.
• It does not appear that any one school is implementing a coherent service delivery plan. Instead, there are examples of isolated implementation of best practices in a given area, but not across the school or for all ELL students

• Read the Full Report

Lara, J., & Harford, S. (n.d.). Middle-to-High School Transition for English Language Learners: Promising School-Based Practices. Smaller Learning Communities Program. Retrieved January 13, 2011 from: http://www.edweek.org/media/final-middletohighschool.pdf

Tags: Instructional Programs; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Rights, Students;

Target Population: High school

Research Questions the Report Poses: How well served are out-of-school immigrant youths in the state of California in general? How well served are out-of-school immigrant youths who receive services and resources from California's Migrant Education Program (MEP)?

Findings:

• Though the California Migrant Education Program's attempts to offer educational resources to OSYs, its limited funds and eligibility requirements only allow it to service about 80,000 OSYs.
• California OSYs are some of the most disadvantaged individuals in the state because their legal statuses often make access to public services difficult.
• California OSYs are very eager to continue their education, but they are often unable to do so because of a need to work.
• Approximately 80% of OSYs said their families depended on their incomes to survive.

Policy Recommendations:

• Increase funding to the California MEP
• Change eligibility requirements for receiving MEP funds so that more OSYs are able to receive them
• Offer educational opportunities that allow OSYs to both work and learn

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Public Policy Institute of California
500 Washington Street
Suite 800
San Francisco, California 94111
E-Mail:merina@ppic.org
Telephone: (415) 291-4400
Fax: (415) 291-4401

Hill, Laura., and Hayes, Joseph. (2007). Out-of-School Immigrant Youth. San Francisco, California: Public Policy Institute of California.

Tags: Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Rights, Parents; Rights, Students;

Target Population: Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: Are Hispanic students well-informed about their financial aid options for higher education? How does knowledge about financial aid affect Hispanic students' choices to pursue higher education?

Findings:

• 98% of respondents in the survey said that they felt it was important to have a college education
• 38% of respondents did not feel the benefits of college outweigh the costs
• Not being able to work and incurring debt were the opportunity costs associated with going to college
• The opportunity costs associated with going to college were not being able to work and incurring debt
• More than 50% of the respondents incorrectly thought students have to be U.S. citizens to apply for college financial aid
• Few respondents could accurately estimate the cost of attending either the University of California or California State University
• Overall, respondents demonstrated a lack of familiarity with government grants for education

Policy Recommendations:

• Students need to be better informed about the "less tangible, but real, social status differences that exist between the college-educated and the non-college educated" so that they feel that the opportunity costs of attending college are worth paying
• Because of misperceptions about how much college actually costs, Latino students may continue to be underrepresented on college campuses. To this end, perceptions must be corrected by presenting students with information about the realistic costs of attending college.
• Latino students need to be better informed about Cal Grants and Pell Grants, as well as other grant and loan opportunities available through state and federal government.
• Students and their parents both need to be educated about the system of college finances, including scholarships, loans, grants, and government guaranteed loans.
• Student perceptions about the significance of legal residency status vs. U.S. citizenship status need to be corrected, especially given the citizenship status of many students' parents

• Read the Full Report

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

Zarate, E.Z., and Pachon, H.P. (2006). Perceptions of College Financial Aid Among California Latino Youth. Tomas Rivera Policy Institute: Los Angeles, CA.

Tags: Intervention; Latino ELL Students; Motivation; Rights, Students;

Target Population: Middle, High School, Post-Secondary (all adolescents)

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• How do Latino adolescents navigate the different social settings and institutions that they encounter in life?
• Within the current environment, are school and work viewed by Latino youth as a great "equalizer," part of an opportunity structure that can give them the tools and security to succeed and progress?
• Or, do Latino youth perceive these settings as further reinforcing the broader inequalities that they already face?
• Do young Latinos feel that they are treated differently within such settings, and if so, in which specific ways do they experience and interpret these differences?
• Broadly speaking, how do young Latinos' interactions within all of these systems affect their sense of well-being, identity, and belonging in U.S. society?

Findings:

• Latino youth tend to have an optimistic outlook on the role of education and a strong desire to achieve successful careers. These attitudes are often associated with the hopes and expectations of their immigrant parents and with their own desire to contribute to their community and nation.
• Despite these optimistic attitudes, the teenagers expressed a pervasive sense of being negatively stereotyped by institutional actors as varied as teachers, employers, and police officers. They described how assumptions about Hispanic youth and Latinos in general are manifested within the different social settings discussed.
• Latino youth report significant ethnic stereotyping at school by teachers, administrators, and peers. Such stereotyping, they feel, often leads Hispanic students to be overlooked, excluded, or negatively tracked, and results in unequal educational opportunities.
• The youth often perceive the workplace as a site of unfair practices based on racial and ethnic assumptions on the part of employers. Many of these youth's perceptions of discrimination in the workforce were directly related to the experiences of their parents and other community members.
• Across all focus groups, the youth emphatically described feeling unfairly and habitually profiled by law enforcement as a result of negative assumptions regarding Hispanic youth, gangs, and immigrants. Such regular contact with the police, which takes place in a variety of spaces, compounds feelings of vulnerability and distrust in their communities.
• One of the most consistent findings across the focus groups was the teenagers' pervasive sense of being racialized-or constructed as different, as "other"-on a regular basis, and in practically all realms of experience.

• Read the Full Report

Foxen, P. (2010, October, 21)."Speaking Out: Latino Youth on Discrimination in the United States" National Council of La Raza. Retrieved January 3, 2011, from: http://www.nclr.org/index.php/publications/speaking_out_latino_youth_on_discrimination_in_the_united_states/

Tags: Comprehension; Fluency; Motivation; Phonics; Phonological Awareness; Reading; Vocabulary;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What does recent research say about the benefits of technology in helping students learn to read?

Findings:

• Available research points to many possibilities for technology to enhance reading instruction.
• Decisions about the effective uses of technology need to be based on an understanding of the school or district reading program.
• Understanding of the potential uses of technology and a careful analysis of the alignment between the needs of the reading program and the capabilities brought by the technology is vital.
• Technology can help make a good reading program more effective, but technology's value depends upon the quality of the overall reading program and the thoughtful and careful implementation of technology.

Policy Recommendations:
N/A

• Full report

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

Sherman, D., Kleiman, G., and Peterson, K. (2004). Technology and Teaching Children to Read. Education Development Center.

Tags: Motivation; Rights, Parents; Rights, Students;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses: How are immigrants adapting to life in the United States, particularly considering their country of origin?

Findings:

• First, immigrant children and children of immigrants (that is, the first and second generations) tend to have higher ambition (aspirations or expectations, or both) than their third–generation and higher counterparts and have generally superior academic performance.
• Immigrants of different national origins vary significantly in both ambition and performance. (Asian–origin groups tend to have higher and more stable expectations and to perform better in school; Mexican, Latino, and Caribbean immigrants scatter toward the opposite end of the spectrum.)
• Girls consistently have higher ambition and perform better than boys.
• Aspirations and academic performance are strongly correlated, although it is hard to say which causes which.
• Along with their aspirations and expectations, the self–identities and self–esteem of children of immigrants are key to their assimilation.
• Place of birth and length of residence in the host society are powerful determinants of self–identity.
• Education promotes a dual or "transnational" identity.
• Immigrant youths of color such as blacks, mulattoes, mestizos, and Asians are more likely to experience discrimination and, hence, to develop a reactive ethnicity and adopt ethnic labels that they usually regard as very important.
• The American racial hierarchy has resulted in a plurality of self–designations among children of immigrants, into four categories: nonhyphenated Americans, hyphenated Americans, pan–ethnics, and nonhyphenated foreign nationals.
• Fluent bilingualism is associated with higher cognitive development, academic performance, and self–esteem in adolescence.
• Fluency in the language of the host society is almost universal among second–generation youths; fluency in the parental languages is much less common.
• All national origin groups make significant progress from the first to the second generation in educational attainment, with second–generation outcomes approaching average outcomes for native whites.
• Although all national origin groups make educational progress, second–generation Mexicans and Central Americans fall significantly behind native whites in rates of high school completion and college graduation.
• Male incarceration rates increase for all national origin groups between the first and second generations, with Mexican and Latin American the highest and Asian the lowest.
• Female fertility rates in adolescence and early adulthood decline across generations for all Latin national origin groups, while Asian fertility rates are extremely low and decline further between generations.
• Although there is educational progress between the first and second generations, subsequent generations stagnate educationally and occupationally. They never catch up with the native–white averages.

Policy Recommendations:

• A first urgent policy measure is the legalization of 1.5–generation youths who are unauthorized migrants.
• Legislation like the DREAM Acts needs to be passed lest the immigrant youth population devolves into a self–fulfilling prophecy in which youths barred from conventional mobility channels turn to gangs and other unorthodox means of self–affirmation and survival.
• The available evidence supports the paradox that preserving the linguistic and cultural heritage of the home countries often helps migrant children move ahead in America.

• Read the Full Report

Portes, A., Rivas, A. (2011) "The Adaptation of Migrant Children." Immigrant Children 21 (1). The Future of Children. Retrieved from: http://www.futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=74&articleid=547.

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

Target Population: Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: How can community colleges increase the number of students who apply for financial aid?

Findings:
It is not the lack of available information on filing for FAFSA to blame for the lower percentages of community college students applying for financial aid, but rather the failure of community colleges to disseminate information and reach out to students individually and proactively. Because community colleges face funding limitations themselves, they must use more creative methods to reach students. Community colleges must consider their respective circumstances and student populations; however the most consistently applicable strategies are initiating personal interactions and suggesting practical solutions.

Policy Recommendations:
Short-Term:

• Increase student access to financial aid information (ie bilingual services and materials; evening and weekend office hours; multimedia.)
• Involve the community (ie inform parents, coordinate with high schools, collaborate with community organizations that provide the same help.)
• Link financial aid application with college registration
• Conduct workshops/information sessions about financial aid geared to specific audiences

• Survey students on how they get their community information.
• Establish a common/statewide system for financial aid administration.
• Establish mentor and then transition programs in high schools.

• Read the Full Report

College Board Advocacy & Policy Center. (2010). The Financial Aid Challenge: Successful Practices that Address the Underutilization of Financial Aid in Community Colleges. New York, New York: College Board.

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Fluency; Motivation;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What are some nonnative English speakers' experiences regarding the way native speakers treat them?
• How have nonnative English speakers' experiences of ethnic acceptance or ethnic prejudice affected their learning of English?
• What do nonnative English speakers think they need in order to lower their anxiety as they learn a new language?
• What can native English speakers do to lower nonnative speakers' anxiety?
• What can nonnative English speakers do to lower their anxiety with native English speakers?

Findings:

• All of the participants experienced both ethnic acceptance and ethnic prejudice, though they tended to be positive and accepting.
• Successful immigrants overcome their fear and anxiety by making friends with native and nonnative speakers alike.
• To achieve greater communicative competence English learners must take the initiative to speak English, while native English speakers must learn strategies for listening and understanding, accepting and reinforcing the nonnative speakers.
• The two ethnic groups of participants viewed prejudice and learning English differently: the Vietnamese believed they could move past prejudice and learn English as a means to belong in American culture, while the Mexican participants fostered a nostalgia for and stronger desire to return to their homeland.
• The six participants in this study all recognized the importance of encouragement and motivation in learning English, whether by needing English to communicate in ethnically mixed neighborhoods, or community ESL classes showing them they were not alone in learning English.
• The participants all expressed the opinion that individual effort and perseverance are keys to progress in acquiring English: one needs to take action, reach out, and not give up regardless of the experiences of prejudice.

Policy Recommendations:

The authors recommend:

• Mixed ESL groupings in class — combining immigrants from different countries so they cannot resort to home language.
• Closed-caption reading methodology
• Encouraging immigrants to make friends who are native speakers
• Improved workplace ESL programs
• Cultural survival techniques — acquiring goods and services in home language to buffer transition, while still venturing out into English–speaking places.

• Read the Full Report

LaBelle, J. (2007.) Vietnamese American Experiences of English Language Learning. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education & Advancement. Retrieved from: http://jsaaea.coehd.utsa.edu/index.php/JSAAEA/article/view/4