Effective Instruction for English Learners

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.