Latino ELL Students

A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade

by Pew Hispanic Center

Pew Hispanic Center. (2006). A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade. Pew Hispanic Center: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures);

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Latino ELL Students; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.);

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

Research Questions the Report Poses: None; document is a collection of graphs and charts

Summary: This is a collection of 32 tables that examine various demographic categories of foreign-born individuals in the United States as of 2005. Some of the charts have comparisons to year 2000 data.

Findings:
None; collection of tables.

Policy Recommendations:
None; collection of tables.

• Link to Full Report

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

California's Commitment to Adult English Learners: Caught Between Funding and Need

by Public Policy Institute of California / Arturo Gonzalez

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

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Adult;

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?

Summary: 75% of adults enrolled in ESL programs in the state of California participate in these programs through adult schools. The issue that this report talks about is the conundrum facing adult schools. These schools have two choices: leave some seeking ESL programs without service and stay under the enrollment growth-cap linked to state funds or take in all individuals seeking to be enrolled in an ESL program, go over the cap, and pay the difference between allotted state funds and actual capital spent out of the school's own budget. The article cites 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.

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 within 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:

• Increase overall funding to adult ESL programs
• Create more mechanisms for distributing funds for ESL programs to areas and schools that have more of a demand from adult ESL students
• Increase the enrollment cap 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
Telephone: (415) 291-4400
Fax: (415) 291-4401

California's Linguistic Minority Public School Students, 2005

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

Rumberger R. California's Linguistic Minority Public School Students, 2005. (2005). Santa Barbara, California: University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute.

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures);

Tags: Fluency; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students;

Target Population: Elementary school, middle school, high school

Research Questions the Report Poses: None; merely presentation of data

Summary: This document contains a chart that has the grade breakdowns of all linguistic minority students in the state of California as well as grade breakdowns of just Spanish-speaking linguistic minority students in the state. All data are from the 2004-05 school year.

Findings:

• In the 2004-2005 school year, 2.6 million of California's 6.3 million schoolchildren were classified as linguistic minorities. This equates to 42 percent of schoolchildren.
• Of those 2.6 million, 1.6 million are classified as English Learners (EL) while the other 1 million are classified as Fluent English Proficient (FEP)

Policy Recommendations:
None

• Link to Full Report

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

Children in Immigrant Families - The U.S. and 50 States: National Origins, Language, and Early Education

by Child Trends and the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at SUNY-Albany / Donald Hernandez, Nancy Denton, and Suzanne Macartney

Hernandez, D., Denton, N., and Macartney, S. (2007, April). Child Trends and Children in Immigrant Families - The U.S. and 50 States: National Origins, Language, and Early Education. Albany, NY: Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at SUNY-Albany

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures); Higher Education and Careers; Learning Disabilities and Special Education; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Early (Pre-K);

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Latino ELL Students; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.); Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Preschool

Research Questions the Report Poses: None; instead makes the case that newcomer families and the children within them are, and will continue to be, a significant demographic in American education

Summary: At the time of this report's publishing, children from newcomer families (families with at least one foreign-born parent) account for 20 percent of the nation's schoolchildren. This research brief, whose data is based on the year 2000 census, makes the case that children of newcomer families will continue to make up a significant portion of American schoolchildren, especially since rates of white, non-Hispanic schoolchildren are expected to decline in the coming decades. The report notes that the specific national origin of newcomer families varies widely from state to state. It also makes the assertion that the nearly 50% of children in newcomer families who speak both English and another language well represent a great opportunity to promote bilingualism in the United States. However, the nearly 25% of children in newcomer families who live in linguistically isolated households will continue to pose a challenge for the American education system. The report also cites children from newcomer families going to pre-school with lower prevalence than children from native born families.

Findings:

• 25 percent of children from newcomer families have a parent who was born in the United States.
• Two-thirds of children from newcomer families have parents who have lived in the United States for ten or more years.
• 80% of children from newcomer families are US citizens
• Almost 60% of children have at least one parent who speaks English exclusively or very well
• Three-quarters of children from newcomer families speak English exclusively or very well
• Almost half of newcomer children speak both English and another language fluently or close to fluently
• Approximately a quarter of newcomer children are from linguistically isolated households
• Children from newcomer families going to pre-school with lower prevalence than children from native born families

Policy Recommendations:

• More resources need to be devoted to getting good early education to children from newcomer families
• A re-examination must take place of education policy toward language instruction, especially views of bi-literacy and bilingualism
• Education programs can and should improve outreach to newcomer parents

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Child Trends
Bonnie Wahiba
4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 350
Washington, DC 20008
E-Mail: bwahiba@childtrends.org
Phone: (202) 572-6136
Fax: (202) 362-8420 (third floor, Suite 350)

Exit Exams and ELLs

Sullivan, P., Yeager, M., Chudowsky, N., Kober, N., O'Brien, E., Gayler, K. (2005). State High School Exit Exams: States Try Harder, But Gaps Persist Center on Education Policy: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Latino ELL Students;

Summary:

A growing number of states are requiring students to pass exit exams in order to receive a high school diploma. What is the impact of exit exams on ELLs? Evidence indicates that with effective educational support, ELLs can achieve as much or more than other students. This new study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) investigates why the pass rates for ELLs is often 30-40% lower than the national average.

* Note: Chapter 6: Special Topic 2005, Exit Exams and English Language Learners (pp. 93-122).

• Download full report (2.3MB PDF)*

How Far Behind in Math and Reading are English Language Learners?

by Pew Hispanic Center / Rick Fry

Fry, R. (2007). How Far Behind in Math and Reading are English Language Learners? Pew Hispanic Center: Washington, D.C.

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures);

Tags: Content Areas: Math; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Rights, Students; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: How Far Behind in Math and Reading are English Language Learners?

Summary: Through the use of NAEP data, this study seeks to examine the achievement gaps between ELL students and White, Black, and Hispanic non-ELL students. This study looks specifically at math and reading scores at the 4th and 8th grade levels both nationally and on a statewide basis in the states with the top 10 ELL populations.

Findings:

• The ELL achievement gap widens at higher grades.
• Nationally, ELL students tend to trail further behind their peers in reading than in math.

Policy Recommendations:
None given

• Link to Full Report

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

Improving Assessment and Accountability for ELLs in the No Child Left Behind Act

by National Council of La Raza (NCLR); Melissa LazarÍn

Lazarín, M. (2006). Improving Assessment and Accountability for English Language Learners in the No Child Left Behind Act. National Council of La Raza: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations; NCLB and AYP;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Comprehension; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Placement;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: This issue brief is designed to help inform future dialogue on assessment and accountability. The brief examines the progress and manner in which states have implemented the federal law's accountability and testing provisions with respect to ELLs.

Summary:

At over 10% of the U.S. student body, English language learners in grades K-12 hold significant influence over the success of national school improvement. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has set out to insure accountability in the academic achievement of all students, but it faces political and administrative challenges.

This report from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) provides an overview of the assessment and accountability provisions of NCLB affecting ELLs, the challenges of implementation in various states and districts, and policy recommendations for improving the law's effectiveness for ELLs.

Findings:
NCLB implementation with respect to ELLs has failed to live up to the law's promise. State and district accountability systems not only must include ELLs, they must be implemented in a way that effectively closes the existing academic achievement gap for ELLs.

Policy Recommendations:

• The U.S. Department of Education should increase research and investment in the development of a range of appropriate assessments and testing accommodations, including native-language and simplified English tests for ELLs.
• The U.S. Department of Education should provide firm guidance to states regarding the law's directive to assess ELLs "to the extent practicable, in the language and form most likely to yield accurate data."
• With enforcement by the U.S. Department of Education, states and districts must continue to assess ELLs and include them in AYP determinations.
• The Administration and Congress should fine-tune the definition of AYP for ELLs.
• The U.S. Department of Education and Congress should enhance accountability measures for secondary ELLs, particularly lateentrant ELLs. The U.S. Department of Education, states, and districts should improve reporting of assessment data and other AYP indicators to parents of ELLs.
• The U.S. Department of Education and Congress should ensure equitable access to supplemental services for ELLs.
• The President and Congress must increase the federal investment in English language learner programs (Title III).
• The U.S. Department of Education should increase its investment in the development of assessments for ELLs The President and Congress should increase federal support for Parent Assistance Programs.
• States should ensure fiscal equity in their education finance systems, with adequate inclusion of resources for ELLs.

• Go to full report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
Attention: Office of Publications
Raul Yzaguirre Building
1126 16th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.785.1670
Fax: 202.776.1794

Improving Reading Comprehension of English Learners Through Listening Comprehension Instruction

by University of California's Linguistic Minority Research Institute / Emily Solari

Solari, E. (2007). Improving Reading Comprehension of English Learners through Listening Comprehension Instruction. University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute: Santa Barbara, California

Topics Covered: Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Early (Pre-K); Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Early Elementary (K-3);

Tags: Differentiated Instruction; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Latino ELL Students; Phonics; Phonological Awareness; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary

Research Questions the Report Poses: Can focusing on listening comprehension help ELLs to improve their overall literacy?

Summary: The article is a summary of research conducted on Spanish-speaking kindergarten students. The aim of the research was to see if, by concentrating on listening comprehension with on a group of students, their reading comprehension could be raised. The research was conducted using both at risk and non-at risk students, and results were compared against a control group that did not receive emphasis on listening comprehension.

Findings:

• Intervention for ELL kindergarteners, both at-risk and non at-risk, can concentrate on an important pre-cursor to reading comprehension (i.e. listening comprehension) without loss of positive effects on word level skills.

Policy Recommendations:
No recommendations given other than to examine more closely the use of listening comprehension and other reading pre-cursors in interventions.

• Link to Full Report

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

Linguistic Life Expectancies: Immigrant Language Retention in Southern California

by Ruben G. Rumbaut, Douglas S. Massey, and Frank D. Bean

Rumbaut, R.G., Massey D.S., and Bean, F.D. (2006). Linguistic Life Expectancies: Immigrant Language Retention in Southern California. Population and Development Review, 32(3), 447-460.

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures);

Tags: Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Fluency; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students;

Target Population: Pre-school, Elementary, Middle, High School, Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: How long can immigrant populations be expected, on average, to remain fluent in their languages of origin?

Summary: In what serves as a response to Samuel P. Huntington's Who Are We? The Challenges of America's National Identity, the authors research how many generations it takes for English to become the language spoken at home in Spanish-speaking households in southern California. Southern California was chosen as the site for this study because 1 out of 5 immigrants in the country resided in one of the six counties of southern California. The authors apply mortality rate formulas to their data in order to procure life expectancy curves for fluency.

Findings:

• The probability is 97% that a great grandchild of Mexican immigrants will not speak Spanish
• Mexican Spanish can be expected to have a life expectancy of 3.1 generations
• Guatemalan and Salvadoran Spanish can be expected to have a life expectancy of 2.8 generations
• Spanish spoken by other Latin Americans can be expected to have a life expectancy of 2.6 generations

Policy Recommendations:
No policy recommendations offered

• Link to Full Report

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

Measures of Change: The Demography and Literacy of Adolescent English Learners

by Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, and Julie Murray / Migration Policy Institute

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.

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures);

Tags: Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; 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? 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?"

Summary: This report from the Migration Policy Institute examines the increasing population of ELLs. It does this by examining the ELL population and developing a profile of ELL students, examining literacy achievement on both national and state math and reading assessments, and examining state identification, testing, and accommodation policies in the following states: California, Illinois, Colorado, and North Carolina.

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"

• Link to Full Report

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

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

Out-of-School Immigrant Youth

by Public Policy Institute of California / Laura E. Hill and Joseph M. Hayes

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

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures);

Tags: Instructional Programs; Latino ELL 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)?

Summary: This report considers the approximately 265,000 out-of-school immigrant youths (OSYs) in the state of California. This demographic is defined as individuals between the ages of 13 and 22 not currently enrolled in a school and without a high school diploma or GED. These individuals face many hardships, including high rates of poverty, lack of access to health care, and low incomes. Even though they do not have access to educational resources, OSYs remain a group of individuals who are very eager to both learn English and obtain their GEDs.

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

Perceptions of College Financial Aid Among California Latino Youth

by The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute / Maria Estela Zarate and Harry P. Pachon

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

Topics Covered: Higher Education and Careers;

Tags: Latino ELL Students; 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?

Summary: Despite surveys and research showing that Hispanic parents and students alike both consider college to be both important and valuable, many Hispanic students do not pursue higher education. This report makes the assertion that if Hispanic students and their parents were better informed about the concepts involved with and procedure surrounding financial aid that more Hispanic students would pursue college.

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

• Link to Full Report

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

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

Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future

Garcia, E.E., Gonzales, D.M. (2006). Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future. Pre-K Now Research Series: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures); Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Early (Pre-K); Parent Outreach;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Latino ELL Students; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Reading;

Summary:

Latino families care about education, but many do not participate in preschool programs. Although Latinos are at great risk for school failure, research shows that they benefit more from Pre-K programs than children of other ethnic groups. This report from Pre-K Now discusses how to make preschool effective and accessible so that all Latino children get a strong foundation for learning.

• Download full report (128KB PDF)*
• Download Executive Summary in Spanish (7KB PDF)*

Promoting Academic Literacy Among Secondary English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Research and Practice

by UC Davis School of Education

Maxwell-Jolly, J., Gandara, P. & Benavidez L. M. (2005). Promoting academic literacy among secondary English language learners: A synthesis of research and practice. Davis, CA: UC Davis School of Education.

Topics Covered: Best Teaching Practices / Professional Development;

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

Target Population: middle and high school

Research Questions the Report Poses: What policy steps should occur in California to improve the education of secondary English Language Learners?

Summary: Provides an overview of issues related to teaching English language learners (ELL), and recommendations for California policy including: challenges secondary ELL students face; needs and limitations of teachers and schools in CA; and best practices cited by researchers and practitioners. The report largely summarizes three days of panel presentations and discussions by ELL experts convened in 2005.

Findings:
A number of themes emerged from the panel discussants including:

• the need for identifying ELL students better; inadequate existing programs for ELL secondary students;
• the need for more teachers and administrators who are knowledgeable about the needs of secondary ELL students; and
• the importance of advocacy and staying on-message to improve ELL education.

Policy Recommendations:
The report adopts five policy steps that should occur including:

• Convene a panel of experts;
• Promote pilot programs;
• Develop an effective ELL assessment system;
• Establish a committee in the CA legislature to recruit and retain highly skilled ELL teachers and administrators; and
• Organize a summit to bring attention and focus to the need for improved ELL secondary education.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
NA

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

Similar English Learner Students, Different Results: Why Do Some Schools Do Better?

by EdSource, Stanford University, American Institutes for Research, WestEd

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.

Topics Covered: Best Teaching Practices / Professional Development;

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?"

Summary:

A major new analysis of California elementary school performance has identified four educational practices associated with higher performance among elementary English Learner (EL) students. According to the study released in May at the Education Writers Association annual meeting in Los Angeles, schools that engage in all four practices have, on average, the highest academic achievement among English Learner students.

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

So Many Schools, So Few Options: How Mayor Bloomberg's Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners

by The New York Immigration Coalition and Advocates for Children of New York

The New York Immigration Coalition and Advocates for Children of New York. (2006, November). So Many Schools, So Few Options: How Mayor Bloomberg's Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners. New York, NY: The New York Immigration Coalition and Advocates for Children of New York.

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy;

Tags: Curriculum; Latino ELL Students; Placement; Rights, Students;

Target Population: High school

Research Questions the Report Poses: To what extent, if any, have ELLs actually been included in New York City's small high schools reform initiative?

Summary: Although ELLs make up about 11.4% of the New York City high school population, in 2005-2006, 93 of 183 schools examined in this report had less than 5% of ELLs in their student body. This means that more than half of the high schools in the city had a very small ELL population. A policy that the NYC Department of Education has in place is to "allow small schools to exclude ELLs in [their] first two years of operation" (p. 7). Failure to follow required accommodation laws is also keeping ELLs out of many NYC high schools. In the borough of Queens, which has the most ELL students, only 7% of new high schools were built. Overall, the new plan toward having smaller schools in New York City is keeping ELLs from getting equal access to quality instruction because resources for ELL instruction are not prevalent.

Findings:

• As a result of the new schools program, ELL students are largely sequestered to a few schools with high percentages of ELLs while many other schools offer very little, if any, instruction or resources for ELLs.
• Because new schools are not being built in areas where ELLs are highly concentrated, ELLs are being kept from new schools.
• Most schools classified as small by this report (about 500 students) fail to provide adequate resources for ELL instruction.
• Because small schools are inadequately prepared to instruct ELLs, these students are forced to go to large, failing schools, which are the type of schools that the new schools plan was supposed to cut down on.

Policy Recommendations:

• Increase ELLs' access to small schools by building more small schools in areas where ELLs most commonly reside.
• Improve the high school admissions process so that ELLs are not excluded or kept out of small schools because of their ELL status.

• Link to Full Report

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Advocates for Children of New York
151 West 30th Street — 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
E-Mail: info@advocatesforchildren.org
Phone: (212)-947-9779
Fax: (212)-947-9790