ELL Strategies for Administrators

And Justice for ELs is a resource every school leader must read right away — for that matter, keep within arm’s reach because you’re certain to refer to it constantly. Dr. Ayanna Cooper, a former U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist, has “been there, done that” and is now prepared to share with you how best to translate today’s federal mandates into actionable steps for ensuring the civil rights of our nation’s multilingual learners.

Gottlieb and Nguyen have created an excellent guide to developing a comprehensive assessment framework that can be used across a wide variety of language education programs. They begin by describing how they developed what they refer to as the Balanced Assessment and Accountability System, Inclusive and Comprehensive (BASIC) and successfully implemented it in a large suburban school district in Illinois.

With the EL population increasing every day, schools need proven systems for ensuring that the students of the future are able to thrive. In practice, this is a challenge for educational leaders. The most promising solution is the collaborative approach pioneered by this book's authors ― America’s leading authorities on collaboration and co-teaching for EL achievement. Honigsfeld and Dove's resources for collaboration and co-teaching include

More than a decade of implementation has generated new insights into what exemplary teacher collaboration looks like, which essential frameworks must be established, and how integrated approaches to ELD services benefit all stakeholders. Essentially a roadmap to the many different ways we can all work together, this second edition of Collaborating for English Learners features: 

Product description: Organized around a series of "Critical Questions" and "Leadership Challenges," this book offers knowledge and expertise about the elementary principal's leadership role in: effective instructional strategies; student assessment; school climate; parent involvement; and other ways to improve the academic achievement of English Language learners.

Written in a user-friendly question and answer format, this outstanding guide compiles a number of questions and concerns from administrators around the country and provides concise answers written by more than 50 leading ELL experts and researchers. Major themes include policy and accountability requirements, the school-community connection, language acquisition, program development and implementation, assessment, and advocacy. Strongly recommended for pre-service study groups, professional development activities, and professional learning communities.

School leaders know that the journey to equity can involve turmoil and controversy. This illuminating book demonstrates how in the most effective schools here and worldwide, equity is the most powerful means we have to lift all children to higher achievement.  The authors challenge the “zero sum” myth head-on, arguing that equity is truly the path to excellence – for low AND high-achieving students, and our educational system overall.

Dr. Wayne E. Wright offers a timely overview of the ELL field for educators and administrators that includes chapters about: ELL demographics; second-language theory; historical background; ELL policy at the federal, state, and local level; ELL assessment; language instruction; content-area instruction; primary language support; and technology in the classroom. Chapters tools such as guiding questions, activities, key terms, supporting documents, and exercises available on a companion website make this an essential resource for pre-service courses and professional development.

Betty J. Alford and Mary Catherine Niño present an informative guide that will provide administrators important insights on the structural and strategic changes needed to create an environment in which ELLs will succeed. Some of these approaches focus creating a culture of academic achievement for ELLs; others focus on building capacity and examining opportunities for school improvement while meeting the needs of ELLs. The authors provide detailed rubrics, tools, and lists of recommended resources/websites to supplement the content of each chapter.

Product Description: As a group, Black and Latino boys face persistent and devastating disparities in achievement when compared to their White counterparts. Schooling for Resilience investigates how seven newly formed schools, created specifically to serve boys of color, set out to address the broad array of academic and social problems faced by Black and Latino boys.

In this helpful guide, Professor Sonia Soltero of DuPaul University takes a fresh look at the schoolwide factors that influence ELL achievement and offers suggestions on how to orient the entire school community towards ELL success. She includes a timely discussion of language learning myths, the role of public opinion on ELL programming, and the socioeconomic realities that can affect students and parents alike, as well as classroom ideas and recommendations for leadership and advocacy.

If your school is faced with a disproportionate rate of suspensions, gifted program enrollment, or special education referrals for students of color, this book shows how school leaders how to uncover the root causes and rally staff to face the challenge head on. Readers will:

Learn how to help ELLs thrive in the classroom and school community from veteran educator Farin A. Houk. Written in a style that is thoughtful, compassionate, and easy to read, Houk offers numerous examples and specific strategies to assist school leaders (at the classroom, department, and administrative levels) develop a schoolwide plan for addressing ELLs' needs, allocating resources on behalf of ELLs, providing effective instruction, and becoming advocates at the district and local level.

This second edition of this popular book supports educators to design and enact policies, practices, and structures for multilingual learners (MLs) to feel a sense of safety, belonging, value, and competence.

Topics explored in the book include: