Effective English Language Teachers
Patricia Hanson shares practical tips for classroom success
I recently observed a colleague teaching ratios in a middle school math class with several English learners (ELs). He naturally weaved in a conversation teaching the meaning...
Dual Language Italian Style
Ross Nelhams explores the benefits and challenges of teaching a class of Italian first graders in English, and asks what we can learn from themIn countries as varied as Canada, Brazil and Spain, the...
Informing Instruction for English Learners
A fresh start. A clean slate. The beginning of a new school year can be brimming with possibilities and excitement around the growth potential that has yet to be tapped for your students. It is...
Early Literacy Especially Important for ELLs
A new study from Oregon State University (OSU) shows that English learners are more likely to become proficient English speakers if they enter kindergarten with a strong initial grasp of academic language literacy, either in...
Smarter Balanced Making the Grade
Rachel Kachchaf explains how the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is helping to improve outcomes for English language learnersWhat improvements/provisions do the latest versions of Smarter Balanced have for ELLs?The Smarter Balanced suite of...
Report Challenges California’s System to Identify English Learner Needs
Study of local plans identifies key improvements to fix the system
Californians Together is releasing a new report today entitled Masking the Focus on English Learners which questions the efficacy of California’s accountability system in...
Shared Book Reading Benefits ELL Language Skills
Shared book reading—the process of reading alongside children and engaging them by pointing to pictures, discussing word meanings, and going over the book’s plot—has shown promise in boosting language growth for English Language Learners...
Report Claims Most US Teachers Not Trained to Create Readers
According to a report by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a Washington-based think tank funded by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, which received funding from the Bush administration to support No...
English Learners Succeeding
A new study finds that scores from students who speak a language other than English at home have improved dramatically over the last 15 years. Students who speak a language other than English at home...
U.S. Judge Denies Right to Literacy
In Detroit last month, U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy III asserted that, despite its importance, the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a fundamental right to literacy.The plaintiffs (students and families), who accuse Michigan Governor Rick...