Education Commons^™

Deliberative Democracy In English-Language Education: Cultural And Linguistic Inclusion In The School Community, Tonda Liggett

Democracy and Education

One of the most notable aspects of democracy in schooling lies in the challenge of schools to prepare individuals with the skills to participate and deliberate with others who have varying beliefs and worldviews. Deliberation and dialogue are seen as core components for academic achievement and cross-cultural connections between English language learners (ELLs) and native English speakers. I analyze the notion of deliberative democracy in English language education as a way to promote a certain type of education that would foster ELL inclusion as well as expand the perspectives of native English speakers. I argue that this type of education …

Competing Discourses About Education And Accountability For Ells/Bilingual Learners: Dual Language Educators As Agents For Change, Rebecca Freeman Field

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This paper situates the contemporary debate about education and accountability for English language learners/bilingual learners within a sociocultural context and suggests ways that dual language educators and researchers can help move this debate forward. I begin with a brief review of competing discourses about bilingualism and education for diverse learners on the national level in the United States. The paper then provides an insider’s perspective on dual language education in three different contexts (Washington, D.C.; Schaumburg, Ill.; Philadelphia, Pa.) at different times (before and after NCLB was passed) to illustrate how these dual language educators hold themselves accountable for student …

Testing English Language Learners: Another Special Case Of Bias, Evangeline Harris Stefanakis

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Book Reviewed:

Menken, K. (2008). English learners left behind: Standardized testing as language policy.

Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters, LTD.

Transient Ells: A Teacher’S Inquiry Into Literacy Instruction, Dianne Maysonet

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This narrative describes my learning process in becoming a teacher-researcher as I worked with an ELL, Jayla, who experienced a transient lifestyle. As a member of a teacher-inquiry group, the Bilingual Teacher-Research Forum I collaborated with other bilingual and ESL teachers from schools in a large city in the northeastern part of the United States. I learned to systematically investigate my practice to identify instructional strategies that promoted ELL students’ literacy in English. My first inquiry was guided by one query: What instructional strategies may promote the language and literacy development of transient ELLs? In this article I describe how …

Letter To Nysabe Members And Friends, Nancy Villarreal De Adler

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Coaching Teachers Of English Language Learners, Alma D. Rodríguez, Michele H. Abrego, Renee Rubin

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The following qualitative study examined how Reading First Literacy Coaches refined their literacy coaching to meet the cultural and linguistic needs of Hispanic English language learners (ELLs) in 30 elementary schools located along the US Mexico Border. Data were gathered from the coaches through written surveys and a focus group. Findings from the coaches’ practices identified three themes: 1) Coaches understood bilingual programs and the theory underlying such instruction; 2) Coaches supported teachers of ELLs by sharing their knowledge and experiences about ELLs; and 3) Coaches faced challenges in meeting the needs of teachers of Hispanic ELLs. This study is …