Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Investigating Vocabulary And Reading Strategies With Middle Grades English Language Learners: A Research Synthesis, Brooke Kandel-Cisco, Yolanda Padrón

Brooke Kandel-Cisco

Recent data indicate that many adolescent English language learners (ELLs) comprehend English texts at only a limited literal level. The purpose of this research synthesis was to systematically identify and describe the research related to the English reading comprehension of middle grades ELLs while also making practical connections to instruction. Parameters were established to determine whether the collected research studies met the purpose of the synthesis and the standards for quality research, using the guiding principles for scientific research set forth in the National Research Council’s Scientific Research in Education. Three themes emerged across the 11 identified studies: (a) the …

Are Teacher Education Programs Failing The Nation’S Urban Schools? A Closer Look At Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Working With Inner-City Students, Servet Celik

Servet Celik

To address the issue of pre-service teachers being under-prepared for work in multicultural and impoverished environments in America’s urban schools, teacher education programs have taken steps to improve diversity-oriented curricula and provide relevant fieldwork experience. However, research indicates that a large proportion of teacher candidates still do not have the necessary skills to deal with students from divergent upbringings. This interpretive study investigated the beliefs of pre-service teachers about urban students and how well their teacher education programs are addressing the issues of working in inner-city schools. The results revealed that, although some progress has been made, a significant gap …

Nanny Of The Maroons And The Mythology Of [My]Self, Marva S. Mcclean Dr.

Marva S McClean Dr.

This paper examines the central role Nanny of the Maroon plays within the West Indian ideology of resistance & empowerment.

Meeting The Need For K-8 Teachers For Classrooms With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students: The Promise And Challenge Of Early Field Experiences, Amy Strage, Susan Gomez, Kari Knutson-Miller, Ana Garcia-Nevarez

Amy Strage

The writers present the findings of their study focused on teacher learning through early fieldwork experiences to address the problem of teachers working with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Data were analyzed from an archive collected from approximately 500 students enrolled in six undergraduate child development courses at three state university campuses located in urban areas of California. Findings suggest that early field experiences provide participants with opportunities for career goal clarification, and the context of field experience is significant and may lead to outcomes beyond the initial goal of the experience.

The La Aurora: New Beginnings Project Final Evaluation Summary, Steven Rogg

Steven R Rogg

Citation: Rogg, S. (November, 2007). The La Aurora: New Beginnings Project – Final Evaluation Summary. U.S. Department of Education. Office of English Language Acquisition. Bilingual Education Professional Development Career Ladder Program (CFDA #84.195E, grant #T195E010024). Submitted to: Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois.

Background: A discretionary grant of $1.1M from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Language Acquisition was awarded to Aurora University to execute a five-year Career Ladder Program with a start date of 1-September, 2001 and completion date of 31-August, 2006.1 The stated intent of the Career Ladder Program is summarized here: “The program provided discretionary grants to upgrade …

Language & Leadership: Exploring The Relationship Between Critical Theories And The Hegemonic Construction Of Student Achievement, Marva S. Mcclean Dr.

Marva S McClean Dr.

This paper applies the principles of critical literacy and critical discourse analysis to interrogate the relationship between student achievement and hegemonic discourses within the field of education. This paper offers a set of practical recommendations on how educators can apply critical discourse analysis to arrive at more adequate solutions to the vexing problem of the achievement gap.