A growing number of students in U.S. classrooms have spent more than five years in U.S. schools but have not yet attained fluency in English. These students account for 30 percent to 70 percent of English learners, and most have been in U.S. schools since kindergarten. Through research and their own experiences, Jana Echevarria, Nancy Frey, and…

In terms of teacher quality, Steele believes the best teachers have reached a stage she terms inspired, and that teachers move progressively through the stages of unaware, aware, and capable until the most reflective teachers finally reach the inspired level. Inspired teachers have a wide repertoire of teaching and class management techniques and…