In this essay, the authors explore the dilemmas facing researchers, educators, and policymakers in how to refer to multilingual students who are deemed in need of language support in school. There is a growing concern with the label "English learner," the term currently used in U.S. federal legislation, as focusing exclusively on…

This critical literature review employs a novel combination of theoretical perspectives to examine the ways teachers navigate restrictive language policy. Specifically, we examine the documented effects of California's Proposition 227 on pre-service and in-service teachers' language ideologies and classroom practices. In our investigation, we…

Education actors in the United States are increasingly promoting language skills development of our students. The Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) has grown into a popular initiative to promote biliteracy and recognize students who demonstrate skills in English and another language. However, the language used to promote biliteracy and the criteria put in…

This multi-year, ethnographic, qualitative case study in English Language Learning classrooms contributes a unique analysis of nine adolescent newcomer students' investment in a digital multimodal composing (DMC) project as a social drama. Using reflexive thematic analysis, it explores the following possibilities afforded by in-school,…

This study investigates trajectories of L2 development in writing in two genres over multiple time points in a semester-long ESL writing program. Conceptually replicating previous studies on genre and development, we analyzed 270 argumentative and narrative essays written by 45 ESL students to find developmental and genre differences, using…

We present findings across three randomized trials of "Descubriendo la Lectura" (DLL), an intervention designed to improve literacy skills of Spanish-speaking first graders struggling with reading. DLL is a one-to-one Spanish-language literacy program lasting 12-20 weeks offered to a school's lowest performing emerging bilingual first…

Purpose: Immigrant-origin English learners (ELs) are the fastest-growing population in US schools. Most EL research examines the college-going outcomes of this population by focusing on those who are EL-identified in high school; here, we capture both current and former EL-identified students, or "ever-ELs." A subset of bilingual,…

There is a significant amount of research literature on the importance of identifying and building on students' experiences and ideas for making sense of the natural world, especially when engaging in science practices. Simultaneously, approaches to creating justice-oriented science education promote the need to focus on the diverse sense-making…

Prior research documented disproportional representation across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines within the population of students identified as gifted and talented (GT). Less research has focused on what predicts improved representation for English learners (ELs) or students with disabilities (SwDs), or how state GT policies facilitate…

In the current study, investigators examined the effects of an instructional reading package consisting of shared reading and systematic instruction (e.g., task analysis, system of least prompts, visual supports, and native language support) in a small group setting on percentage of correct consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words for three…

It has been well established that for all students, but particularly second language (L2) English speaking students, academic English speaking skills are key to developing specialist terminology and disciplinary content in an English as a medium of instruction (EMI) context. However, what is less clear in many contexts is the institutional…

Bilinguals often outperform monolinguals at apprehending the perspectives of others--an apparent consequence of their experiences moving across linguistic and sociocultural contexts. Whether English learners' (ELs') use of such skill in academic writing may be affected by literacy curriculum is the focus of this study. The study explored students'…

Using state-level data, we report special education (SPED) trends in Tennessee from 2009 to 2019 for students in Grades 3 to 8 by language groups--native English speaker (NES), English-proficient bilingual (EPB), and current English learner (Current EL)--and income status (eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch). The sample included 812,783…

This article outlines the development and validation of the "Mathematics Education of English Learners Scale" (MEELS) to understand mathematics preservice teachers' beliefs about teaching mathematics to English learners (ELs). Nine hundred and twenty-five PSTs from 17 states across the U.S. were divided randomly into two samples for the…

Emergent bilingual 1 (EB) students are students who are not proficient in English and who must be provided the option of either a bilingual or an ESL program. EBs who are in the district's two main bilingual programs (transitional and dual language) are instructed in both English and Spanish. The relative amount of instruction in each language…