More than 50% of fourth graders in the United States are reading below a proficient level, with more than 75% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scoring lower than the U.S. average reading score. A framework of background knowledge is essential for vocabulary acquisition so the reader can comprehend the meaning of a text.…

The author uses a life-historical counter-storytelling approach to examine a Korean female pre-service teacher's experiences in a U.S. teacher preparation program. The participant encountered challenges due to her perceived language proficiency and communication and participation style in a U.S. higher educational context. Further, the author…

The United States has benefited from the talents, values, and contributions of newcomers to the country. In the face of immense barriers, many undocumented youth have exhibited exemplary perseverance, work ethic, and leadership. Yet hurdles and challenges remain. Many educators, counselors, and school leaders have expressed interest in learning…

Targeted specifically to K-2 classrooms, the 25 Response-to-Intervention (RTI) strategies in this book are research-based and perfect for teachers who want to expand their toolbox of classroom interventions that work! Contents include: (1) Listening Strategies--Help students focus and understand; (2) Reading Strategies--Help students comprehend…

In 1974, the United States Supreme Court ruled in "Lau v. Nichols" that 1,800 Chinese-speaking children in the San Francisco public schools were entitled to English-language instruction or other support to help them understand what was happening in their classrooms. Thirty-six years later, state and local responsibilities to public…

This report reviews achievement gaps in both reading and math between ELL and non-ELL students in Arizona over the post-Proposition 203 period 2005-2009 and during the first year of implementation of the 4 hour ELD block, 2008-09. The study finds that Arizona has made little to no progress in closing the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL…

Over the past decade, Americans have become increasingly concerned about the high numbers--and costs--of high school dropouts. The time is now to build a similar consensus around this less-recognized but equally urgent fact: The pool from which employers, colleges, and the military draw is too small, and still shrinking, because millions of…

The present study piloted a survey-based measure of Opportunity to Learn (OTL) and Academic Language Exposure (ALE) in fourth grade science classrooms that sought to distinguish teacher practices with ELL (English language learner) and non-ELL students. In the survey, participant teachers reported on their instructional practices and the context…

Results of research with 26 bilingual students (grades one through three) are discussed and said to corroborate insights of monolingual studies. Examples of writing are cited to illustrate the importance of writing as a socially grounded process. (CL)

Educational assessment and, more broadly, educational research in the United States have entered into an era characterized by a dramatic increase in the prevalence and importance of test score use in accountability systems. This volume covers a selection of contemporary issues about testing science and practice that impact the nation's public…

Instructional settings are developed for conceptual understanding of measurement for the fourth-grade students to engage limited English proficient (LEP) students in effectively communicating about mathematics. When naturally enticed to compare solutions, the students were motivated to explain their mathematical thinking and understand the…

A comparison of pragmatic criteria (such as nonfluencies, revisions, delays, and inappropriate shifts) and traditionally employed surface-oriented criteria (morphological and syntactic structures) with 10 bilingual children (six to eight years old) referred for special education evaluation revealed that pragmatic criteria were superior predictors…

A group of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers share tips on how to incorporate the latest ESL techniques into teaching strategies to reinforce what children are learning in ESL and to enrich school for all students. (MT)

Analyzes limited English proficiency (LEP) program costs in 15 representative California elementary schools. Personnel, classroom, resource, and administrative costs were analyzed for five program models (bilingual early exit, bilingual late exit, double immersion, English as a Second Language, and sheltered English). Across all models, the total…

A case study of a language confused, bilingual, educable mentally retarded child is presented to illustrate the array of factors involved in teaching limited English proficient exceptional children. A brief summary and list of recommendations by the psychologist note the child's social, economic, and cultural background. Pinpointed are the…