List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Why This Book? 2. The Role of the Home Language 3. Literacy Instruction in a Second Language 4. Promoting English Oral Language Development 5. Academic Instruction in a Second Language 6. School and District Role: Focus and Coherence 7. Social, Cultural, and Family Influences 8. The Research Goes to School 9. Conclusion: What's Next? Glossary Index
The growing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in our schools pose increasing challenges and opportunities for U.S. educators and policy makers. A generation or two ago, the achievement of children who came to school knowing little or no English was not a prominent national issue. Today it is. This comprehensive resource explores the research on promoting academic success among ELLs. It provides educators with a firm basis for making decisions related to adopting or developing effective policies and programmes for ELLs. Promoting Academic Achievement Among English Learners provides illustrative scenarios throughout to accompany research-based discussions about: - What we know about using ELLs' home language in their academic programme and findings about bilingual education - ELLs learning to speak English and simultaneously learning academic content, a vital aspect of their educational agenda - School- and district-level factors that affect ELLs' achievement - Sociocultural factors, including the influence of parents and families - A broad framework for improving the academic achievement of students who come to school not speaking English well or not speaking English at all.
Claude Goldenberg, a native of Argentina, is Professor of Education at Stanford University. He received his AB from Princeton University and PhD from UCLA's Graduate School of Education. Goldenberg has taught junior high school in San Antonio, TX, and first grade in a bilingual elementary school in the Lennox School District near Los Angeles. Goldenberg was a National Academy of Education Spencer Fellow and a recipient (with Ronald Gallimore) of the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association. He was on the Committee for the Prevention of Early Reading Difficulties in Young Children (National Research Council) and the National Literacy Panel (NIH and U.S. Department of Education), which synthesized research on literacy development among language-minority children and youth. He is author of Successful School Change: Creating Settings to Improve Teaching and Learning (Teachers College, 2004). His research focuses on improving achievement for language minority students, particularly those from Latino backgrounds. Rhoda Coleman is Senior Research Fellow and Professional Development Specialist at the Center for Language Minority Education and Research at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). She received her BA and EdD from University of Southern California, has a master's in Reading and Reading Specialist Credential from Loyola Marymount University, and a master's in Administration from California State University, Los Angeles. Coleman taught elementary school in grades 1 through 6 for 29 years in the Lennox School District near Los Angeles where she taught EL students transitioning into English. She was then a Language Arts consultant for Los Angeles County Office of Education providing K-12 professional development to school districts throughout California and writing and producing over 25 teacher-training videos. She currently teaches in the teacher credential program at CSULB. Coleman was a California Teacher of the Year, recipient of the Milken National Educator Award, and California Social Studies Teacher of the Year.