Search

This article presents an integrated systematic review of scholarship related to preparing preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach multilingual learners in U.S. schools. We drew from cultural-historical activity theory to investigate how teacher educators who focus on preparing PSTs to work with multilingual students attended to the linguistically responsive teaching (LRT) framework. We identified three distinct activity systems, each linked to specific LRT dimensions. The ways in which the components of each activity system integrated LRT have implications for both theory and practice. Specifically, our findings highlight the need for program-wide coherence in teacher preparation and for comparative analysis examining teacher education across diverse policy contexts. Keywords bilingual/English language learners, meta-analysis, preservice teacher education, teacher education preparation, In an era marked by demographic change, the education of bi/multilingual students identified as English learners (ELs) is a critical issue for schools across the United States (Lucas & Villegas, [...]

While few would disagree that a key component of educating teachers to teach happens on the job, research rarely explores the schoolhouse as a site for teacher education. This study thus focuses on inservice as distinct from preservice teacher education and explores how beginning teachers' learning about mathematics and literacy instruction was supported within 24 elementary schools in two midwestern school districts. A mixed methodology was used in this exploratory study, including social network and interview data analysis, to examine beginning teachers' advice- and information-seeking behaviors related to mathematics and literacy. Findings revealed that formal organizational structures inside schools were critical for shaping beginning teachers' opportunities to learn about instruction, including grade level teams and formal leadership positions. Keywords teacher learning, elementary teacher education, mixed methods, social network analysis, Teacher education in the United States is mostly associated with universities and other credentialing bodies that offer teacher certification programs. That seems sensible enough as these institutions specialize in the [...]

The back and forth migration of children and youth between the United States and Mexico has created a unique group of approximately nine million "students we share" who have been educated in both countries (Jensen and Sawyer 2013). The social, political, and economic interconnectivity of the United States and Mexico suggests that these trends are likely to continue, making the education of transnationally mobile students, or those students who have formative schooling experiences in both countries, a topic in critical need of research. This article presents findings from a systematic literature review and describes how sociopolitical, sociocultural, sociolinguistic, and socioemotional factors influence transnationally mobile students' educational experiences. We assert that future research on transnational education within the US-Mexico nexus and beyond should attend to the interconnectedness of these dimensions, rather than viewing them in isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the unique contributions that bilingual and bilingually credentialed teachers make to the instruction of emergent bilinguals in the United States. This mixed methodological study involved 474 teachers in Arizona, California, and Texas, which represent distinct language policy contexts. Results revealed that, irrespective of context, teachers' bilingualism and bilingual certification significantly predicted their reported use of practices that build on students' primary language as well as their prior knowledge and experiences. Given declining numbers of teachers completing bilingual credentials in English-only states, findings suggest that English-only policies are diminishing the supply of teachers with the potential to improve emergent bilinguals' classroom experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newcomer young men confront numerous obstacles that limit their chances for attainment and achievement. Using social and cultural capital frameworks and a case study methodology, this article examines how four Latino newcomer young men navigated an urban U. S. high school. It reveals how teachers and a counselor cultivated capital and how the young men leveraged this capital, thus challenging traditional depictions of Latino immigrant adolescents and highlighting the importance of belonging for these youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a set of recommendations that promote a more nuanced, meaningful accountability policy for English learners in the next authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The authors argue that the ESEA reauthorization must strengthen the law’s capacity-building purpose so that federal, state, and local leaders support continued attention, direction, and innovation in effectively educating ELs. The recommendations put forth in this article focus on monitoring both current and former ELs, establishing time frames for the attainment of English language proficiency, and setting expectations for academic achievement that are reflective of English language proficiency level and time in the state’s school system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In response to the passage of a state English-only policy and a newly mandated instructional model for English learners that focuses on English acquisition, Arizona introduced training requirements for all of the state's educators related to English learners. This policy coincided with changes in the training Arizona teachers opted to pursue, where more teachers chose to complete state mandated training that focuses on English-only strategies rather than more extensive training in English as a second language or bilingual education. Using data from teacher surveys, this article examined the relationship between teachers' training and their self-reported instructional practices. Findings revealed that, in every instance, holding a teaching endorsement in English as a second language or bilingual education had a positive, significant relationship with teachers' reported use of effective instructional approaches for ELs, while holding the state mandated endorsement was never significantly related to teachers' practices. These trends are cause for concern, as they indicate that Arizona's teacher policy may be undermining teachers' capacity to work with English learners and limiting English learners' learning opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]