Teaching literacy skills that require critical reading and linguistic output can feel like an insurmountable challenge when presented with students of varying language proficiencies. One valuable but often unused tool to surmount these challenges is wordless picture books (WPBs). WPBs can be used to develop literacy skills more equitably among…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to analyze the effect of a literacy program on general music students in the fourth grade within an urban public school district in Northeastern Illinois. Two fourth grade classes, instructed by two different licensed music teachers, received the treatment program of one Lyrics2Learn…

Despite the growing number of English learners in the United States, teachers continue to report that they do not feel well prepared to support English learners. It is critical to offer quality professional development accessible for all teachers and to engage teachers in exploring teaching applications involving English learners. In this study,…

Continuous professional development (PD) fuels teacher growth, fostering engaging classrooms and brighter futures for students. This Spotlight will help readers investigate the ins and outs of effective PD; uncover the types of PD that teachers want; learn how PD can help teachers better support English learners; evaluate the debate around hybrid…

Locally and nationally, English Learners (ELs) struggle to achieve parity with their monolingual peers in reading. In addition to second language-related considerations, ELs' efforts to succeed in reading may be thwarted by poverty, trauma, interrupted education, barriers to effective instruction and parental engagement, limited parental…

This study examined the effect of comprehension strategy instruction on third-grade English Learners' word-problem-solving performance. The supplemental intervention included modeling how to read the word problem to identify and restate the question, distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information, and collaborating with peers on applying the…

Social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives can have a positive effect on students' emotions and well-being. However, SEL in ESOL classrooms remains underexplored. This article reports on a qualitative study which investigated ESOL learners' perceptions of the effectiveness of SEL strategies in terms of their emotions and well-being. The study…

Extensive reading (ER) provides young English language learners (YELLs) many benefits, including the sustainable development of writing (e.g., the reading-writing relationship). However, this area is underresearched. To address this, this quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of ER on YELLs' second language writing achievement using an…

The Adult Tutoring Program within the Literacy Center of West Michigan has been running monthly professional developments (PDs) (known as tutor in-services) for volunteer tutors since early 2021. All in-services fit into at least one of the categories of strategies, life skills, civics, next steps, or digital literacy. The team has been able to…

Background/Context: Observational studies often employ regression discontinuity (RD) designs and multiple control-group designs to explore the causal quantities of interest. RD designs assess policy and program effectiveness by assigning subjects to treatment based on whether they exceed a pre-defined cutoff. RD designs are classified into two…

This paper provides an examination of the foundations, efficacy, and effectiveness of a set of practices associated with improved social studies and history learning and literacy outcomes for middle grade students, including students with varying learning needs (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities). This approach, Promoting…

This phenomenological study explored elementary educators' identified needs for effective professional development, focused on the instruction and assessment of English Learners (EL) in schools with low EL incidence. Addressing teacher preparation through effective professional development was guided by Bruner's (1960) constructivist theory and…

Speaking skills, being an essential part of effective communication, are significant for English as a foreign language (EFL) student in today's globalized world, and collaborative learning, being heterogeneous, assists them with more possibilities for enhancing and practicing the skills through a supportive environment, constructive feedback, and…

At all educational levels, the number of English learners continues to increase; their academic and linguistic success are growing concerns. The problem is that middle school English learners struggle to reach English proficiency in literacy and language. Closing the achievement gap is a challenge for both English learners and middle school…

This research article examines the accuracy of using Google Translate as a means to offer native language, e-mail communication between teachers and parents of Latino English Language Learners (ELLs). To this end, an elementary teacher's e-mail message was translated by Google Translate and certified translators and then evaluated and compared…