One of today's most misunderstood issues in education throughout the world, and particularly in the United States, is how to educate students who speak languages other than English. In the United States, these students are most often referred to as English language learners (ELLs) by educators or as Limited English proficient students (LEPs) by…

It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

Districts and schools across the country are looking for ways to adequately meet the needs of newcomers, many of whom are not proficient in English when they arrive in the United States. In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey reports that nearly 4 million, or 8 percent, of the nation's K-12…

This report is a synthesis of research, challenges, and best practices in the education of secondary English Learners (ELs). It incorporates a summary of three days of presentations and discussions by key national experts in the spring of 2005, observations and findings from our own research, and key issues from the research literature. The report…

In our previous "At Last" essay, "The "Problem" of English Learners: Constructing Genres of Difference" (Gutierrez & Orellana, 2006), we identified a predictable genre that characterizes much research on English Learners. We noted how the genre may unwittingly perpetuate deficit constructions and keep us from identifying other issues for…

For more than a decade, the authors have been involved in research with students for whom English is not the home language, learning what children can do across a range of practices and contexts, and trying to understand better the various pathways and contextual supports that promote their literacy learning. In this work the authors have…

Teachers in traditional bilingual settings confront strict program requirements under the guise of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), excessive assessment demands (state, district and program assessments in both English and Spanish), and negative attitudes about bilingual education from many in the political and public spheres. Since 1998, the passage…

This paper examines the amount and type of resources that linguistic minority students--those students who come from households where a language other than English is spoken--need to meet the same challenging standards and to have the opportunity to achieve the same educational outcomes as other students. In this paper we first describe the nature…

Discusses ways to help nonnative speakers of English understand better in the classroom: (1) use a multisensory approach; (2) provide outlines or notes; (3) assign related readings in advance; (4) paraphrase and limit vocabulary; (5) avoid complex grammatical constructions; (6) slow down; (7) remember that abilities vary; and (8) encourage…

Rebuts the monolithic view of language in which languages are discrete entities which clash in bilingual communities by suggesting that immigrant communities tend to develop mixed vernaculars in which children may well achieve fluency in the language of the larger society. Circumstances under which such fluency does not develop are identified.…

Limited-English-proficient students improve their English and acquire occupational skills at the Language Institute of the University of Texas at Brownsville. The program serves students on both sides of the United States-Mexico border and provides flexibility in meeting the needs of students as well as businesses seeking multilingual workers.…

NCLB is leaving English language learners behind because it defies logic and common sense, is internally self-contradictory, and sets AYP expectations that the subgroup cannot possibly attain. Although the U.S. Department of Education allows states to use a variety of strategies to avoid having a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) subgroup, few…

Spotlights the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA), an information resource center that collects, analyzes, synthesizes, and disseminates information about language instruction educational programs and related programs for limited-English-proficient students. (Author/VWL)

Explains how the read-the-label English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) initiative and other health-related ESL programs can safeguard the health and well-being of people with limited proficiency in English. (Author/VWL)

One of the best ways to understand what it is like to be an English-language learner in a U.S. classroom is to hear the stories of immigrant students. In this article, the authors use these stories to determine what steps teachers can take to help their students triumph over their struggles with a new culture and a new language. This article…