This document was created as a resource for educators and policymakers regarding English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools, providing a synthesis of the research on teaching and learning to read in English as it relates to students in U.S. public schools who speak little or no English. Focusing attention on children of primary acquisition age, this research summary addresses the following questions: (1) What are the prerequisites that children need to meet in order to become proficient readers in English as a Second Language? (2) If ELLs are experiencing difficulties reading English, is it a language problem or a reading problem? and (3) What are the school, program, and classroom characteristics that support the reading development of ELLs? This report contains three chapters and three appendices. Chapter 1 discusses the theories and different aspects of the language acquisition processes. Chapter 2 examines the primary challenges ELLs face in learning to read English and the skills they must develop to succeed. Chapter 3 summarizes the research on the effectiveness of various program models for the education of ELLs. (Contains 236 references.) (KFT)