Speaking Up for Justice: How ESOL Teachers Advocate for English Language Learners

• In Event: 46.085 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 46.085-12 - Toward Language Justice in the Classroom

Abstract

English language learners (ELLs) are often marginalized in school settings and English as a second language (ESOL) teachers are at the forefront of how ELLs experience schooling and their access to equitable education and resources. In this paper, how ESOL teachers advocate for educational justice for ELLs and their families with various potential co-advocates is considered. In addition, the motivation for ESOL teachers' advocacy work, including professional responsibility and a desire to protect ELLs, is explored. By focusing on the particular ways ESOL teachers advocate and their reasons for doing so, we can begin to understand how all teachers can promote justice for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Author

• Heather Linville, University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse