Arizona's Teachers on Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners: From Language Pedagogies to Parents and Problems

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Students: The Significance of Relationships, Behaviors, Language, and Abilities for Student Learning

Abstract

Arizona is one of six states leading the nation in ELL student enrollments and one of six states (Alaska, California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania) requiring all teachers, including mainstream teachers, to complete coursework in methods for teaching ELLs. This requirement has significantly impacted teacher preparation programs and licensure. As such, there is a growing need to evaluate ELL teacher readiness. Specifically, insights on how well teachers are prepared to meet the needs of ELL students are timely and warranted. In this proposal, we report results from 281 participants who contributed to the open-ended questionnaire of a larger statewide study (n=432) of Arizona in-service teachers. We conclude with emergent themes geared to inform policy, pre-service teacher education, and in-service teacher-development efforts.

Authors

• Irina S. Okhremtchouk, Arizona State University

• Taucia Gonzalez, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Rachel M Manak, Arizona State University