A Decade After Arizona Structured English Immersion (SEI): Teachers' Perspectives on the Implementation of SEI and Alternative Approaches

• In Event: 66.058 - Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 66.058-11 - Promises and Perils of Alternative Education Policies and Bilingual Education Programs

Abstract

It has been a decade since Arizona’s ELL Task Force developed an explicit Structured English Immersion (SEI) 4-hour block. To build on prior work that documented the opportunities and constraints of SEI, we sought to examine teachers’ perspectives of opportunities, obstacles, and necessary changes presented by the SEI program model after a decade of implementation. Using data compiled by the Arizona Latino Advisory Committee’s ELL Summit, we explored themes that emerged in teachers’ responses. Themes for the following categories were identified: (1) Curriculum, Content, and Pedagogy; (2) Teacher Considerations; (3) Student Considerations; (4) Data and Documentation; and (5) Professional Development and Training. We discuss the themes against the extant literature and provide policy recommendations that detail teachers’ needs.

Authors

• Angela Cruze, University of Arizona

• Hortensia "Meg" Cota, Mission View Elementary

• Francesca Lopez, The University of Arizona