Examining the Reading Comprehension Development of Multilingual Youth in Traditional and New Immigrant Destination U.S. States: AERA Sessions, 12:33 PM

• In Event: e-Lightening Ed-Talk Session 12

Abstract

"The field has assumed that decades of research conducted with multilingual learners (MLLs) in traditional immigrant destination (TID) states (e.g., California, New York, Texas, Florida) can inform instruction and policy in other U.S. regions where demographic data suggests that MLL populations are increasingly attending schools (e.g., Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, etc.) (Portes & Salas, 2015). Arguably, studies are needed that consider the conditions in which MLL students in these ‘new immigrant destination’ (NID) states currently learn and live, conditions which differ in important ways from the social, demographic, economic, political, and educational circumstances shaping the literacy learning experiences of MLLs in other regions.

Research Questions:
To address this gap, we ask: Do the reading comprehension performances of MLLs within new NID states differ from those in TID states from 2013 to 2019?

Findings:
We find that 4th grade students designated as former English learners, on average, demonstrate reading performances that are significantly higher than peers never designated as English Learners (see also Kieffer & Thompson, 2019). However, our examination of these patterns within NID states suggest that, on average, students designated as former English learners (FELS) evidence reading performances that are significantly lower than FEL-designated students in TID states. Results hold across the 8th grade cohort. We are examining whether these differences are associated with school and teacher characteristics or state-level policies. Our findings illustrate how aspects of the instructional experience of former English learners may limit the long-term literacy success of these multilingual youth in NID states.
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Authors

• Emily Phillips Galloway, Vanderbilt University

• Diana C. Quintero Castellanos, Vanderbilt University

• Samuel Keillor, Northwestern University