High Schools Accelerating Learning for English Language Learners: An Inquiry Into Seven Communities Learning Language Through Content

• In Event: Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: Trends in Second Language and Content Learning in Multilingual Settings

Abstract

In 2014-15, our team conducted a case study of seven high schools with the aim of identifying and understanding ways school leaders and staff design and accelerate academic success for ELLs in the context of new standards. Results from our analysis suggested a set of four common themes: leaders exhibited a defined vision and theory of action, schools partnered with community organizations and deliberately focused on integrating language development through content to improve instruction and extend ELL experiences, and schools leveraged students’ cultural and linguistic capital. The findings from this study provide insight into how a set of schools tailor their resources and design learning programs to meet the diverse needs of the ELL populations at their sites.

Authors

• Tina Cheuk, Stanford University

• Diana Gabriela Mercado-Garcia, Stanford University