LINGUISTIC MINORITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

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Please note that not all listed authors for each paper were present at the conference.

• Registration and Check-in

• Lunch

• Welcome and Opening Remarks (Russell Rumberger and/or Patricia Gandara)

• Keynote Address by Alan Bersin, California State Board of Education: "ELL / ALL: The Future is Not What it Used To Be"

ABSTRACT: The ideological conflict which raged for many years regarding how best to teach English as a Second Language has ended except at the margins where zealots reside. The shape of the new paradigm, however beyond immersion remains a work in process. It is here that future instructional methods are being crafted and progress requires that research inform every step of the way.

• Holly Yettick

The Impact of Restrictive Language Policies on Teachers and Classrooms: A Synthesis of Research on the Unz Initiatives

ABSTRACT: This paper is a synthesis of research on the “Unz initiatives” in California, Arizona and Massachusetts. These initiatives required most English learners to transition to mainstream classes after spending a single school year in a structured English immersion course. Ron Unz, the California millionaire who funded these initiatives, promised that these policies would help students learn English faster and achieve higher test scores. However, research studies have found no discernible impact on either student achievement or the rate at which English learners are re-designated fluent English proficient. Instead, studies associate the initiatives with a host of negative outcomes, including widespread confusion about how the initiatives are to be implemented, internal and interpersonal conflict among educators and inadequate preparation of teachers who employ immersion techniques

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• Rosann Tung, Center for Collaborative Education; Peter Kiang, Miren Uriarte and Nicole Lavan, University of Massachusetts; and Tatjana Meschede, Brandeis University

Demographic Profile, Engagement, and Academic Performance of English Language Learners in Boston Public Schools AY 2003-2006: Preliminary Findings

ABSTRACT: This paper uses four years of student data to describe the demographics and outcomes of English language learners in Boston Public Schools before and after the passage of Question 2. Proportions of students designated as LEP declined, enrollment of LEP students in ELL programs declined, and outcomes for ELL students, such as grade level retentions, annual drop-out rates, and MCAS pass rates, all suffered. In addition, the proportion of ELL students designated with severe special needs requiring separate placement increased. The fact that indicators related to individual behavior (attendance and suspensions) remained steady and better than regular education students, while academic outcomes declined and the gap between ELL and regular education students grew, suggests that problems in implementation of Question 2 were systemic in nature. The paper concludes with implications for policy, including the need for more accurate identification and assessment of English language learners, communication of information to families about the ELL programs to which they have a right, creating a qualified teaching force, and returning to a menu of ELL program options, including transitional bilingual education and two-way immersion programs

 

• Miren Uriarte and Nicole Lavan, University of Massachusetts

Lost Children of Unz: Characteristics Program Participation and MCAS Outcomes of Latino Dropouts from Programs for English Language Learners and Regular Learners in the Boston Public Schools

ABSTRACT: In November 2002 Massachusetts voters approved comprehensive bilingual education reform – Referendum Question 2 – which abolished transitional bilingual education (TBE) and replaced it with Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) programs starting in the fall of 2003. One of the concerns was the potential impact of the change on the drop-out rate of English Language Learners (ELLs), most of whom where Latino, a group already exhibiting very high rates of school leaving. This study uses four years (AY 2003-AY 2006) of student level data from the Boston Public Schools to understand how Question 2 impacted dropout patterns of Latino students. After the implementation of SEI: (1) the number of Latino dropouts and drop-out rate increased; (2) dropping out in middle school became more prevalent and (3) the drop-out rate for Latino students in ELL programs increased considerably. Although Massachusetts has a high stakes testing environment which is suspected to increase the drop-out rate generally, this was a constant throughout the period of observation of this study.

 

• Maria Teresa Sanchez, Education Development Center, Inc. and Ester J. deJong, University of Florida

Educational Opportunities after Question 2: A Teacher's Report

ABSTRACT: This presentation examines the impact that Massachusetts Question 2 has had on sustaining equal educational opportunities for English language Learners (ELLs) in the classroom. Our research approached the question of policy “impact” from the perspective of teachers’ sense-making rather than achievement on formal tests. Analyses of responses of 41 Sheltered English immersion (SEI) and bilingual education teachers illustrate the complex ways that Question 2 has restricted as well as expanded learning opportunities for ELLs. In addition, they underscore the dynamic interaction between the law, district policy, teacher beliefs and student characteristics. Our findings stress the importance of moving away from a dichotomous interpretation of “impact” as either positive or negative and caution against generalized statements about policy impact and raise the question of intended target group, that is, “impact on whom.”

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• Celine Coggins and Jill Norton, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

The Implementation of Immersion Policy: Case Studies from Massachusetts

ABSTRACT: The education of English Language Learners (ELLs) is a challenge for teachers as well as for policy makers. While ELL students comprise a growing proportion of Massachusetts’ school-aged population, their achievement continues to lag behind that of their native English speaking peers on virtually all measures. In November 2002, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative mandating English immersion as the primary means of instruction for most ELL students, making the state the third in the nation to pass such legislation. The initiative spurred a period of policy development and refinement in the domain of educating English language learners. Still, many districts are struggling with implementation. Overall, it is unclear whether and how practice has changed at the classroom level. This report examines the evolution of the policies and practices affecting ELLs in Massachusetts over the past five years. It analyzes the state role in promoting improved practice and profiles three schools that are making significant strides with large populations of ELL students

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• Break

• Laura McCloskey, Stanford University; Nathan Pellegrin, Cal-PASS; and Kenji Hakuta, Karen Thompson, Stanford University

Proposition 227 in California: A Long-term Appraisal of its Impact on Language Minority Student Achievement

ABSTRACT: This study examines the impact of Proposition 227 on educational outcomes for California’s English learners. We compare test score trend lines for English learners and English-only students within districts by grade level, using data from the California Standards Test from 2003 to 2007. At some grades, particularly 8th, the test score trend line for ELs shows a less positive slope than the test score trend line for EOs, suggesting possible localized harm from Prop 227. However, at other grades, including 6th and 7th, the trend line for ELs shows a more positive slope than the trend line for EOs, suggesting that in the subsequent two years of implementation, EL achievement seems to have increased relative to EO achievement. Further analysis comparing districts in which ELs performed especially better or worse over time relative to EOs found no significant differences in instructional programs for ELs or in demographics across these two types of districts. However, limitations of the state data system and the lack of longitudinal, student-level data restrict the explanatory power of this analysis.

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• M. Beatriz Arias, Nancy Murri, Alexandria Estrella, and Amy Markos, Arizona State University

Teacher Preparation for Structured English Immersion: A View from Arizona

ABSTRACT:

 

• Kate Mahoney, SUNY Fredonia; and David Garcia, Jeff MacSwan, Tom Haladyna, Arizona State University

The Achievment of Arizona's English Language Learners under Proposition 203: Testing Castaneda's Third Requirement

ABSTRACT:

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• Stanley L. Johnson, Jr., Ursula Aldana, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, UCLA
Harmonizing Relationships? Can Dual Language Programs help prmomote positive Black/Brown social and academic outcomes?

• Dianna Moreno, Danny C. Martinez, P. Zitlali Morales, Megan H. Hopkins, UCLA
Surveying Teachers of English Learners at the Secondary Level About Their English Language Arts Curriculum

• Breakfast

• Daniel Losen, Harvard University & Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA

The Promises and Pitfalls of Education Reform for English Language Learners

ABSTRACT: This presentation examines evidence of inequity in educational opportunity for English Language learners and whether there are new grounds to challenge restrictive language policies. The presentation reflects upon the performance of ELL students in California, Arizona and Massachusetts since the passage of restrictive policies comparing the state performance over time to the national averages on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores in reading and math at grades 4 and 8. A brief discussion of the possible legal challenges to restrictive language policies and other recommendations for policy change at the federal level are included.

 

• Russell Rumberger and Loan Tran, UC Santa Barbara and UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute

State Language Policies, School Language Practices, and the English Learner Achivement Gap

ABSTRACT: This presentation examines whether differences in state policies and school practices in educating English learners are related to differences in the size of the EL achievement gap across states and across schools. It first examines the size of the achievement gap across states using the 2005 NAEP data. Then it examines whether differences in the achievement gap across states and across schools are related to policies and practices for educating EL students or other factors, such as student composition, school structure, and school resources. Results reveal that states account for more of the differences in the EL achievement gap within schools than with school mean achievement. Also, the greater the use of specialized instruction among ELs with low English proficiency, the smaller the EL achievement gap within schools.

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• Alfredo Artiles, Amanda Sullivan, Arizona State University; Ed Fierros, Villanova University; and Janete Klingner, University of Colorado

Shifting Landscapes: English Learners' Special Education Placement in English-only States

ABSTRACT: In each state, the numbers of students educated through primary language instruction have decreased drastically, while the percentages of culturally and linguistically diverse students in each state have increased. In this study, we examined what happens to English Language Learners (ELLs) in schools in which language support systems are drastically reduced because these policy changes limit the quality of educational opportunities available to them. We asked: What are the ELL special education placement trends before and after language support programs were drastically reduced? What are the educational experiences of ELLs in these states? Are there changes in ELL outcomes in the English-only states? Although we are still completing the analyses for this study, we have identified several important conclusions and implications. In general, outcomes for ELLs are increasingly negative. Opportunity to learn indicators reflect some concerning trends. Yet efforts to study these outcomes are compounded by a lack of data.

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• April Linton and Rebecca C. Franklin, UC San Diego

Bilingualism for the Children: Dual Language Programs under Restrictive Language Policies

ABSTRACT: A small but growing number of U.S. public schools offer dual-language programs (also called two-way immersion, two-way bilingual immersion, or dual-immersion). This qualitative study explores dual-language educators’ and parents’ responses to California Proposition 227 and Massachusetts Question 2. Despite these restrictive language policies, dual-language education is a growing phenomenon in California and a stable option in parts of Massachusetts. Some educators saw proposition 227 as an opportunity to promote bilingualism for everyone rather than to teach English only. Demand and support for dual-language programs in U.S. schools is also a response to Latino American’s growing numbers and the increasing opportunities to use Spanish in economic and political spheres. School districts can support dual-language innovation through teacher training, grant-writing assistance, procurement of appropriate materials, and transportation. In addition, increased funding to support early foreign-language learning for native English speakers would likely promote the initiation of more dual-language programs.

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• Diane August, Center for Applied Linguistics; Claude Goldenberg, Stanford University; and Robert Rueda, University of Southern California

Restrictive Language Policies: Are they scientifically based?

ABSTRACT: In response to concern about the achievement of these students, several states have adopted policies that place restrictions on the language that can be used in the education of English learners. In the three states--California, Arizona, and Massachusetts—the mandate consists of severely limiting or eliminating the use of students' home (non-English) language. In one state, Arizona, state policies go further by prescribing the instructional program. This paper briefly summarizes the policies that have been adopted in these states and then considers the relevant research that addresses their major provisions. The basic question we address is whether these restrictive language policies are supported by the scientific literature.

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• Break

• Joseph Paul Robinson, Stanford University

Should we maintain the current standards for reclassifying English learners? A quasi-experimental analysis

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates whether specific district-defined assessment thresholds for reclassifying English learners (ELs) as fluent English proficient (R-FEP) are appropriate or if students would benefit from more or less time as ELs. Results of quasi-experimental models suggested that the current standards for reclassification of students (on the margin of being reclassified) in 5th through 8th grades are either appropriate or too low, but reclassification criteria in 9th through 11th grades may be too high. Moreover, this paper demonstrates that policies based on conventional regression models (controlling for observable student characteristics) may lead to poor policymaking because such models do not account for the non-random selection of students, which will overstate the benefits of reclassification. Longer-term effects (i.e., two and three years after reclassification) are also explored, as are effects on attendance rates and advanced course-taking.

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• Pamela Spycher, UC Davis (UC LMRI Dissertation Grant recipient)

Learning Academic Language Through Science in Two Linguistically Diverse Kindergarten Classes: Intentional Versus Implicit Approaches

ABSTRACT: This study examined the effectiveness of an intentional versus an implicit approach to English oral language development in young children. A vocabulary intervention in science was developed using previous research on effective vocabulary and science instruction. Participants were 39 English-learning, bilingual, and monolingual English-speaking kindergarteners from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds in 2 intact classrooms in an urban school in California. The 5-week-long intervention was implemented in 1 classroom where the students’ regular classroom teacher taught 20 academic words from texts from the existing science curriculum in addition to the regular science curriculum. The control class received the regular science curriculum from the same teacher without the explicit vocabulary instruction. I used the Emergent Science Vocabulary Assessment, a picture test, to ascertain receptive vocabulary knowledge. I used the Conceptual Interviews on Scientific Understanding, a one-on-one interview protocol, to ascertain expressive knowledge of the words and scientific conceptual understanding related to the words. Findings showed that the intervention class learned more target words than the control class and that students who knew more of the vocabulary expressed their understanding of scientific concepts more effectively.

 

• Alexis Filippini, UC Santa Barbara (UC LMRI Dissertation Grant recipient)

Effects of a Vocabulary-added Instructional Intervention for At-risk English Learners: Is Efficient Reading Instruction more Effective?

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the effectiveness of adding oral vocabulary instruction to a phonological awareness and decoding supplementary early reading intervention. Participants were first grade students (N = 71), primarily Spanish speaking English Learners (EL) attending a Title I English-instruction school. Students received an average of 394 minutes of small group instruction. Three variations were compared: In the first, students received PAD instruction exclusively, based on evidence of its effectiveness for EL emerging readers. The other two conditions comprised 30% PAD, and 70% vocabulary instruction: one focusing on semantic relationships among words (PAD-SR), the other on morphological relationships (PAD-MA). Effects on measures of phonological awareness and reading were largest for PAD-SR condition, and effects on vocabulary and listening comprehension were largest for PAD-MA. In no case were effects for the PAD condition largest. Results suggest promising effects of supplementary instruction that goes beyond critical basic skills to address word knowledge.

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• Cheryl Forbes, UC San Diego (UC LMRI Dissertation Grant recipient)

Agency, Power and Identity: Mexican-American Children and Their Teachers Talk About Learning English in School

ABSTRACT: How do bilingual Mexican-American children make sense of their school experiences in the context of restrictive language policies such as California’s Proposition 227? This study investigated the ways in which children’s language ideologies and those of their teachers were shaped by and enacted within language practices in two elementary classrooms using a transitional bilingual approach at a border area school in San Diego County. Through an examination of talk from group and individual interviews as well as within classroom discourse, the study explored ways in which the enactment of these ideologies contributed to children’s identity construction at school. Findings suggest that when teachers challenged or complicated theories of linguistic expertise and authority embedded in restrictive policies, children were able to exercise agency in framing or reframing positive academic identities. The paper concludes with implications for teacher education and professional development, as well as for classroom practice.

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• Lunch

• Keynote Address by Carlos Garcia, Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District

ABSTRACT: In his presentation, Mr. Garcia will outline a bold, new vision for how English Language Learners and other students can realize their full educational potential. This vision guides the priorities set forth in SFUSD's new strategic plan, which was unanimously approved by the school board earlier this year.

• Closing Remarks (Russell Rumberger and/or Patricia Gandara)