Classroom to casa: supporting students who are emerging bilinguals

Abstract

A substantial achievement gap, with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students falling behind native-English-speaking White peers, has been widely documented in research as well as government reports. However, a corresponding discipline gap has not been evident due to the various labels and methods used for identifying specifically English learners (ELs) or Emergent bilingual (EB) students, variation in their proficiency levels of English, and the difficulty in determining who may or may not have a disability. Considerable work remains on how to raise the overall academic and behavior outcomes of EB students. This paper outlines best practices in a multi-tiered system of support and promotes an asset-based approach, which provides the foundation for educators to create equitable education opportunities.