Mexican American English language learners in Arizona: a literature review

Abstract

As Latino children continue to account for the largest ethnic minority group in the US public school system, and one in five schoolchildren nationwide, general education teachers of English language learners (ELL) should increase their language and literacy development skills to design and deliver curriculum, instruction, and assessment in core content area. Furthermore, as the largest ethnic minority group in US schools, researchers have noted that Latino, specifically Mexican American students’ academic needs as a group continue to be unmet. In Mexico-US borderland regions such as Arizona, where a high percentage of ELL students come from immigrant families from Mexico, English-only voter mandates create constraints against effective teaching practices.