Preparing Teachers to Reach English Language Learners: Pre- Service and In- Service Initiatives

Abstract

Two realities in American education in the last decade have combined to dramatically affect the professional lives of teachers-a school population that is increasingly more diverse in its makeup, and a national agenda for accountability that requires attention to the achievement of all students. The changing demographics of American schools, particularly an increase in the number of students for whom English is a new language, is part of the national conversation in education. Growth in the number of linguistically diverse learners has increased rapidly across the nation, particularly in the Southeast and Midwest. During the period between 1995 and 2005 the national growth rate of the K-12 English language learner (ELL) population was 61% while the overall growth rate for all students enrolled in public schools was 2.6% (National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (NCELA), 2006). During the same period in Minnesota, the location of programs discussed in this chapter, ELL growth was over 161%, outpacing the national growth trend significantly, while the state total K-12 enrollment decreased by 6.5% (NCELA, 2006). The number of foreign-born immigrants doubled in the 1990s, from 2.6% of the state population to 5.8%. Minnesota has long been a state that welcomes refugees, and the refugee population has always been a significant portion of Minnesota immigrants. Between 2000 and 2005, the state resettled 21,743 refugees. Minnesota ranked second among states in refugee immigrant arrivals in 2004-2006. The Hmong population in Minnesota (estimated at 60,000) is second in size only to the California Hmong population, and the state is now home to 30,000 Somali residents-the largest community of Somalis in the United States. More than 60,000 ELL students are currently enrolled in Minnesota schools, representing more than 110 different language groups. Minnesota’s growing numbers of ELL and refugee students present educators with new challenges. The increase in refugee students and the fact that many of them have little formal education before arriving in Minnesota coincided with the full introduction of Minnesota’s accountability system, developed under Title I, and the new accountabilityprovisions in Title III, the federal education program for ELL students. Sadly, as suggested by Ruiz-de-Velasco and Fix (2000), the needs of immigrants with “significant education gaps” are simply overlooked-and correspondingly, drop-out rates are very high. The growth of second language learners statewide has led to a gap in achievement between these learners and other students that is of concern to both educators and policy-makers. Are teachers prepared for these challenges? The impact of increasing numbers of second language learners on teachers ill-prepared to meet their needs is substantial in many communities (Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). The pressure to meet achievement goals for all subgroups of learners requires that individual teachers as well as schools take responsibility for learning outcomes demonstrated by English language learners-a direct contrast to the historical practice of leaving this work exclusively to ESL and bilingual specialists. The task has fallen to in-service education to provide opportunities for practicing content and grade-level teachers to develop the expertise to successfully teach ELLs. At the same time, colleges and universities are faced with the daunting task of preparing pre-service teachers to attend to these language learners in their future classrooms. What is required for effective teacher development in both pre-service and in-service settings? In this chapter we examine the challenges inherent in preparing both groups to meet the complex linguistic and academic needs of second language learners by describing two very specific models of engagement with educators. We first describe the structure and content of a course module on English language learners at the University of Minnesota designed specifically for different K-12 pre-service content area programs. Data from a cohort in science education provide a sense of the challenges and outcomes of this approach. We then describe a professional development initiative designed for elementary school staff that was site-based, collaborative, and long-term (two years). Finally, as teacher educators, we offer thoughts on what other teacher development programs can do to maximize efforts to improve teacher learning regarding the education of English language learners.