Previous ArticleDeveloping Literacy in English Language Learners: Findings From a Review of the Experimental Research
Diane August, PhD, is a Managing Researcher at American Institutes for Research (AIR), where she is responsible for directing the English language learner (ELL) work for the Education Program. Before her position at AIR, Dr. August was a senior research scientist at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). At CAL, she served as principal investigator for a series of federally funded studies focused on the development of literacy and science in ELLs and was project director for the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. She is published widely in journals and books on topics related to the education of ELLs.
American Institutes for Research
, Peggy McCardlePeggy McCardle, PhD, MPH, is President and Consultant, Peggy McCardle Consulting, LLC, and an affiliated research scientist, Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Ct.. She is the former chief of the Child Development & Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, U.S. National Institutes of Health, where she developed and served as program official for the Language, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Program. She has published on various aspects of public health and developmental psycholinguistics (e.g., language development, bilingualism, reading, and learning disabilities). She now consults on matters of literacy and bilingualism research, policy, and practice.
Peggy McCardle Consulting, LLC
, and Timothy ShanahanTimothy Shanahan, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, College of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago. Professor Shanahan has published more than 200 articles, chapters, and books on reading education, including the books Early Childhood Literacy, Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners, and Teaching With the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts. Formerly, he was director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools and president of the International Reading Association.
University of Illinois at Chicago
| Abstract. |
|---|
In the past decade the proportion of school-aged children in the United States who are English language learners (ELLs) grew by 32%, compared with a 4.9% overall increase in U.S. school enrollment. This only heightens the already important challenge of providing effective, appropriate reading instruction for ELLs because all teachers can expect to have ELLs in their classrooms at some time in their careers. This commentary reviews the available data on optimal approaches to reading instruction for ELL students, covering the components of literacy (decoding, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and writing) as well as key issues such as differentiating instruction, repetition and reinforcement, scaffolding, and capitalizing on a student's first language strengths. We conclude with implications for school psychologists, who are often among the first professionals to be consulted as schools attempt to identify and provide appropriate educational services for these students.
Received: September 9, 2014; Accepted: October 9, 2014;
Cited by
Online publication date: 3-Feb-2017.
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (384 KB) | Track Citations(RSS | Email)
