Successf l1 Strategies for
English LanLguage Lea'rners
Tracy Gray and Steve Fleischman
ut through the fog of
competing claims made by
researchers and policymakers
gut effective approaches
for mee~ting the needs of
English language learners (ELLs) and
one fact remains: Educators daily face
the challenge of teaching this large and
growing student population. More
immigrants arrived in the United States
during the 1990s than during any other
decade on record. This fall, in response
to this trend toward linguistic and
cultural diversity, the NewYork City
school district created an office to trans-
late information for parents into eight
languages. The Los Angeles Unified
School District already spends more
than $6 million yearly to translate its
materials (Zehr, 2004).
Today, students in our schools speak
more than 450 languages (Kindler,
2002). About 12 percent of all preK-12
students are considered English
language learners. Projections indicate
that by 2015, more than 50 percent of
all students in K-12 public schools
across the United States will not speak
English as their first language (Pearlman,
2002).
The accountability requirements of
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
add a new dimension to this challenge
because ELLs are included in the law's
testing requirements. Their test scores
may be factored into the determination
of whether a school is making adequate
yearly progress (AYP).
Although ideology often trumps
evidence in this area, amid the
conflicting claims research has estab-
lished a number pf straightforward
strategies that educators can use to meet
84 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP/DECEMIBER 2004/JANUARY 2005'
the academic, linguistic, and cultural
needs of English language learners.
What We Know ,
A review of effective instructional strate-
gies for linguistically and culturally
diverse students reveals that many of
these strategies are simply extensions of
approaches that work well with all
students. For example, sound principles
and practices of classroom organization
and management-such as small
instructional groups-
seem to work well for ELLs
(Garcia, 1991).
One key to successfully
working with ELLs is to
view them as a resource in
the classroom. According
to Zehler (1994), these
students can offer informa-
tion about other countries
and cultures; newperspec-
tives about the world,
different societies, and
belief systems; and opportunities for
exposing native English speakers to
other languages.
In addition, many researchers
support the use of scaffolding strategies
to help ELLs organize their thoughts in
English, develop study skills, and follow
classroom procedures. To provide
meaning, scaffolding uses contextual
supports-simplified language, teacher
modeling, visuals and graphics, and
cooperative and hands-on learning.
According to Diaz-Rico and Weed
(2002) and Ovando, Collier, and Combs
(2003), English language learners show
progress when their content-area
teachers consistently use these supports
as they deliver instruction. These
researchers identify the following scaf-
folding approaches as effective.
Keep the languagesiniple. Speak
simply and clearly. Use short, complete
sentences in a normal tone of voice.
Avoid using slang, idioms, or figures of
speech.
Use actionsand illustrationsto rein-
force oralstatements. Appropriate
prompts and facial expressions help
convey meaning. Pointing to the chalk-
board while asking, "Please come up
and complete the math problem" is
more effective than repeating
commands or directions.
Askfor cormpletion, not
generation.Ask students
to choose answers from a
list or to complete a
partially finished outline or
N._;s*.paragraph. Encourage
,+< students to use language as
much as possible to gain
confidence over time.
K; j Model correct usage
andjudicioutsly correct
errors.Use corrections to
positively reinforce students' use of
English. When ELLs make a mistake or
use awkward language, they are often
attempting to apply what they know
about their first language to English. For
example, a Spanish-speaking student
may say, 'It fell from me"-a direct
translation from Spanish-instead of 'I
dropped it."
Use visual aids.Present classroom
content and information whenever
possible in a way that engages
students-by using graphic organizers,
tables, charts, outlines, and graphs, for
example. Encourage students to use
these tools to present information.
Educators Take Note
A final key component of serving the
needs of English language learners is

establishing strong relationships with '
families. Educators sometimes view low
levels of parental involvement as a lack
of parental interest in the education l
process. However, non-English-speaking
families often have no means for
communicating with the school. They
may also have different cultural expecta-
tions regarding the appropriate relation-'
ship with their children's school. There-
fore, schools need to make additional
efforts to engage these families.
Boothe (2000) emphasizes the impor-
tance of inviting immigrant families to
participate in meaningful activities in
school, such as classroom demonstra-
tions of their culture (food or clothing,
for example) or awards ceremonies
acknowledging their children's accom-'
plishments. Schools also need to clearly
state their expectations for both parents
and students, especially to families
newly arrived in the United States.
Whenever possible, schools should
translate all written communications to
families into these families' native
languages.
Smaller school districts may,not have
the resources to translate their written
comnmunications into numerous
languages. However, many translation
resources are available on the Internet
at no cost, including http://babelfish
.altavista.com and www.itools.com.i
In addition, schools should identify
bilingual contacts in the school and
community as well as foreign language
instructors in local colleges and univer-
sities who might be willing to provide
translation support. Research indicates
that establishing partnerships between
bilingual families and non-English-
speaking families encourages family
involvement in school (Epstein, 1998;
Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 1992).
Additional translation and interpreter
resources are available through local
organizations such as intercultural insti-
tutes, social service agencies, and state
bar associations.
Although none of these communica-
tion solutions is perfect, schools that
adopt them demonstrate their willing-
ness to communicate with the families
of all their students. Using these tools to
reach out!to families is an important
step in including ELLs in the school
community and promoting their
achievementi M
References
Boothe, D.' (2000). Looking beyond the
ESL label. Princ4palLeadership, 1(4),
30-35. : I
Diaz-Rico, L. T., &Weed, K. Z. (2002). The
cross cultural, language,and
academifc developmnent handbook
(2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Epstein, J. (1998). School andfamiilypart-
nerships:Preparingedtcatorsand
inoroving schools. Boulder, CO: West-
view Press.
Garcia, E. (1991). The education of
linguisticallyand culturally diverse
ASSOCIATION FOR SUPERVISION AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMIENT
students: Effective instructionalprac-
tices (EducationalPracticeReport 1).
Santa Cruz, CA: National Center for
Research on Cultural Diversity and
Second Language Learning. Available:
www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/ncrcdsll
/eprl/index.htm
Kindler, A.L. (2002). Sturvey of the states'
Ifmited Englishproficientstudents and
available educationalprogramsand
services, 2000-2001 Summary Report.
Washington, DC: National Clearing-
house for English Language Acquisition
and Language Instruction Educational
Programs.
Moll, L.' C., Amnanti, C., Neff, D., &
Gonzilez, N. (1992). Funds of knowl-
edge for teaching: Using a qualitative
approach to connect home and class-
rooms. Theory into Practice,31(2),
131-141.
Ovando, C., Collier, V., & Combs, M.
(2003). BilingualandESL classrooms:
Teaching multiculturalcontexts (3rd
ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Pearlman, M. (2002). Measutring and
sutpportingEnglish langutagelearning
in schools: Challengesfor test makers.
Presentation at CRESST Conference,
Los Angeles, California.
Zehler, A. (1994). WVorking with English
language learners:Strategiesfor
elementary and minddle school
teachers. (ProgramInfonnation Guide
Series,Nunber 19). Washington, DC:
National Clearinghouse for English
Language Acquisition and Language
Instruction Educational Programs.
Zehr, M.A. (2004, Oct. 6). Translation.
efforts a growing priority for urban
schools.Education WVeek, pp. 1, 15.
Tracy Gray is a Principal Research
Scientist at the American Institutes for
Research (AIR), specializing in technical
innovation for students with,disabilities,
education for English language learners,
and online learning tools for teachers and
students. She isthe Director of the
National Center for Technology. Steve
Fleischman, series editor of this column,
is a Principal Research Scientist at AIR;
editorair@air.org. I
85
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TITLE: Successful Strategies for English Language Learners

SOURCE: Educ Leadership 62 no4 D 2004/Ja 2005
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