Two studies examine the influence of the Standards for Effective Pedagogy on student achievement gains. Participants were 15 teachers and 266 students (grades 3 to 5) in a public elementary school serving predominantly low-income Latino English Language Learners (ELLs). Implications for teaching practice and research are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Examined the Instructional Conversation (IC) as a socioculturally based professional development tool and how it encouraged knowledge construction as it was assisted through dynamic participation among mainstream and bilingual teachers of English language learners. Found that the IC could be instrumental in training teachers about theoretical…

Describes factors that helped students succeed in a minority bilingual teacher training project. Results showed that structural factors, such as centralized advising, caring staff, and cohorts, and ancillary factors, such as increase in self-esteem helped students succeed. (Author/VWL)

Describes language and early literacy skills in Spanish and English for a sample of bilingual children in Massachusetts and Maryland and a comparative group of monolingual Spanish-speaking children in Puerto Rico. Children were 4-year-olds entering pre-kindergarten programs. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Describes student outcomes following the first year of implementation of an early reading intervention project designed to improve the first language literacy in first grade English language learners (ELLs). Results indicate steady improvement in reading levels and support providing ELLs with interventions that use an intensive, systematic,…

Provides brief case studies of middle and high school English language learners representing the diversity of these students in terms of their educational and language backgrounds. Presents four research-based keys for working successfully with struggling learners and describes how one teacher implements the four keys with her ELLs. (Author/VWL)

Examines first year results of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) required for students to earn a high school diploma. Results suggest this high stakes test failed to meet legislative objectives to increase achievement and close the achievement gap. Instead, language-minority students with passing scores achieved significantly below…

Describes the educational situation facing "retornado" families and children, Mexican transnational immigrants moving between New York City and Puebla, Mexico. Examines factors underlying the current lack of first language and second language instruction for the Spanish-English bilinguals returning to live in Mexico. Offers suggestions for how…

Discusses the effect of ethnic and language minority background on personal and professional identities at the individual and collective levels. Presents solutions to the marginalization that minority schools are suffering within institutions and professional associations. (Author/VWL)