Immigrant students in secondary schools face a number of obstacles as they make the transition to schooling in the United States. In addition to adjusting to a new country and school system, they must also learn academic content in a new language. Because these students come from a variety of ethnic, educational, and economic backgrounds, representing a host of cultures, languages, and educational needs, it is often difficult to provide instruction tailored to their specific needs. Developing the English language proficiency of these students so they can participate effectively in mainstream English classes has long been a major focus of those working with newcomers in secondary school. However, educators are also looking for ways to help them achieve at high academic levels, which involves reading English well, understanding academic discourse, writing coherently, and speaking English at cognitively complex and abstract levels. These students usually have only a few years to master these skills. This digest describes ways to develop students' English language and literacy skills and to make academic content challenging, interesting, and accessible. They include the following: (1) building conceptual frameworks for new knowledge; (2) teaching learning strategies; (3) focusing on reading in all classes; (4) giving students opportunities to engage in free reading; and (5) helping students move beyond the text. (Author/VWL)