English Language Learner (ELL) Families and Schools

Education

The English language learner (ELL) student population continues to grow at a higher rate than the student population does as a whole. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics the general population grew 9% from 1993 to 2003, while the ELL population increased 65% during that same time. The ELL student population is estimated to now include 10% of all students (English Language Learners, 2005).

ELL students face the challenging task of learning a new language while also learning subject-area content. Although there have been signs of progress, including higher reading and math scores for ELL students, it is felt that more improvement is needed. Current trends show that English language learners receive lower grades, are judged by their teachers to have lower academic abilities, and score below their classmates on standardized tests (English Language Learners, 2005).

When school systems are developing ELL programs, goals for the program should flow from whatever educational approach has been selected for serving ELL students. Goal development should tie back to what experts in the field have identified as successful results under the approach that the district has selected. When establishing goals for the ELL program, each district needs to take into account its own individual situation. The essential Title VI requirement for ELL students is that they have meaningful access to the district's educational program. For this reason, the goals for ELL students should relate to the goals maintained for all students throughout the district (Developing Programs for English Language Learners: Goals, 2005).

Effective goals should indicate to whom they apply, what level of performance is expected, when the performance level should be attained, and how success will be measured. Effective goals for ELL students should address both English language development and subject matter instruction. In order to meet the many other needs of ELL students, the district may also choose to have goals in such areas as staff development, curriculum development, and parental participation (Developing Programs for English Language Learners: Goals, 2005).

An ELL program should always aim to increase a student's comprehensibility. This standard involves the ways in which instructors can make content more understandable to the students. With beginning to intermediate ELL's, this technique consists of providing as many non-verbal cues as possible. This is done by using pictures, real objects, demonstrations, gestures, and intonation cues. As a students' proficiency develops, additional teaching strategies include building from language that is already understood, using graphic organizers, hands-on learning activities, and cooperative learning or peer teaching techniques (General Principles for Teaching ELL Students, n.d.).

A good ELL program should also try to increase student interaction. Increasing interaction increases a students' opportunity to use their new language skills for communication and to apply meaning to real-life situations. "A number of strategies can be used to support increased interaction, including cooperative learning, study buddies, project-based learning, authentic writing and speaking tasks, and one-on-one teacher/student interactions" (General Principles for Teaching ELL Students, n.d.).

Another goal is to increase the thinking and study skills of students. An important feature of modern educational practice involves including strategies to develop more advanced, senior order thinking skills as student's language proficiency skills increases. For example, the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) includes asking students higher order thinking questions, such as what would happen ifand modeling thinking language by having the students think aloud. It also encourages teaching and reinforcing study skills and test taking strategies, while maintaining high expectations for all students in the district (General Principles for Teaching ELL Students, n.d.).

These programs should also attempt to use the native language of the students whenever it is possible. Studies have shown that the use of a student's primary language supports both content and second language learning. Teachers should not be afraid to let students use their primary language in the classroom, nor should they resist using that language themselves to help advance instructional goals. Students should never be scolded for using a language other than English, but rather encouraged and rewarded for their attempts to use their new language (General Principles for Teaching ELL Students, n.d.).

Parents of English Language Learner (ELL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) students tend have significant challenges with communication that impact their everyday lives. Accommodating these parents is a challenge for school administrators, and even more so when disabilities are an issue. Ensuring effective communication between the school and the parents is essential in order to meet the child's educational needs and goals. The first and most important thing that schools can do is to establish an atmosphere that encourages growth in cultural responsiveness, sensitivity, and appreciation that entices ESL parents to participate in school meetings and other important school functions (Logsdon, 2009).

There are several things that schools can do in order to help bridge the communication gap between themselves and parents. Several of these things include:

Having an interpreter to be available to the school and parents, this provides immediate communication and reduces misunderstandings.

Make use of telephone conference calls that involve interpreters in school meetings.

Utilize web-based meetings, conducted on reliable equipment with adequate Internet processing speed, which can offer the interpreter and the family more opportunities to pick up on subtle meaning and non-verbal feedback to improve communication in ways that cannot be accomplished by telephone alone.

Translate to their native language special education forms and other important school documents for the parents (Logsdon, 2009).