English Language Learners (ELLs), a diverse group of individuals from across the world who are learning English for the first time, make up the fastest growing segment of the student population in United States public schools. This issue brief displays how the extra time and hands-on learning experiences provided by quality afterschool programs can allow for a specialized, less-formal learning environment in which ELLs can develop language and social skills that otherwise could not be addressed through the less flexible schedule of the regular school day.
An intensive intervention including project-based learning and case management services keeps at-risk ninth-and tenth-graders engaged and helps them overcome barriers to school success.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Tracey HartmannDeborah GoodKimberly Edmunds
English learners are a diverse group with diverse experiences and needs. While schools focus on teaching them English, afterschool programs can build on their strengths to address their social and emotional needs.
Out-of-school time (OST) programs can benefit the growing population of English learners in U.S. public schools by giving them the gift of time in which to learn both English and subject matter content.
This study uses an innovative data source--the Youth Data Archive--to follow elementary and middle school students from a single school district over four academic years to discern any links between their afterschool program participation and English language development. Students attending the program had greater rates of gain in English development, but they did not necessarily achieve proficiency gains or redesignation as "fluent English proficient" sooner than non-participating students. These results point to the need for increased examination of the link between in-school and out-of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Rebecca LondonOded GurantzJon Norman
Teachers of English language learners face the dual challenge of helping students to learn the academic content of science and to acquire English language proficiency. Elementary teachers, meanwhile, face the additional challenge of responding to new teaching requirements outlined within reform initiatives with an often limited understanding of science and its practices. The study reported in this paper sought to examine these issues (and also a comparison of teacher’s knowledge and practice between grade levels) as part of the analysis of a long-term professional development initiative for