In the National Journal: More PD for Teachers of Young English Language Learners

Last week’s National Journal Education Experts blog asked about strategies for better educating young English language learners, and highlights a new series of white papers from National Council of La Raza that outline best practices for teaching young ELL’s.

“How can educators and families focus on increasing vocabulary and literacy among all pre-school children?” reporter Fawn Johnson asked. “Can the techniques used for English language learners be employed among young native English speakers?”

In my response, I explain that many strategies for educating young English language learners are distinct and that it’s important to recognize just how distinct they are in order to understand why teachers need professional development to teach young ELL’s successfully.  (Another source is the Early Education Initiative's recent policy paper, Starting Early with English Language Learners: First Lessons from Illinois, which describes the research behind recent bilingual education strategies.)

Read the full response here.