Hands-on, Practical Guidance for Educators

From math, literacy, equity, multilingual learners, and SEL, to assessment, school counseling, and education leadership, our books are research-based and authored by experts on topics most relevant to what educators are facing today.

Leading Academic Achievement for English Language Learners - Book Cover

Look Inside

Bestseller!

Leading Academic Achievement for English Language Learners

A Guide for Principals

By: Betty J. Alford, Mary Catherine Niño

This practical guide equips school leaders to shape a culture conducive to high academic achievement for English language learners. Includes case studies and quick reference charts.

Full description

Look Inside

Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412981606
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2011
Page Count: 168
Publication date: May 30, 2012

Select Format:

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.

Description

"This book will be the catalyst for transforming instruction for English language learners."
—Dalane E. Bouillion, Associate Superintendent
Sprint I.S.D., Houston, TX

"The author offers a wealth of ideas, strategies, suggestions, tips, and tools for implementation. There are logical and helpful conclusions on nearly every page!"
—Cathy A. Patterson, Teacher and Former Assistant Principal
Evergreen Elementary School, Diamond Bar, CA

How to give English language learners every opportunity for success

Are you faced with the challenge of making sure that English language learners succeed? This practical book shows how to shape a school culture conducive to high academic achievement for all students. An award-winning former principal and a professional development specialist provide the steps for developing teacher capacity, applying successful instructional practices, and advocating for ELLs. Written in straightforward language with quick reference charts, summaries, resources, and tools, the text provides:

Strategies for creating a culture of ELL advocacy and achievement
Case studies from school leaders who have created positive change for ELLs
Professional development tools that build teachers' knowledge of second language acquisition
Tips for strengthening home–school–community connections

Leading Academic Achievement for English Language Learners is an easy reference for faculty meetings, observations, and staff training sessions. The authors build a valuable bridge between relevant research and practical applications that will reap measurable results.

Key features

Provides an overview of ELLs in the current educational landscape, strategies for creating a culture of achievement for ELLs and advocating for student success, guidance on understanding the language acquisition process, tools for implementing quality professional development, tips for strengthening home-school-community connections, and resources for school improvement to meet the needs of ELLs
Includes multiple case studies in each chapter that describe school leaders' situations, decisions, and actions related to leading for positive change for ELLs. Each case is followed by discussion questions meant to incite critical dialogue or reflection
Includes quick reference charts in each chapter designed to guide principals in implementing chapter concepts
Offers "Consider This" sections in each chapter with questions, statistics, and quick facts for school leaders
Provides "In the Principal's Voice" narratives where principals share their first-person perspectives on issues related to the content of each chapter

Author(s)

Betty J. Alford

Betty J. Alford is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) in Nacogdoches, Texas, in addition to serving as doctoral program coordinator and teaching in both the principal preparation and doctoral programs at the university. Since 1999, she has served as lead writer for federal and state educational partnership grants totaling over ten million dollars. She has served as project director of the East Texas Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant, as principal investigator for a second GEAR UP grant, as co-principal investigator for a College and Career Readiness grant, as project director for a School Leadership grant, and as project director for the Project English Language Acquisition Center of Excellence (ENLACE). In 2008, she received the SFASU Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Research. Previous awards include the department’s Teaching Excellence Award and the SFASU Chapter Phi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year award. From 2004 to 2007, she served as a member of the Board for the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration and serves as editor of the NCPEA Yearbook for 2011. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from The University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in educational supervision and counseling with certification as a school principal from SFASU. Her doctoral degree in Educational Administration was from The University of Texas in Austin. Her experiences in public school include service as a school principal, a school counselor, and an elementary, middle, and high school teacher.

Mary Catherine Niño

Mary Catherine Niño is Associate Director for Project ENLACE, a school-university professional development partnership aimed at increasing English language learner achievement at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Dr. Niño was a secondary English, Social Studies, and Reading teacher for ten years in Texas before entering educational leadership. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and graduate degrees in Educational Leadership. Realizing the need for a stronger development of content teachers’ knowledge of second language acquisition processes, she worked with faculty at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas to foster this knowledge in pre-service teacher curriculum and in professional development school sites. Responding to the changing demographics of her students, Dr. Niño developed a responsive curriculum approach which incorporated student experience, interest, language needs, and content into a cohesive approach to student learning. From this work, she has developed quality professional development for pre-service and in-service teachers and principals. Dr. Niño continues to consult with area schools, model teaching in classes, working with area ESL coaches and teachers, and sharing her experiences as a content teacher integrating language development into core curriculum.

Table of Contents

About the Authors

Preface

Introduction

1. Preparing for Success: Strengthening a Culture of Academic Achievement

2. Advocating for Student Success

3. Strengthening Knowledge of Second Language Acquisition

4. The Principal’s Role in Building Capacity Through Quality Professional Development

5. Strengthening Home-School-Community-University Connections

6. Resources for School Improvement in Meeting the Needs of ELLs

References

Index

Reviews

"The author offers a wealth of ideas, strategies, suggestions, tips, and tools for implementation. The culminating pages of each chapter help to organize the readers’ thoughts and promote reflection. There are logical and helpful conclusions made on nearly every page!"

Cathy A. Patterson, Teacher and Former. Asst. Principal
Evergreen Elementary School, Diamond Bar, CA

"The author provides good foundational information as well as examples of how one can expand into implementation of a quality ELL program."

Richard Jones, Principal
John Adams Middle School, Rochester, MN

"An excellent resource for teachers, teacher leaders, and instructional leaders that provides outstanding instructional strategies and tools. This book has the potential to significantly impact academic achievement and ensure higher levels of success for all students."

Martha N. Ovando, L.D. Haskew Centennial Fellow, Professor, and Graduate Advisor
The University of Texas at Austin

"This volume offers extraordinary examples of leadership and best instructional practices to improve the academic success of English Language Learners. The authors seek to inspire teachers and administrators by demonstrating a campus-wide approach to promoting quality instruction."

Elizabeth M. Ramalho, Doctoral Program Director, Educational and Policy Studies

"Alford and Niño have identified the voices of practitioners who have experienced success in meeting the educational needs of English Language Learners, and have shared these voices in a schorlarly and practical guide."

Dr. Ralph L. Marshall, Assistant Professor
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston

"Alford and Niño have expertly captured the collective knowledge of forerunning teachers, principals, scholars, and other stakeholders who have discovered what works in helping English language learners achieve success. They have provided a treasure chest of lessons learned, strategies, ideas, testimonials from the field, educative case stories, tools for teaching, and tools for leading. This is a book that will be opened again and again."

Julie Carlson, Ed.D., Professor
Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN

“Leading Academic Achievement for English Language Learners will be the catalyst for transforming instruction for the ELL. It stresses the importance of the principal as instructional leader in the education of ELLs.”

Dalane E. Bouillion, Associate Superintendent
Sprint I.S.D., Houston, TX

“This book ennobles a comprehensive, no-nonsense, and realistic approach to educating English language learners (ELLs). Educators who have the hearts and minds to aggressively engage in quality and meaningful education for ELLs—this book represents your road map on how to accomplish that goal. Never before have I read such a brilliant masterpiece with all the latest ingredients in one place.”

Vance Vaughn, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership
University of Texas at Tyler, TX

Other Titles in: Diversity | Leadership | School Change, Reform, & Restructuring

Select Format:

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.