It’s time to challenge the status quo of K-12 education for historically marginalized students—English language learners (ELLs), students with disabilities, and speakers of other varieties of English—in regard to the role of academic language in learning. As a lifetime advocate of multilingualism, I know that
This November, in the midst of a landmark election, we take a step back to remind ourselves of the ultimate priority in our schools: ensuring that every child receives an equitable education. As Equity editor Dan Alpert says, “Corwin believes that education is the primary
All students can benefit from academic language development modeling, scaffolding, and practice, but ELLs and standard English learners (SELs) need it to survive and thrive in school. SELs are students who speak languages that do not correspond to Standard American English language structure and grammar
This post was originally published on ZacarianConsulting.com. Many educational scholars and practitioners, including me, have written extensively about teaching students from underserved populations. The focus of this work has included students living in poverty, from diverse cultural and racial experiences, and who are English learners. These are
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) movement requires teachers to shift their instructional practices in several significant ways, which in turn necessitates practice and intentionality. Some of these key shifts include embedding language development across the curriculum; an increase in oral language and multiple opportunities