Engaging English Learners Through Access to Standards: A Team-Based Approach to Schoolwide Student Achievement

Use this six-part strategy for measurable, cross-curricular EL achievement! How can districts and schools successfully promote academic English language development through teaching content knowledge and standards-based skills and abilities? This thoroughly researched book provides concrete answers. You’ll find practical steps and ideas for developing collaborative, cross-curricular programs that address EL-specific needs. Clear tables and templates, essays, expert research, and real-life teacher and parent stories illuminate best practices for appropriate standards-based instruction that gets results.  Using the authors’ six-part ENGAGE Model, you’ll learn to: Establish a shared vision for serving ELs Name the expertise to utilize within collaborative teams Gather and analyze EL-specific data Align standards-based assessments and grading to ELs’ linguistic and content development  Ground standards-based instruction in both content and language development Examine results to inform next steps Use this groundbreaking guide to accelerate progress and ensure effective instruction for all ELs!  "Learning requires attention, engagement, and quality instruction.  This book provides all three necessary components in one place; a model that teachers can use to ensure that their English learners achieve."   -Douglas Fisher San Diego State University "This book should be a mandatory must read for all educators as we continue to serve our diverse student populations and strive to ensure we are honestly reaching academic achievement for each and every student!" -Michele R. Dean Coordinator,Ventura Unified School District

Table of Contents:
Preface 1. The ENGAGE Model 2. Establish a Shared Vision for Serving ELs 3. Name and Capitalize Upon Relevant Expertise Within Collaborative Teams 4. Gather and Analyze EL-Specific Data 5. Align Standards-Based Assessments and Grading With ELs’ Current Levels of Linguistic and Content Development 6. Ground Standards-Based Instruction in Content and Language Development 7. Examine Results to Inform and Drive Next Steps References

About the Author :
Shelley Fairbairn, Ph.D., is a veteran ESL/EFL teacher and an associate professor in the Drake University School of Education in Des Moines, Iowa. Her teaching foci include preparing pre-service teachers to design effective lesson plans and assessments for K-12 students and empowering both pre- and in-service teachers to meet the needs of English language learners through linguistically and culturally responsive practice. Prior to joining the Drake University School of Education faculty, Dr. Fairbairn concurrently taught English as a second language courses for the Drake University International Center and served as a K-12 ESL teacher in two Des Moines area school districts. Dr. Fairbairn’s international experience includes three years of teaching English as a foreign language in Jakarta, Indonesia and one year of teaching ESL and ESL certificate courses at the Regional Language Centre in Singapore. More recently, she has conducted teacher professional development sessions and workshops in China, Canada, and across the U.S., often with Stephaney Jones-Vo, co-author of Differentiating Instruction and Assessment of English Language Learners: A Guide for K-12 Teachers (Caslon Publishing). Her additional scholarly work focuses primarily on effective assessment and instructional practices for ELLs.   Stephaney Jones-Vo is president of Starfish Education, LLC focusing on equity for English Learners. With over a decade of Title III grant directing, refugee sponsorship, and K-12 ESL classroom teaching experience, she served as an English Learner and Diversity consultant at a regional state education agency supporting multiple school districts to increase English Learner achievement. She has designed and facilitated ESL endorsement and cultural competence courses at several universities. A frequent presenter in the U.S. and in Canada, she has co- authored multiple books, chapters, and articles;  designed and delivered a variety of adult ESL classes for specific purposes and in the workplace, and advocated widely for English Learners. 

Review :
"When it comes to effective instruction for English learners, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. The ENGAGE model described in this book provides educators with a powerful framework for mobilizing the collective energies and talents of all stakeholders within the school and district in order to position English learners for academic success." "Learning requires attention, engagement, and quality instruction. This book provides all three necessary components in one place; a model that teachers can use to ensure that their English learners achieve."   "This book should be a mandatory must read for all educators as we continue to serve our diverse student populations and strive to ensure we are honestly reaching academic achievement for each and every student!"