Audrey Lucero

Building Systems of Support for Classroom Teachers Working With English Language Learners

Increasing numbers of English learner (EL) students and corresponding pressures to mainstream them mean that districts around the country are facing new challenges as they adapt to meet the needs of these students. For general education teachers, the challenges stem from a role shift in which they are now primarily responsible for the instructional needs of the EL students in their classrooms. This qualitative case study examined the assistance and support general education teachers received to work with linguistically diverse students. This article addresses the ways these efforts can form a “system of support” for teachers. The analysis focuses on 4 districts that serve different populations and proportions of EL students. Through interviews, classroom observations, and document analyses, this article examines how these districts attempted to provide coherent, sustained support to classroom teachers at all levels and, in doing so, created systems of support.

Teachers’ use of linguistic scaffolding to support the academic language development of first-grade emergent bilingual students

Research suggests that teachers need to scaffold emergent bilingual students as they develop the complex language associated with school success. This may especially be true in dual language settings, where children are learning two languages simultaneously. In this study, therefore, I investigate the linguistic scaffolding practices of first-grade dual language teachers as they support academic language development for their Spanish-dominant students. Academic language is viewed not only as a set of linguistic components but also as a way of accomplishing certain functions and participating in context-reduced communication. Findings indicate that teachers engage in scaffolding both within and across lessons, providing insights into ways teachers can support academic language development for emergent bilingual students in general.

Oral narrative retelling among emergent bilinguals in a dual language immersion program

ABSTRACT Oral narrative retelling is a complex linguistic and cognitive task that has been shown to map onto reading fluency and comprehension. Therefore, it is important to understand oral retelling skill, especially among emergent bilingual children – those who are learning two languages simultaneously. In this article, exploratory quantitative and qualitative findings from a study investigating the bilingual narrative retelling abilities of young heritage Spanish-speaking emergent bilingual children are reported. Kindergarten, first, and second grade children (N = 65) were assessed in each language separately using comparable wordless picture books, and their performance within and across languages was investigated. Two findings emerged: (1) children’s performance on retelling was significantly related across languages; but (2) individual children exhibited different patterns of bilingual strengths and challenges. These findings underscore the value of conducting academic oral assessments in both languages. In particular, the oral language proficiency of some children would be underestimated if their performance in only one language was considered. Implications for instruction and assessment are discussed.

Who’s Holding El Marcador? Peer Linguistic Mediation Gone Awry in a Dual Language Classroom

Within dual language education programs, well-structured peer interactions can facilitate the learning of language and curricular content simultaneously. Research has found that even very young bilingual students can engage in peer linguistic mediation to help less proficient classmates participate in small group work. In this article, I analyze two academic discussions among emergent bilingual first graders in a Spanish-medium dual language classroom. This analysis demonstrates that, contrary to previous research, the language used by students did not facilitate learning. Rather, it foreclosed the possibility of effective communication across languages. Findings suggest that peer linguistic mediation is influenced by multiple factors and cannot be taken for granted. Questions are raised about the ways in which emergent bilingual students are grouped and the skills they need to successfully mediate their peers’ learning. Implications from these findings go beyond dual language education to apply to mainstream classrooms with minority language speakers in them.

Dual Language Teachers’ Use of Conventional, Environmental, and Personal Resources to Support Academic Language Development

This article reports findings from a study that investigated the ways in which first-grade dual language teachers drew on various resources to instructionally support academic language development among Spanish-English emergent bilingual students. Classroom observations, semistructured interviews, and document collection were conducted over a period of one school year. Findings indicate that: (a) teachers had differential access to personal and environmental resource streams; (b) teachers drew on multiple, interactive resource streams; and (c) there were some tensions within resource streams. Findings have implications for the preparation of teachers who will work in increasingly linguistically diverse classrooms in which academic language is much needed.

Latino parents in dual language immersion programs: why are they so satisfied?

ABSTRACT Educators (school administrators, teachers, district officials, etc.) often use parental satisfaction ‘as one indicator of school success or one outcome of school effectiveness’ [Parkes, J., and T. Ruth. 2011. “How Satisfied are Parents of Students in Dual Language Education Programs? (Me parece maravillosa la gran oportunidad que le están dando a estos niños).” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 14 (6): 701–718]. Parent satisfaction is particularly attended to in educational settings where participation is voluntary (such as magnet or charter schools, for example). This article examines Latino parental satisfaction in four Oregon dual language immersion (DLI) schools. If past research, and our findings, are accurate, then researchers and educators can convincingly conclude that Latino parents are highly satisfied with bilingual education programs in general, and DLI programs in particular, and there is no need for improvement. We argue, however, that uncritically reporting high levels Latino parental satisfaction in bilingual programs can lead educators to become complacent to these parents’ concerns. Latino parental satisfaction must be viewed through multiple lenses in order to avoid silencing their voices in DLI settings.

How Much Is Enough? Evaluating Intervention Implementation Efficiently

This study investigated the use of brief observations to measure implementation of small group interventions using the Quality of Intervention Delivery and Receipt (QIDR) tool. Videos of 10-min segments representing the beginning, middle, and end of each 30-min intervention lesson were coded for implementation. Results indicated that (a) reliability can be achieved when observing a portion of a lesson; (b) QIDR scores obtained from 10-min segments are significantly correlated with the 30-min observations; and (c) post hoc analysis indicate the tool may be sensitive to changes in implementation quality at the intervention group level across time. Implications for research and practice are discussed, including the utility of shorter observations to increase the monitoring of intervention implementation to potentially improve outcomes.

Reforzando las Redes: Supporting Latina/o Undergraduates at a State Flagship University:

This study investigated the experiences of self-identified Latina/o students at a flagship state university. From a university-provided list of self-identified Latina/o undergraduate students, 117 responded to an online survey and 10 elected to participate in follow-up interviews. Students were asked about their participation in on-campus student clubs and organizations as well as interactions with faculty and staff. Nora’s student engagement model framed the qualitative exploration of three emerging themes, students’ levels of engagement in student organizations, their perceptions of levels of faculty support and accessibility, and their views about faculty and staff’s understandings of the unique and diverse roles of Latina/o students. Implications for university administrators, faculty, and staff are discussed.

Challenges for a new bilingual program: Implementing the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme in four Colombian schools:

The International Baccalaureate (IB) has expanded in Latin America. Drawing from a larger multi-sited qualitative case study, we examined the challenges associated with the implementation of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in a Colombian and bilingual context. Findings highlight (1) the intersecting nature of challenges associated with the PYP and bilingual education, (2) the importance of school-based support for teaching, and (3) the importance of school-based resources for bilingual instruction. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for the IB and other global educational organizations.