Beth A. Wassell

Examining the Structures That Impact English Language Learners’ Agency in Urban High Schools: Resources and Roadblocks in the Classroom

This qualitative study focused on the classroom experiences of 14 English Language Learners (ELL) students in urban high schools. The authors argue that specific structures within classrooms and schools affect ELL students’ agency, or their ability to access and appropriate resources to meet their learning and social needs. Using a narrative inquiry methodological framework, the authors found that these structures included resources, such as space, and time, and a schema of caring, which were created by teachers’ practices. They also included roadblocks, such as poor instructional practices, a lack of empathy of students’ experiences, and diminished access to the curriculum.

Frameworks for Examining the Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender on English Language Learners in K-12 Science Education in the USA

In this chapter, we argue that intersectionality and cultural sociology can be used as complementary theoretical frameworks to gain multifaceted understandings about the learning needs of language minority (LM) and English language learner (ELL) students in science classrooms. By employing these frameworks, researchers can better understand the complex relationship between globalization and e|im|migration at global levels and the resulting impacts on school environments at local levels. We draw connections between international migration patterns and the impact on individual teachers, students, and communities in local contexts to illustrate some of the challenges facing teachers and students in linguistically and ethnically diverse science classrooms in two urban K-8 schools. We conclude this chapter by raising some questions related to policy, teacher practice, and science teacher education, which we feel are critical for promoting the academic success of LM/ELL students in K-12 science classrooms in the USA.

Supporting Language Learners in Science Classrooms: Insights from Middle-School English Language Learner Students.

ABSTRACT Increases in the number of English language learner (ELL) students in the United States has led to a significant need for research that explores teaching and learning for ELL students in science and other content-area classrooms. This qualitative study investigated middle-school ELL students’ (N = 12) beliefs and practices surrounding science learning. We explore the instructional opportunities that are lost when teachers do not take student voice into consideration when designing and implementing curricula. We contextualize these findings by relating them to a commonly used instructional model for integrating language and content instruction. We conclude with implications for teacher education and in-service teacher professional development.

Barriers, Resources, Frustrations, and Empathy: Teachers’ Expectations for Family Involvement for Latino/a ELL Students in Urban STEM Classrooms:

The importance of family involvement in education is well documented, yet no studies have explored teachers’ conceptualization of family involvement for urban English Language Learner (ELL) students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms. We used an ethnographic approach to investigate middle school STEM educators’ perspectives on family involvement for Spanish-speaking ELL students. The analysis revealed that the participants recognized barriers to involvement for families of ELL students, yet maintained that families should communicate more and help with homework. One participant’s practices and expectations served as a contradiction to these patterns. Implications and recommendations for P-12 school policy and teacher education are emphasized.

Counter engagement: parents refusing high stakes testing and questioning policy in the era of the common core

Abstract This study is a critical discourse analysis of the New Jersey Opt-Out Movement. In 2015, and in response to the increasing standardization of US public school instruction, and over-use of high-stakes testing, NJ parents began to refuse to allow their children to take a key end-of-the year exam, the PARCC. We employ the concepts of master and counter narratives to exam the qualitative data that was collected in an online-questionnaire, a focus group, and refusal letters. We argue that these parents have refused this exam for their children based on differing reasons, that parents effectively changed the master narrative of the PARCC to grow their movement, and their refusal letters were key in promoting a new counter narrative.