American Educational Research Association > Events & Meetings > Annual Meeting > Previous Annual Meetings > 2012 Annual Meeting > Annual Meeting 2012 Details > <i>Vancouver Preview, </i> April 14, 2012 > Division K Promoting Educator Agency
Division K Promoting Educator Agency
 
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Session title:

Promoting Educator Agency: Navigating Restrictive Policy Environments Through Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners

Education Research Helps Teachers Cope With the Challenges of the New Arizona Law

Arizona has implemented one of the most restrictive educational language policies in the nation, affecting students, teachers, classrooms, and teacher educators and contributing to a persisting achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs (Rumberger & Tran, 2010; Losen, 2010; Garcia, Lawton, & Diniz de Figueiredo, 2010).

In light of this restrictive reality, the Institute for Teachers of English Language Learners (ITELL) was created. It represents a collaboration between a major university in Arizona and three school districts from the Phoenix metropolitan area. The aim was to construct and present a research-based model (within the confinements of the current policy) that addresses ELLs’ learning of academic English, utilizing the resources of students and families and extended educational opportunities, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the students’ academic achievement. To achieve this purpose, ITELL focused on three objectives:

(1) Provide professional development combining state-of-the-art technology with teaching methods that reflect best practices in ELD. Rationale: Direct link between ELLs’ achievement and the expertise/experience of their classroom teacher (e.g. Garcia, 2002; Garcia, 2005).

(2) Increase opportunities for children to participate in before/after-school and/or summer school programs. Rationale: Expanding ELLs’ opportunities to learn is a prerequisite for increasing their academic achievement, particularly in Grades 1–4 (National Task Force on Early Education for Hispanics, 2007).

(3) Implement PIQE, Abriendo Puertas, and other programs whose effectiveness in promoting parental engagement is well documented. Rationale: Parental engagement of ELLs is positively associated with academic performance (Jensen, 2007).

Division K – Teaching and Teacher Education
Section 8: Teacher Professional Development: Impact on Teacher Practices and Student Learning

Schedule Information:

Time: Saturday, April 14, 8:15 a.m.–9:45 a.m.  

Building/Room: Vancouver Convention Centre, Second Level – East Room 19&20

Session Participants:

Overview: The ITELL (Institute for Teachers of English Language Learners) Project Model for Teachers of English Language Learners

Eugene E. Garcia (Arizona State University)

Professional Development Reflected in English Language Learner Classrooms

Margarita Jimenez-Silva (Arizona State University)Tracy R. Nguyen (Arizona State University)

English Language Learners’ Professional Development Reflects Educator Agency

M. Beatriz Arias (Arizona State University)Amy M. Markos (Arizona State University)

ITELL (Institute for Teachers of English Language Learners) Quantitative Outcomes: Assessing the English Language Learner Professional Development Model

Kerry Chasec (Arizona State University)Eduardo Henrique Diniz De Figueiredo

Chair: Eugene E. Garcia (Arizona State University) 

Discussant: Luis C. Moll (The University of Arizona)