abstract: No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2001) was a tipping point for the requirement of academic and English language proficiency standards. Yet, there continue to be variations among English language proficiency standards linked and aligned to academic content standards across states, districts, and schools (Golden, 2011). The purpose of this research was to examine how the requirement of only linking language proficiency standards to academic content standards has impacted the quality of Arizona English Language Proficiency Standards with the Common Core English Language Arts State Standards and WIDA Standards at grades 2, 7, and 9. A modified version of Cook's (2007) method was used to determine the standards alignment as well as common and uncommon knowledge between the sets of standard. Results indicate no alignment and limited linkage. Findings also showed absence of grade-level academic content and academic language. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of school and district leaders about fostering teacher leadership, specifically to support emergent bilingual and Latinx students in a public school district in the state of Massachusetts. The most recent model of transformational leadership developed from Leithwood’s research in schools (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000) served as the conceptual framework. Data collection included 13 individual semi-structured interviews with district, building and teacher leaders as well as field notes and document reviews. Findings indicated that school and district leaders perceived they support formal and informal teacher leadership practices for emergent bilingual and Latinx students. Top-down approaches to collaboration and professional development impacted the development of teachers as leaders, creating barriers and challenges in each of three components of transformational leadership (setting direction, developing people, and redesigning the organization). Recommendations include establishing a collective vision for promoting and developing teacher leadership. Future research could be designed to better understand how teacher leadership is enacted to support issues around equity and social justice, and how we might encourage more teacher leadership among marginalized groups. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

This study examined the mathematical thinking of English learners as they were taught mathematics vocabulary through research-based methods. Four English learners served as focus students. After administering a pre-performance assessment, I taught a 10-lesson unit on fractions. I taught mathematics vocabulary through the use of a mathematics word wall, think-pair-shares, graphic organizers, journal entries, and picture dictionaries. The four focus students were audio recorded to capture their spoken discourse. Student work was collected to capture written discourse. Over the course of the unit, the four focus students used the mathematics vocabulary words that were taught explicitly. The focus students gained both procedural and conceptual knowledge of fractions during this unit. Students also expressed elevated confidence in their mathematics abilities.

It is important for elementary teachers to provide quality mathematics instruction for English Learner (EL) students to close achievement gaps. Elementary mathematics teachers in the Keystone School District were struggling to implement instructional practices for EL students in mathematics as evidenced by communications with teachers, administrators, and documents from the state-required action plan. The purpose of this study was to explore the instructional practices and the challenges encountered by teachers related to providing mathematics instruction for ELs. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Model served as the conceptual framework. The research questions focused on the instructional practices that teachers were implementing related to building background knowledge, student interactions, application, and teacher challenges. This study used a qualitative case study design with data being collected through interviews and observations of 8 teachers in 1st through 5th grades. Data analysis was conducted by coding and thematic analysis. The results showed a gap in practice related to supporting ELs during mathematics interactions and measures of accountability. Teachers reported challenges related to the lack of accurate assessments and appropriate instructional resources for ELs in mathematics. Based on the findings of this project study, a professional development program was developed to provide teachers with the knowledge, skills, and resources to support EL students in mathematics. This study has implications for positive social change by preparing teachers to provide effective mathematics instruction for EL students through the professional development program as well as informing future district decisions related to EL students in mathematics.

This study reports reanalyzed findings from three separate studies that examined the impact of professional development on teachers’ instructional change. The commonality among the studies was content area teachers’ resistance to ESL pedagogy, which inspired the current study in its undertaking and analysis of pooled data. The study aimed to more closely examine the effect of teacher resistance on reform efforts and ultimately its impact on English Learners’ (ELs) academic achievement. The reanalyzed findings show that all participants held strong feelings of resentment toward external mandates that required any change to their current teaching practices. This study determined that professional development alone cannot induce true reform for ELs in the classroom as long as teachers are reluctant to transform themselves.

English Learners represent 18.6% of the entire California public school population or 1.1 million students; 81.4% speak Spanish (California Department of Education [CDE], 2021b). Historically, English Learners have experienced inequitable educational opportunities when compared to their English-only counterparts in California (Gándara & Contreras, 2010; Gándara et al., 2003; Perez Huber et al., 2015; Rumberger & Gándara, 2004), which has led to low educational achievement CDE, 2019a; Gándara & Mordechay, 2017; Olsen, 2010). To address underserved students’ inequitable educational opportunities throughout California, then-Governor Edmund G. Brown signed into law the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in 2013. The LCFF provides equitable funding to schools that serve targeted student groups, including low-income students, foster youth, and English Learners. As part of the policy, the State mandates that districts engage local stakeholders (e.g., families, students, and community members) in the development of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) (EC 52060). The LCAP is a three-year plan where districts document the strategies and funding allocations they will complete for the school year, with a concentrated effort to provide equitable opportunities for targeted subgroups, such as English Learners. Latino parent leaders historically have experienced barriers in the parent engagement process (Olivos, 2004, 2006). This phenomenological study used the critical methodology of testimonios to document the experiences of Latina parent leaders in their participation in the LCAP process. The study recruited eight parent leaders across four districts in Los Angeles County. The findings from this study emphasize that the school system is not neutral. Instead, it is an instrument of cultural hegemony, which negatively impacted the Latina parent leaders’ meaningful engagement in the LCAP process. The testimonios revealed the importance of community organizations in the LCAP experience for Latino parent leaders and their ability to help disrupt the school system’s power imbalance.

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This study aimed to analyse Swedish EFL students' efficiency on connotations. Connotation isa word's implied meaning which brings neutral, positive, or negative associations in aconversation. In this study, connotations were examined in terms of their appropriateness ifused in different contexts. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether Swedishstudents of an intermediate level showed sufficient skills in comprehending a word'sappropriateness when compared to a native speaker. Furthermore, this study also aimed toanalyse in what ways students engaged in English during their spare time show a correlation tohigher test scores. The results indicate that the Swedish students' combined score on theconnotation test showed less than half of the full score. The results also highlight that thestudents who are engaged in English more frequently compared to those who are not showedhigher test scores.

Dyad reading, a modified version of the Neurological Impress Method, does not seem to be widely used, although it appears to have the potential to support students at multiple levels of reading proficiency. Dyad reading was implemented in this study with two second-grade English Learners (ELs) paired with English-proficient partners using both fiction and nonfiction texts. This qualitative study employed an action research method, using the following data sources: video observations, student interviews, weekly dyad observations, anecdotal notes, and weekly written reflections.This study reveals that implementing dyad reading is complex. Participants needed modeling and practice with dyad reading procedures, but they learned them over time. The nature of the relationship between partners dramatically affected their dyad reading experience. Each partner had unique strengths and weaknesses that either helped or hindered the collaborative process. The participants, who had limited exposure to nonfiction texts prior to the study, indicated a clear understanding of and appreciation for both fiction and nonfiction. Of these two major genres, nonfiction provided more opportunities for partners to interact and have discussions during dyad reading. ELs appeared to grow in confidence as readers and experienced a sense of satisfaction and success. Adaptations made during the study that improved dyad reading for participants included having daily class discussions, using book logs to increase student accountability, refreshing the classroom library often, and encouraging more discussion between partners about texts.Dyad reading can be used successfully with second-grade ELs who are assisted readers. Participants recognized the value of having competent lead readers who could help them with their reading and with whom they could share the reading experience. Action research methodology provided opportunities to make changes as needed throughout the study. Some adaptations for future practice emerged. Foremost among these recommended adaptations is the inclusion of two additional dyad reading procedures: preview and plan, and stop and share.