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Reports on English Language Learner Education Massachusetts Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools. The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, UMass Boston. Using 4 years of student-level demographic, enrollment and testing and school-level characteristics, this study analyzes the enrollment and outcomes of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Boston Public School between SY2006 and SY2009 and assess the relative impact of individual and school level factors in testing outcomes of ELLs. The study reports on the improvement in ELL dropout rates and testing outcomes during the period of observation. It reports also on the outcomes of ELLs at different levels of English proficiency and finds (1) higher dropout rates and lower testing performance among low English proficiency students; (2) a minimal proportion of students reaching academic language proficiency within the period of observation; and (3) particularly deep vulnerability among ELLs of low English proficiency entering district school in middle school and high school. In the assessment of individual and school-level factors in the testing outcomes of ELL students, the study finds English proficiency and designation as a student with disabilities are the strongest predictors of testing outcomes. Finally, the report focuses on the policy implications of these findings in view of the state’s language restrictive policies affecting the education of ELLs in Massachusetts. District level administrative and programmatic recommendations as well a state policy recommendations are provided. College Success: How Students Are Making It: Perspectives on Getting Through College from Recent Graduates of the Boston Public Schools. The Boston Foundation and the Boston Partnership for Higher Education, June 2011. Despite our region's higher than average demand for workers with postsecondary degrees, college completion rates for Boston Public Schools graduates are low. Only 28% of non-exam school graduates from the class of 2003 who enrolled in college had obtained a degree six years later. Join us for the discussion of a new report that reflects the experiences of Boston Public Schools graduates in college – in their own words – and explores the similarities and differences among those who are struggling and those who are making it. (Note: Although English Language Learners are not specifically addressed in this report, 64% of students in the study had parents who were born outside the U.S. and 40% primarily spoke a language other than English at home.) View Report Adult ESOL: Breaking the Language Barrier: A Report on English Language Services in Greater Boston. The Boston Foundation, March 2011. At a time when Greater Boston needs all hands on deck to remain competitive in the global economy, immigrants represent the growth tip for Greater Boston and bring with them a tremendous amount of initiative and intelligence. Too many immigrants, however, are not receiving the English language services they need to thrive and contribute to our community and workforce. As revealed in this report, significant percentages of these very people on which our future depends are facing high hurdles in every aspect of their lives – from education to health to employment – all of the elements that must fall into place before they can truly thrive. Access to ESOL services can have a profound and positive impact on the lives of these individuals and their families. View Report ELLs with Disabilities: An Imperative for Change Bridging Special and Language Learning Education to Ensure a Free and Appropriate Education in the Least Restrictive Environment for ELLs with Disabilities in Massachusetts. Dr. Maria de Lourdes B. Serpa, The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, UMass Boston. View Report Proficiency Gap: Halting the Race to the Bottom: Urgent Interventions for the Improvement of the Education of English Language Learners in Massachusetts and Selected Districts. Final Report of the English Language Learners Sub-Committee of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Committee on the Proficiency Gap, December 2009. View Report Mass Education Reform: Incomplete Grade: Massachusetts Education Reform at Fifteen. MassINC, May 2009. As Education Reform has been implemented, there has been an accumulating body of evidence about successful practices of high-performing schools that educate predominantly low-income students. In general, these schools use different methods from those of the typical public school. Their guiding premise is that low-income students will require a more intensive education experience than middle-class students. They need more time in class, better-trained teachers, and a rigorous curriculum to enable them to achieve at high levels. View Report After Question 2 English Learners in Boston Public Schools in the Aftermath of Policy Change: Enrollment and Educational Outcomes, AY2003-AY2006. The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, UMass Boston. View Report In the Aftermath of Question 2: Students with LEP in MA. The MA Office of Refugees & Immigrants, June 2010. View Report Drop Outs: Project Drop Out from WBUR and WGBH. View Web Site General ELLs and Assessment: Strengthening Assessment for English Learner Success: How Can the Promise of the Common Core Standards and Innovative Assessment Systems Be Realized? By Robert Linquanti in The Road Ahead for State Assessments from Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). View Report ELL Program Models: How should we teach English language learners? by Claudio Sanchez on NPR. Listen to report |
