Building a Bridge Without a Toll Booth: Addressing the Professional Development Needs of Teachers of English Learners

Building a Bridge Without a Toll Booth: Addressing the Professional Development Needs of Teachers of Long Term English LearnersFacilitator: LuzElena Perez, MPA Literacy Specialist, Escondido Union High School District, CAUCSD & CSUSM Ed.D Candidate

The bridge metaphorWhat does it mean to build a bridge?Whats on either side of the bridge?Who crosses the bridge? What tools do bridge makers need?

Goals of this Workshop:To consider and discuss:The professional development needs of teachers of English Learners.The research regarding expectations, beliefs and attitudes that teachers hold of minority students.The role that coaching can play in addressing the needs of teachers of English Learners.Explore the potential for meta-studies.Learn about EUHSDs journey.Areas of Research4Your English LearnersWhat data do you collect regarding ELs?How is the data used?Who uses the data?What additional data would you like to collect?Who else could benefit from the data collected?Latino students score well below their White peers on the NAEP reading and math assessments. For each age group, the average gap is more than 20 points in both reading and math.

NAEP is the National Assessment on Educational Progress, it is commonly referred to as the nations report card. The achievement gap: Achievement Gap

Dropout rates: Latino dropout rates are the highest of any major ethnic group in the United States.

Reason: low academic achievement. One-third of all Latino students perform below grade level, this increases their chances of dropping out from 50% to 98%.

Economic Impact of the Latino Achievement gap: A recent study found that :The achievement gap was the equivalent of a permanent national recession.

Had the achievement gap between black and Latino student performance and white student performance been closed the "Gross Domestic Product in 2008 would have been between $310 billion and $525 billion higher" (p.17).

Health and civic engagement impacts of the achievement gap.

The study concludes that "lagging achievement is a problem for poor and minority children and for the broad middle class" (p. 21).

McKinsey & Company (2009). The economic impact of the achievement gap in America's schools. Retrieved, from http://www.mckinsey.com/App_Media/Images/Page_Images/Offices/SocialSector/PDF/achievement_gap_report.pdf Long Term English LearnersLong-term ELs have become the largest EL student population in California.

LTEL schooling issues are very distinct from those of immigrant ELs.

After at least six years of schooling in the United States, these students have not demonstrated mastery of academic English.

As LTEL students become a growing majority in high school classrooms, their academic achievement continues to be of concern. In order to understand their learning environments, this proposed research aims to enhance the limited research concerning the expectations, attitudes and beliefs that are held by teachers of minority studentsThe last part is difficult to understand.

9Nativity and generation for Limited English Proficient (LEP) adolescentsThe fact that over half (56 %) of LEP children in secondary schools are U.S.-born makes it clear that many children are not learning English even after seven or more years in school.Source: U.S. Census of Population and Housing, 1 percent PUMS, 2000 as cited in Capps et al., (2005)10Deficit views could be part of the problem:Deficit views:Research regarding teaching practices towards minority students highlights the deficit views and low expectations held by many teachers of non-White students (den Brok & Levy, 2005; Fritzberg, 2001; Tenenbaum & Ruck, 2007).

Deficit views have an adverse impact on the learning environments of minority students (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968).

Most reform efforts, professional development initiatives, or accountability reports fail to focus on or consider the views teachers hold of their minority students as a factor.

Theoretical framework on PD and teacher change:

Guskey (1986) Model of Teacher ChangeWhat kind?Which practices?Measured by?Equity beliefs?What kind of PD?What kind of PD do your teachers of Els receive?Skill basedAddress practicesReflectiveRequire active engagementFoster team workWhat issues are addressed transactional ones or transformative ones?Which Practices?What do you know about the practices your teachers of ELs employ in their teaching?

How could you learn more?

Which practices would you encourage?How?

Which practices would you discourage?How?

This is a great starting point in designing PD. Measuring student learningHow do you measure EL student learning?

How often is their learning measured?

What feedback do students receive?

How are Language Development standards incorporated in the assessment of language development and content learning?den Brok & Levy, (2005) Theoretical Framework:Ethnic backgrounds and student outcomesProfessional development can address teacher awareness of beliefs, expectations and views.Teacher beliefs influence expectations which impact student achievement.Coaching can provide an effective approach to addressing teacher beliefs, expectations and views.17Instructional CoachingTransfer of skills and theory to the classroom is less than 5% in traditional PD, it is over 80% with coaching. Coaching is a critical component in PD. Showers, Joyce, & Bennett, (1987); Garret et al. (2001); Mahn et al. (2005); Russo (2004)

Coaching can improve student learning. (Greene, 2004)

Just as teaching cannot occur in a context free of culture, neither does coaching. (Lindsey, D. 2010)

Instructional coaching can and should address issues of beliefs, expectations and attitudes with teachers of Els.

Areas of Research: Learning Environments of Minority Students19How can we study teacher beliefs?Teacher beliefs have been studied in quantitative research projects and have yielded descriptive findings.

Studies that seek to explain a phenomenon are generally qualitative studies with a grounded theory epistemology.

In order to understand this phenomenon with the goal of theory building research that synthesizes various studies. Theory Related PurposesTheory BuildingTheory ExplicationTheory DevelopmentSchrieber et al. 1997 p. 315 in Zimmer, L. (2006 p.313) Theory explication: Lateral and deductive analytic process where an abstract concept in one study is filled out through synthesis of findings from other studies.Theory building: Findings from diverse sources can be used to push the level of theory beyond the level possible using only one data from one sample.Theory development: Synthesis of findings into a product that is thickly descriptive, and comprehensive and thus more complete than any of the constituent studies alone.

21Qualitative Meta-StudyApplication of meta-analysis methodology in the quantitative field is common, quantitative meta-analysis provides the field with an tool to generalize findings across quantitative studies.

What happens then when a field of research has generally focused on qualitative studies?

How can a researcher apply a meta-analytical approach to a research question that calls for meta-analysis of qualitative research?

Goals of Qualitative Meta-StudyRationale for this methodology:Due to the breadth and scope provided by incorporating findings from many studies, meta-synthesis are potentially more reflective of a generalizable reality than those that single studies alone can provide. Meta-Synthetic Model Paterson et al. (2001)Analytic stepsStep 1:Laying the groundworkEstablish a research teamDetermine the purpose of the studyDevelop a research questionSelect a theoretical frameworkStep 2:Retrieval and assessmentInclusion and exclusion criteriaEvaluation of quality of studiesData management strategiesStep 3:Meta-data analysisHermeneutic and dialectic approachesSystem for grouping dataMethod, Sample, Date of publication, Issues of the phenomenon of interestSelection of data analysis methodStep 4:Meta-methodComparison of research designMethodological assumptionsAppraisal of themes and patternsStep 5:Meta-theoryAnalysis of primary studies for the implications of their theoretical orientationsFuture theory developmentStep 6:Meta-synthesisDynamic and iterative process of thinking, creating, theorizing and reflecting.Purpose is to deconstruct current ideas about a phenomenon and come to a deeper more socially responsible theoretical understanding. Potential of the meta-studyApplication of a meta-synthesis will push this methodology in educational research in general, specifically it will advance theory development regarding teacher beliefs of minority and language minority students.

Theory regarding teacher beliefs can become instrumental in the design of PD.

Theory regarding teacher beliefs can greatly benefit the work of instructional coaches. Theoretical framework on PD and teacher change:

Guskey (1986) Model of Teacher ChangeWhat kind?Which practices?Measured by?Equity beliefs?Theoretical framework on PD and teacher change:Guskey (1986) Model of Teacher ChangeReflective workshops with coaching.Transformative teaching.Measured by quantitative and qualitative data.High expectations, strength based beliefs and affirming attitudes28Returning to the bridge metaphorWhat does it mean to build a bridge?Whats on either side of the bridge?Who crosses the bridge? What tools do bridge makers need?

How can you in your role help build the needed bridges?

Suggested strategies:Collect data that matters.Design PD based on data.Mandate PD to teachers of ELs.PD must include reflective inquiry questions that address beliefs, attitudes and expectations. PD needs to be outcome driven = student achievement.Support teachers through coaching.Coaches need to be trained in issues of cultural proficiency.

How EUHSD has done this:Gathered and analyzed disaggregated data on our high stakes tests (California State Test) for each content area (Social Studies, Science, Math and Language Arts).We found that on any given test only 3% of our Els had scored proficient or higher. We also looked at our placement policies for EL students. Workshops were designed to enhance Content Literacy for all science and social studies teachers.The workshops are compulsory. The workshops are not sit and get trainings.

How EUHSD has done this, cont.:6.In each workshop we focus on how we can apply content literacy strategies to increase student achievement.7.Admin teams received an overview of the workshops and participate in guided walk-throughs of classrooms of participating teachers to discuss implementation of the strategies and practices. 8.Reflective questions address teaching practices. 9.Teachers receive support on campus through the literacy coach and a team of teachers called the Advanced SDAIE team. 10.Advanced SDAIE teachers have received extensive training in SDAIE, present strategies at each monthly staff meeting, hold SDAIE lunches and facilitate SDAIE PLCs. As a group we meet 4 times a year and participate in book club blog. We are currently reading Culturally Proficient Coaching.

Our district had just finished a 3 year initiative know as PROMISE prior to the implementation of the workshops. Reviewing the goals of this workshop:Did we consider and discuss:The professional development needs of teachers of English Learners.The research regarding expectations, beliefs and attitudes that teachers hold of minority students.The role that coaching can play in addressing the needs of teachers of English Learners.Questions and comments:LuzElena PerezLiteracy SpecialistEscondido Union High School DistrictEscondido, CAleperez@ucsd.edu orlperez@euhsd.k12.ca.us