Meeting the Literacy Development Needs of Adolescent English Language Learners through Content-Area Learning. Part Two: Focus on Classroom Teaching and Learning Strategies.

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Since 1975, The Education Alliance, a department at Brown University, has helped the education community improve schooling for our children. We conduct applied research and evaluation, and provide technical assistance and informational resources to connect research and practice, build knowledge and skills, and meet critical needs in the fi eld. With offi ces in Rhode Island, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and a dedicated team of over 100 skilled professionals, we provide services and resources to K-16 institutions across the country and beyond. As we work with educators, we customize our programs to the specifi c needs of our clients. to improve teaching and learning, advance school improvement, build capacity for reform, and develop strategic alliances with key members of the region’s education and policymaking community. The LAB develops educational products and services for school administrators, policymakers, teachers, and parents in New England, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Central to our efforts is a commitment to equity and excellence. Information about all Alliance programs and services is available by contacting: conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not Project at the LAB over the past fi ve years, she has authored/developed many research grounded publications and professional development and technical assistance resources, including the Adolescent Literacy Support Framework, the Adolescent Literacy in the Content Areas Web site on The Knowledge Loom (http://knowledgeloom. Education Alliance, in press). 1 Today, English language learners (ELLs) represent an increasing proportion of U.S. middle and high school enrollment. As a result, mainstream content-area teachers are more likely than ever to have ELLs in their classrooms. At the same time, education policymakers and researchers are increasingly calling for improved academic literacy development and performance for all adolescents. The research on recommended practices to promote mainstream adolescents’ academic literacy development across the content areas and the research on effective content-area instruction of ELLs in middle and high schools overlap substantially, suggesting that mainstream teachers who use effective practices for adolescents’ content-area literacy development will be using many of the practices that are recommended for those trained to work with ELLs. Such practices appear to support the literacy development and content-area learning of both ELLs and other adolescents. Eight instructional practices are supported by both literatures: (1) teacher modeling, strategy instruction, and using multiple forms of assessment; (2) emphasis on reading and writing; (3) emphasis