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Linguistically responsive teachers are those with expertise for teaching students who speak home languages other than the language used in school and are developing proficiency in that language while simultaneously learning academic content and skills through the language. In the United States, these students are generally referred to as English language learners (ELLs). Linguistically responsive teacher education refers to programs purposefully designed to ensure that all teachers develop the expertise for teaching ELLs. The programs discussed in this entry are those designed to prepare general classroom teachers—not specialists in English as a second language (ESL) or bilingual education. The entry presents arguments put forward in support of linguistically responsive teacher education. It then describes the content of the linguistically responsive teacher education program curriculum and describes strategies used in developing such programs.

Arguments in Support of Linguistically Responsive Teacher Education

In a few states with historically large numbers of ELLs (California and Florida, for example), educators and policymakers have recognized for some time that all teachers need to be prepared to teach ELLs. The great majority of state education agencies and decisionmakers, however, began to give serious attention to this need only in the early part of the 21st century. Two major arguments have been put forth in support of linguistically responsive teacher education.

Increasing Inclusion of ELLs in General Education Classes

A compelling argument is that growing numbers of classroom teachers need preparation for teaching ELLs because these students are increasingly included in general education classes. The trend toward greater inclusion of ELLs has resulted from three influences: demographic changes, political trends, and federal education policy.

Demographic Changes

The number of school-age students in the United States who speak home languages other than English has increased substantially in the past few decades. The U.S. Department of Education reported an increase in this population from 9% to 19% between 1979 and 2004. An especially telling demographic trend is the growing presence of ELLs in areas of the United States where they have been minimally present in the past. According to a 2009 Education Week report, states with at least a 200% increase in school-age ELLs between 1995 and 2005 included Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Nebraska. In regions only recently experiencing growth in the ELL student population and even in geographic areas with historically large numbers of ELLs, there are not enough teachers with expertise for teaching them in general education classrooms or in ESL and bilingual classes.

Political Trends

Political trends have also led to greater inclusion of ELLs in general education. A new wave of anti-immigrant sentiment has arisen in the United States in recent years, with accompanying calls for formal English-only laws and policies. In this context, several states and school districts have reduced support for ELL education. Initiatives in California (Proposition 227 in 1998), Arizona (Proposition 203 in 2000), and Massachusetts (Question No. 3 in 2002) reduced support for special courses and programs for ELLs—especially for bilingual education. These reductions have resulted in more ELLs in general classes.

Federal Education Policy

Federal education policy is the third influence leading to increased inclusion of ELLs. Emblematic of policy changes in the first decade of the 21st century, the U.S. Department of Education in 2002 changed the name of the Office of Bilingual Education and Language Minority Affairs, renaming it the Office of English Language Acquisition. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 had a major impact on the education of ELLs as it did on many aspects of U.S. public education. NCLB instituted several policies that resulted in the swift placement of ELLs in general education classes: reduced time allowed for ELLs to remain in ESL or bilingual programs, the requirement that they take standardized tests in English after 3 years in U.S. schools, and NCLB's almost exclusive emphasis on core content knowledge and its accompanying silence on teacher expertise in language and culture. All of these influences—demographic changes, political trends, and federal education policies—resulted in more ELLs in general classes, which in turn led to the call for all teachers to be better prepared to teach them.

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