8Too often in classrooms, English Learners are described by what they cannot do, rather than by what they can do. Particularly in mainstream classrooms in which teachers have little or no training in how to meet their needs, ELs are seen through a deficit lens. In No More Low Expectations for English Learners, esteemed EL researcher Jana Echevarria argues that teacher attitude affects student achievement, and describes what best practice methods for supporting ELs academic achievement look like. Julie Nora, an educator and advocate, offers strategies to provide the instructional supports ELs need for both language acquisition and content-area learning.
Together, Julie and Jana provide a framework of understandings and practices to make you a more capable teacher of English Learners.