Reflection on "Reviews Find ELL Programs Lacking in Four Districts"

"Reviews Find ELL Programs Lacking in Four Districts", written by Mary Ann Zehr, was published online July 30, 2010.  This article caught my attention because I am particularly interested in working with English Language Learners or ELL students.  I have already worked with some ELL elementary students on a volunteer basis, providing extra support in reading.

According to the article, reviews of four urban school districts (Boston, Buffalo, NY, Seattle, and Portland) found that these school districts did not provide services and assistance to learn English to all the students entitled to it under federal law.  The Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Education, state governments, and private, independent groups are now investigating ELL programs all around the country.  There is concern that the civil rights of ELL students are being violated because schools are not providing English language support, and ELL students, thus, do not have equal access to education.  This violates the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974.  School District Officials  have identified the following problems they are having:

1.  They are confused about how to apply federal civil rights laws to the education of ELL students. 

2.  Districts are not sure when it is appropriate to move students out of ELL programs.

3.  In some states, parents can choose to have their child "opt out" of ELL programs.

4.  There is a lack of clarity on how best to identify ELL students.  Some districts use a "Home Language Survey" completed by parents and others are screening or interviewing students.  Some districts have bilingual staff conducting the interviews and some do not.  One district only evaluated speaking and listening, but not reading and writing.

5.  Districts are also sometimes unprepared to handle unexpected, large numbers of immigrants.

This is clearly a complicated issue and many state and federal agencies are involved.  One could even argue that "too many cooks spoil the soup."  Perhaps a task force or a board with representatives from all the government agencies, private institutions, and universities could be established to look into these issues.  This article brought up several questions for me.  If we are not meeting the needs of ELL students in Portland, Boston, Buffalo, and Seattle, are there any districts around the country that are doing a better job?  If so, what are these districts doing?  What does the research tell us about how to help ELL students be successful?