Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners

Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners

Language Learners

Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice

Excerpted from Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, & Practice, Fourth Edition by Wayne E. Wright, Ph.D. Copyright © 2025 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

WAYNE E. WRIGHT, PH.D.

Purdue University College of Education

CONTENTS

About the Companion Website .vii

About the Author .ix

Preface .xi

Acknowledgments .xix

1. Who Are English Language Learners? .1

2. Language .35

3. Language Learning and Teaching .55

4. Language and Education Policy .75

5. Instructional Models and Programs .101

6. Assessment .139

7. Listening and Speaking .173

8. Reading .213

9. Writing .255

10. Content-Area Instruction .299

11. Translanguaging, Effective Instruction, and Advocacy .333

Glossary .359

Youth and Children’s Literature .375

References .377

Index .403

About the Author

Wayne E. Wright, Ph.D., Purdue University College of Education
Dr. Wayne E. Wright is Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Programs, and Faculty Development and the Barbara I. Cook Chair of Literacy and Language (with a focus on English language learners) in the College of Education at Purdue University. He is the co-principal investigator on over $10 million in federal grants focused on improving English language learning, bilingual education, and literacy instruction. Dr. Wright completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees at California State University Long Beach and his Ph.D. at Arizona State University. He has also studied Advanced Khmer (Cambodian) at Cornell University through the Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institute. He is a former ESL and bilingual teacher in Long Beach, California, where he helped establish one of the first Cambodian bilingual programs in the country. He also served with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to help develop the (Bilingual) Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD/BCLAD) teacher licensing assessments.

Dr. Wright has extensive experience in Cambodia, where he taught ESL; provided graduate education training; provided teacher professional development; and conducted research on multilingual mother-tongue education, content and language integrated learning, and other language policy- and education-related issues. Dr. Wright has more than 25 years of experience as a teacher educator, preparing both pre-service and in-service teachers to work effectively with students classified as English language learners and with other multilingual learners.

Dr. Wright has published broadly in the areas of language, education, and assessment policy and programs for language minoritized students. His research has addressed the impacts of federal and state high-stakes testing policies; antibilingual education voter initiatives; and equitable policies, practices, and instruction for students classified as ELLs and other multilingual learners. Dr. Wright has been a Fulbright Scholar and has received several prestigious awards, including the Charles A. Fergusson Award for Outstanding Scholarship and the James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Planning and Policy in Education Contexts.

Preface

Teaching multilingual learners classified as English language learners (ELLs) is an integral part of K–12 education today in the United States. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 10% of the total U.S. student population is classified as ELL, with considerable variation across rural, suburban, urban, geographic, and socioeconomic contexts. Although states, teacher education programs, and districts require different coursework and competencies in ELL education, all educators—including general education and content-area teachers as well as literacy, special education, and English language development (ELD) specialists—share responsibility for ELL students. Wayne E. Wright’s fourth edition of Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice prepares all teachers to integrate ELL students into their classes, engage all students with rigorous standards-aligned curriculum and texts, promote the development of oral and written English for academic purposes, and get students to graduation. At the same time, this text shows teachers how to create enriching linguistically and culturally responsive classrooms and schools that benefit all students.

Educators need to remember that ELLs are, in fact, multilingual learners who draw on all of the languages in their linguistic repertoires as resources for learning. However, not all multilingual learners are officially classified as ELLs. In many districts, the academic mainstream includes a large population of “English speakers” who also speak languages other than English at home. Today, we find more multilingual learners—from more diverse backgrounds, enrolled in schools across the United States—than ever before. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, approximately 22% of children in the United States speak a language other than English at home, and more than 350 different languages are represented, including many indigenous languages. Critics argue that defining "ELLs" or "English speakers" simply in terms of English renders the home languages of these students invisible in the general education classroom. The fourth edition of Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners encourages a strong language-as-resource orientation, not only for ELLs, but for all students.

NEW TO THE FOURTH EDITION

There have been many shifts in demographics, research, theory, policy, and practice since the third edition of this book was published. The fourth edition updates, reviews, synthesizes, and critiques each of these areas as they relate to multilingual learners classified as ELL students.

The book makes explicit connections among theory, research, policy, and practice, ensuring that educators are prepared to address the needs of ELL students effectively. Special features provide opportunities for educators to engage with the material in meaningful ways, enhancing their understanding and application of concepts throughout the text.