Children Left Behind: ESL in U.S. Public Schools

By Madelyne Felsch, Kelsie Lawson, and Helen Gottschalk Sponsored by Walter Vannette, and the Department of Anthropology at NAU  

• Clark, Kevin                                                2009 The Case Study for Structured English Immersion. Educational Leadership 66(7):42-46• Ernst-Slavit, Gisela, Moore, Monica and Maloney, Carol         2002 Changing Lives: Teaching English and Literature to ESL Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.• ESL Classroom and Cultural Sensitivity        2013 YourDictionary http://esl.yourdictionary.com/lesson-plans/esl_classroom-and-cultural_sensitivity.html• Evans et al. 

         2005 Making Ends Meet: Bringing Bilingual Education and Mainstream Students Together in Preservice Teacher Education. Equity & Excellence in Education. • Harper, Candace and de Jong, E.J.        2009 English language teacher expertise: the elephant in the room. Language & Education: An International Journal.• Hirsch, Elizabeth        2012 A Statistical Look at English Proficiency in U.S. Schools. Oxford University Press

• Johnson, E. Brandt, E.         2009 Targeting Diversity: A Critical Account of Language Policy and Public Education. Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy.• Limited-English Students Test Public Schools         2012 Face the Facts. http://www.facethefactsusa.org/facts/limited-english-students-test-public-schools/• Mizne, Claire Ann

   2002 Teaching Sociolinguistic Competence in the ESL Classroom. Trace:Tennessee Research and Creative

Exchange.• Morley, Miranda

   2013 The Importance of Cultural Awareness in the ESL Classroom. Electronic document, http://www.ehow.com/info_7843745_   importance-cultural-awareness-esl-classroom.html 

• Morrissey, Ed         2009 New Study Confirms the Long-Term ESL Programs Trap Students. Hot Air News.

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• National Geographic. Encyclopedia Entry: Anthropology. National Geographic Society.• Understanding ESL Learners: Moving Toward Cultural Responsiveness— A Guide for Teachers         2010 English as a Second Language Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association

Structured English Immersion (SEI)

Structured English Immersion, or SEI is one of the most popular methods for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in public schools (Clark 2009). All SEI materials and instructions must be in English and must use instructional methods that treat English as a foreign language by mostly concentrating on understanding the mechanics of English.

In 1983 SEI had been recommended to schools to teach English to non-native English speakers by using characteristics from successful French immersion programs in Canada. SEI programs are only designed to catch English language learning students (ELLS) up to intermediate level English. When students reach an intermediate level they are supposed be placed in Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE), which are designed to help students of intermediate or higher proficiency access grade-level subject matter. However, many schools do not have SDAIE classes. Other Arguments against SEI are it is segregating students, non-culturally affirming, and damaging to students’ self-esteem.

Cultural Biases

A bias that ESL teachers must face is the assumption that when a student does not understand the English language, they must not understand the classroom material being delivered in that language. ESL teachers also have made the mistake of assuming that student who share the same tongue share the same culture. Body languages among different cultures has made ESL teachers assume that students are not paying attention to the material, are showing disrespect to the teacher, or seem to be shown as uncooperative and unsocial. Many cultures outside of the United State have a more passive behavior with adults, and ESL teachers may take that as the students not caring or seeming less intelligent because students would not go to them for help.

Teaching Culture

ESL teachers should understand the research and effort put into learning different cultures as well as being able to teach a different culture.

Teachers need to be aware of their language within the classroom that involves reference or phrases to the culture of the United States. Everyday phrases used in the English language can confuse students and make them not grasp the concept being taught.

Policy Shortcomings

Federally, academic achievement is determined through standardized testing, which requires a high level of English proficiency. Considering that many Bilingual Education teachers lack adequate training, English proficiency is rarely achieved.

English is prioritized to devalue other languages. This encourages assimilation while discouraging diversity, and changes social power interactions, instilling in students a weak cultural identity.

Policies district, state, and country-wide are inconsistent. Bilingual Education, SEI, and ESL programs all produce different results.

Arizona Case Study

In recent years, policy changes such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), AZ LEARNS, and Proposition 203 have led to massive changes in Arizona's Bilingual Education system. In 2000, Arizona voters passed Prop 203, which specifically replaced Arizona's Bilingual Education system with SEI (Johnson:2009).

The Milagros School District (Phoenix)1. 90% Latino students, 40% of which do not finish high school2. State standards require only 15 hours of teacher training3. Methods used in training may not be used in the classroom

Policy Solutions

1. While ELLs have been considered in policy making, they have not up to this point been included in forming them. This creates an unfair advantage for native English speakers.

2. Rapid placement of ELLs into mainstream classrooms is not supported by research, and often leads to negative results in the classroom as well as socially.

3. ESL teacher training must improve dramatically, and should include a cultural aspect. Before entering bilingual education, teachers should consider their own political and social stances and their own cultural identities, as well as those of their future students.

4. The prioritization of English over other languages should be discontinued.

5. Some amount of standardization of ESL instruction must be reached.

How Does This Relate to Anthropology?

Central to education is the transference of cultural knowledge, beliefs, practices, and values instilled by our society (Nanda & Warms 2008). Schools should focus on teaching ESL, and also how to balance their native cultural identity along with their new one. A principle of Anthropology known as Cultural Relativism is the process of analyzing and attempting to understand cultures based on their own histories and values as opposed to according to the values of another culture. Cultural Relativism should be taught to all teachers in order to increase cultural sensitivities and understanding of their students

Many policies ignore the individual needs of schools and students, because they are designed from ideologies of what these programs should be by people who do not teach to ELLS, or understand the actually needs of these students. More anthropological approaches and methods should be used in order to create a more respectful school system, ESL programs, and school environments.

Figure 1. Limited-English Students Test Public Schools. 2012  http://www.facethefactsusa.org/facts/limited-english-students-test-public-schools/

Figure 2. Hirsch, Elizabeth. 2012. A Statistical Look at English Proficiency in U.S. Schools. Oxford University Press

Figure 3. Limited-English Students Test Public Schools. 2012  http://www.facethefactsusa.org/facts/limited-english-students-test-public-schools/

Figure 4. Figure 1. Teachers should create fun, and welcoming environments for their students. Teacher Classroom Organization Part 1. 2011. http://www.dishesandsocks.com/2011/06/16/teacher-classroom-organization-part-1/

Figure 5. Teachers should develop fun lesson plans to encourage their students to speak English. ESL Curriculum. 2012. Sube. http://www.sube.com/esl-curriculums

Figure 6. Understanding ESL Learners: Moving Toward Cultural Responsiveness - A Guide for Teachers. 2010http://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Specialist-Councils/ESL-3-6%20Moving%20Toward%20Cultural%20Responsiveness.pdf