Developments for Teaching ELL Students

Every day millions of students struggle to learn the English language.  In the United States, the number of English language learners (ELL) are increasing each year. In 2012, the number of ELL  increased by nine percent (Deruy). Teachers across the country are challenged with finding the best methods for ELL students to succeed.

According to Emily Deruy of The Atlantic, charter schools in Texas are best suited for ELL students rather than regular public schools. ELL in charter schools focus on fifty more days of learning in reading and twenty-two more days in math, compared to students in traditional public school systems (Deruy).  Derby is not sure exactly why ELL students are succeeding, but she believes it has something to do with how focused charter schools are on helping ELL students, the amount of students living in poverty, and other underserved populations. There are far less public schools than  charter schools, which may lead to students receiving more individualized support in the classroom

A teacher teaching two ELL students

According to Sharon Ottoman of the New York Times, the New York public school systems are failing to meet the needs of their ELL students. In 2010, only seven percent of ELL students graduated on time and were prepared for college (Ottoman). One of the reasons ELL students are struggling is due to the state suffering from a shortage of teachers. Over 5,000 students are not receiving the proper teaching they are required to under state regulations. New York schools developed a plan to improve their students learning. The plan promises to begin over one hundred bilingual programs, improve monitoring, try to hire more bilingual teachers, and provide extra training to help their ELL students succeed, or the school could lose some of its funding. Learning the English language is hard enough, but when a student is not receiving the proper education, education time, or instruction from a trained professional, it only makes learning much more difficult for the student.

In her article in Times Magazine, Anne Raeff claims there is no algorithm to address the needs of all ELL students. She believes bilingual education, total immersion, and integrating cultural awareness are all part of the solution. New students, such as those classified as  ELL, need extra support and a safe and nuturing academic community to make progress. Raeff's curriculum is flexible because of the students' backgrounds and diversity. She compromises with her learners current learning capabilites and builds off what they already know. Raeff's students made myriad amounts of progress, but they scored poorly on the standardized tests and their academic abilities were still far below their grade level. Raeff believes that there should be more vocational programs that allow students to take hands on courses in fields, such as mechanics and carpentry, for students who are not on track to go to college.

Students who are learning to speak English need time, support, and education from trained professionals. There is no blue print to teach ELL students English, every student learns differently and it is up to the teacher to figure out how that particular student will learn best.