Tracy Keenan, Kara Mitchell, and Barbara Dray With Alan Davis, Honorine Nocon, Sheila Shannon & the DPS-UCD Research Collaborative Council of the Great City Schools – Boston, MA - Oct 2011 Successful schoolwide practices supportive of multilingual learners

Initial case study What are the characteristics of successful ELL schools? Longitudinal Study What are the long-term outcomes of variables that influence ELL’s achievement? Extension Study Extension Studies What are the specific characteristics of Effective ELL instruction?

ELL Case Studies Background and Methodology The purpose of the study was to identify school-wide practices that have been successful in supporting the achievement of these students. Schools were identified on the basis of five criteria: – An open enrollment policy – At least 40% of total enrollment consisting of ELL students, and at least 100 English language learners enrolled – SPF rating greater than 49% for elementary schools, and greater than 45% for middle schools and high schools – At least 50% of students in the school qualified for FRL – High gains on the CSAP and CELA tests for the past three years relative to other schools serving the same grade levels

6 schools were identified (2 per education level) – Bryant Webster Elementary, Force Elementary, Merrill Middle, West Denver Prep (Federal Campus – Middle School), Abraham Lincoln High, Bruce Randolph High Data Collection – Interviews with principals, teachers, coaches – Environmental scan – Document and materials analysis ELL Case Studies Schools Selected for Study

Individual Case Study reports at the school sites have been written and are available to schools on the DPS ARE website. Cross-Case Study is also available. ELL Case Studies Reporting

Practices characteristic of overall successful schools – Coherence in vision values and actions – High expectations for students and teachers – A climate of safety, respect, and supported collaboration for teachers – A safe community for children ELL Case Studies Findings from Cross-Case Analysis

Practices specific to promoting the success of English language learners – A “language lens” – A focus on academic language – A focus on literacy and/or bi-literacy – Teachers who share an understanding of second language acquisition (SLA) – Active use of data to guide instruction in language, literacy, and content – A culture of continuous learning/improvement – Purposeful professional development and coaching – Strong distributed and/or instructional leadership, committed and well- trained teachers – Active engagement of parents ELL Case Studies Findings from Cross-Case Analysis

Schools created a climate or “culture of engagement” Schools identified the central role of language in the instruction of students in all subjects (language lens) Schools made content learning accessible to students while enacting high expectations and developing language skills Schools managed their own improvement and learning as organizations from year to year Success in educating English language leaners was not about the particular program, or a series of programs or projects; it was about thoughtful, collaborative attention to curricular planning and implementation with a rigorously developed and an applied language lens ELL Case Studies Implications

Future Directions Extension studies – Math, Literacy, Oral language development Use within district – Inform professional development – Impact data collection methods Use within university – Online PLC topic – Findings shared in teacher prep courses (SPED, LDE, UCTE)

Contact Information Tracy Keenan - Harvard Center for Education Policy Research/Denver Public Schools AND Kara Mitchell - Barbara Dray – University of Colorado Denver