There
are two places in the United States where the majority of research around the
issue of Long-Term English Learners is being done. One of these places is
California and the other is New York. Both states have statistically
significant numbers of English Language Learners, and more importantly LTELs.
Dr. Laurie Olsen and Dr. Kate Kinsella are both doing their research out of
California, and Dr. Kate Menken and Dr. Tatyana Kleyn are both from New York.
The work that Menken and Kleyn have done was part of a project funded by the
New York City Department of Education, Office of English Learners which took place
from 2007-2009. Menken was the Principal Investigator and Kleyn was the Faculty
Consultant and Co-Author for the project.
Dr. Laurie Olsen
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| Dr. Laurie Olsen |
Students who become LTELs can often
be difficult to identify, without knowledge of their educational background.
They can often speak in a seemingly fluent manner, but they lack the academic
English conventions, vocabulary, grammar, discourse formats and language
functions to be proficient. Students with these language gaps have found coping
strategies of non-participation, silence, and passivity in order to be
undetected and unexposed. Many LTELs become discouraged, which can lead them to
stop asking for help. Students in this category are often misplaced in
interventions and support classes intended for struggling native English
speakers (Olsen, 2012).
Dr. Kate Kinsella
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| Dr. Kate Kinsela |
Another important aspect of
Kinsella’s work is in the field of academic discussion. It is not enough for
LTELs to gain mastery of various academic words, but it is also important for
them to obtain the language needed to hold and sustain academic discussions.
She most often does this through the use of frames and modeling. Students are
given different frames for various academic purposes, then are shown how they
should be used, and in which settings. Then, students are asked to produce the
language with a partner, or small group, before sharing with the class or on
some other individual basis. Kinsella maintains that students’ interactions
need to be structured and ELLs need proper language supports to further
learning and language retention (Kinsella, 2012).
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| Dr. Kate Menken |
Dr. Kate Menken and Dr. Tatyana
Kleyn are both researchers from New York, who have done extensive research on
bilingual education and on Long-Term English Learners, as part of a study funded by the New York City Department of Education, Office of English Language
Learners. The two phase project was designed to study the characteristics and
needs of LTELs in the New York City school system. The study focused on
students who had been in United States schools for seven or more years, were
bilingual in English and Spanish, but had not been reclassified. Their goal was
to come up with a program that would focus on biliteracy development for these
students (Menken & Kleyn, 2009).
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| Dr. Tatyana Kleyn |
What these researchers found is that
Long-Term English Learners are facing conflicting feelings over the value of
their primary language and English, as well as conflicting feelings about their
native culture over the dominant culture of America. The LTELs in their study
wanted to be identified as English speakers, but also took pride in their
cultural heritage and language. Unfortunately, as with many LTELs, these
students had limited proficiency in their primary language and were
uncomfortable with using it in an academic way, whether that is reading or
writing. They could all articulate their perception of the value of spoken
Spanish, but due to their lack of literacy in that language, often avoided any
mention or application of written Spanish. Their research has given me great
insight into the complicated cultural dichotomy our LTEL students are facing
both at home and at school. Students need to have their native language
affirmed and supported at a young age if we are to significantly reduce the
number of languishing LTELs in our school systems (Menken & Kleyn, 2010).
