1/23/18

1

Prevention, Intervention, and Meeting the Educational Needs of Rural English Language Learners

Craig A. Albers, PhDKaitlyn Young

University of Wisconsin-Madison

2018 MSPA Annual Midwinter ConferenceCreating a Culture of Connections

Acknowledgements• Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER)

– Robert Mathieu, Director– Kurt Brown– Jennifer Seelig– Other UW-Madison and WCER researchers

• The Wisconsin Collaborative Education Research Network– Jack Jorgensen– Sarah Archibald

• UW-System Administration– Jim Henderson, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs– Barbara Bales, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Educational Innovation– Carleen Vande Zande, Interim Associate Vice President– Laura Dunek, Special Assistant for Governance and Student Affairs

• UW-Madison Rural Education Workgroup graduate students• Rural schools from throughout Wisconsin who have allowed us to engage them in

conversations

1/23/18

2

Agenda

• Understanding the Context and Identifying the Needs

• Responding to the Context and Corresponding Needs

• Setting the Direction for Future Activities

UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT

1/23/18

3

National Context

1/23/18

4

1/23/18

5

1/23/18

6

1/23/18

7

1/23/18

8

National, State, and Local Research Priorities

• Emotional, social, behavioral health• Support for underachievement• Increase access for diverse students• Computer and broadband access• Home-school collaboration• Teacher recruitment and retention• Poverty• STEM education• Fine arts and creativity• Budgetary factors

Local

StateNational

Minnesota Context

1/23/18

9

Why Rural Matters 2015-2016: Understanding the Changing Landscape.

Rural Minnesota Students1 in 3 public schools in MN are located in a rural area

Of all students in MN…

• 15.3% are rural IEP students• 14.1% are rural minority

students• 1.5% are rural English

language learners

Students in MN

Urban/Suburban Rural

1/23/18

10

MN LegislationLearning English for Academic Proficiency and Success (LEAPS) Act, 2014Requires that ”all teacher candidates must have preparation in English language development and content instruction for English learners in order to be able to effectively instruct the English learners in their classrooms.”

Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE), 2014Requires that Regional Centers of Excellence provide effective programs for different types of English learners, including those with limited or interrupted formal schooling

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=272&year=2014

Primary Challenges Associated with Education in Rural Settings

1/23/18

11

Professional Isolation• From general education teachers• Because rural schools and districts tend to be

small, there may only be one service provider (e.g., school psychologist) within the school district, which makes it more challenging to consult with fellow professionals

• Geography and broadband connectivity• Difficulties in traveling to obtain professional

development, further isolating educators and service providers

Lack of Personnel• Difficulties in recruiting and retaining educators and service

providers (e.g., school psychologists)• Title III mandates that English learners receive daily

language instruction, but many rural schools do not have funding for ELL teachers

• For districts who can support ESL teachers, caseloads for ESL teachers are typically high in rural districts as there are not typically enough ESL teachers

• Language arts teachers sometimes expected to fill the role• Educators and service providers having to serve in multiple

capacities/roles• Educators and service providers having to be “experts” in all

areas as compared to having other district experts address certain issues

1/23/18

12

Lack of Resources

• Smaller budgets limit ability to access materials and other resources (e.g., intervention programs)

Rural schools and districts often can be described as high need, low resource

settings!

Professional Development

General education teachers are motivated to implement practices to enrich language content, but far too often, how to do so was not part of their professional preparation, strategies are

forgotten, or strategies stop being implemented.

1/23/18

13

What do data tell us about how prepared educators are to meet the needs of ELLs?

• Majority of educators and service providers report receiving little to no preparation regarding how to ensure that ELLs make desirable academic progress– Leads to reluctance in working with ELL students

• When training did occur, few of the practices would be described as evidenced-based

• In years past, or in different settings, others would provide the needed services

Professional Development Models

• Teachers as Second-Language Learners• Language Coaches• Co-Teaching• Google Classrooms• Peer Observation

Drucker, P. (2017). High-Impact Professional Development. Leading Learning for Ell Students: Strategies for Success, 37.

1/23/18

14

RESPONDING TO THE CONTEXT & CORRESPONDING NEEDS

1/23/18

15

1/23/18

16

Intervention approaches, apps/ technology resources, and other materials

Interventions with evidence supporting their use

1/23/18

17

Effective Interventions• Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition• ClassWide Peer Tutoring• Enhanced Proactive Reading• Fast ForWord®• Instructional Conversations and Literature Logs• Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)• Reading Mastery• Read Well• Vocabulary Improvement Program for English Language

Learners and Their Classmates• Arthur

FAST FORWORD®Prepares a student for reading and learning, has student practice reading and

language skills, and reinforces reading and language skills

https://www.scilearn.com/products/fast-forword

1/23/18

18

Fast ForWord® Effectiveness• Beginning (K-3)– Positive effects on Alphabetics– Mixed effects on Comprehension– No effect on Reading Fluency

• Adolescent (4-10)– Positive effects on Reading Fluency– Positive effects on Comprehension– No effects on Alphabetics and Literacy Achievement

• English Language Learners– Positive effects on English language development (+31

percentile points!)

Online Resources• What Works Clearinghouse: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/FWW• University of Missouri Evidence-Based Intervention Network:

http://ebi.missouri.edu/• National Center on Intensive Intervention:

https://intensiveintervention.org/• Best Evidence Encyclopedia: http://www.bestevidence.org/• University of Nebraska’s National Center for Research on Rural

Education: https://r2ed.unl.edu/• Equity and Language Training Module for Achievement Gaps by

NEA: http://www.nea.org/home/32414.htm• Affordable books and resources: https://www.readinga-z.com/ell/• WIDA: https://www.wida.us/• University of Nebraska’s National Center for Research on Rural

Education: https://r2ed.unl.edu/

1/23/18

19

Apps

FUN ENGLISHEnglish learning games that work on pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary

1/23/18

20

DUOLINGOlessons integrate conversation, vocabulary, speaking, and listening skills; user is

tested on skills and results show areas of strength and weakness

HEADS UP!encourages students to recognize and practice vocabulary, allowing them to

practice adjective, synonyms, and antonyms

1/23/18

21

Other Materials

1/23/18

22

How do we include consideration of ecological variables as a way to address ELL-related needs in rural settings?

1/23/18

23

1/23/18

24

1/23/18

25

1/23/18

26

1/23/18

27

1/23/18

28

1/23/18

29

1/23/18

30

1/23/18

31

1/23/18

32

SETTING THE DIRECTION FOR FUTURE ACTIVITIES

Reason for Optimism…

There is increased interest and growing momentum to

examine rural education issues!

1/23/18

33

Vision for the UW-Madison Rural Education Research and Implementation

Center (RERIC)

RERIC

Research Preparation Clearinghouse

1/23/18

34

Goals for Rural Education Research & Implementation Center

• Promote positive outcomes for children, youth, families, and schools and enhance college, career, and life readiness

• Establish partnerships and capacity to identify and implement practices informed by research

• Collaborate to develop practical tools and strategies

• Increase the quantity, quality, relevance, accessibility, and usability of rural education research for educators and policymakers

• Collaborate with rural schools to increase participation in and benefit from education research

Craig A. Albers, PhDUniversity of Wisconsin - MadisonAssociate Professor, Educational PsychologyDirector, School Psychology ProgramChair, Prevention and Intervention

Sciences Graduate Minor and Certificate Program

333 Educational Sciences1025 W. Johnson St.Madison, WI 53706-1796Phone: (608) 262-4586Fax: (608) 262-0843craig.albers@wisc.edu

1/23/18

35

Kaitlyn YoungUniversity of Wisconsin - MadisonGraduate Student, Educational PsychologySchool Psychology Program316 Educational Sciences1025 W. Johnson St.Madison, WI 53706-1796kmyoung6@wisc.edu

To express interest in the anticipated UW Rural Education Research and Implementation Center activities and updates,

contact us at RuralEducation@wcer.wisc.edu