Advocating for English Learners

How to teach English language learners has been among the most contentious - indeed, most politicized - issues in American education over the past three decades. Meeting the pedagogical needs of these children, the fastest-growing population in U.S. schools, is a formidable challenge in itself. Educators' mission is further complicated by external factors including the English-only movement, anti-immigrant agitation, resistance to civil-rights laws, attacks on bilingual education, mandates for high-stakes testing and other misguided reforms, uninformed media coverage, and legislators' one-size-fits-all responses to diverse students. In the 18 essays collected here, James Crawford analyzes the policies and politics behind these conflicts, critiques the strategies and tactics employed, and suggests ways to improve advocacy on behalf of English language learners.