Ten-year-old Augustin recently emigrated with his family from Mexico to Missouri, where he is struggling to learn the fifth-grade content. Though he came to the United States with two years of schooling, Augustin, the son of field workers, attended five different schools while his family followed the crops. His teacher, Mrs. Reynolds, is very concerned about Augustin but does not know how to help him. She is accountable for her students’ mastery of state content standards and for her class’s contribution to the school’s AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) as legislated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). At home, Augustin tells his mother he doesn’t like school in America because, "Yo no comprendo a la maestra lo que dice" ("I don’t understand what the teacher says").

Across the United States, thousands of immigrant students like Augustin are entering elementary, middle, and high school classrooms as students with limited or no English proficiency. Some share a similar profile with Augustin while others come with very different backgrounds, such as a lack of formal education. While these students may have developed some conversational English, their knowledge of academic language, that which is required for success in school, is seriously lacking.

In stark contrast, other English learners (ELs) may arrive in the United States literate in their first language with a history of continuous and successful educational experiences in their native countries. Because these students have developed academic language and knowledge, they will most likely be able to transition well into American classrooms as they learn English. Within the two ends of this continuum are thousands of other ELs, all with individual background experiences and learning needs. 

The academic gap between non- or limited-English speaking students and their English-proficient peers has continued to grow. If the goals of NCLB are to be realized, then today’s teachers must learn how to reach all of their culturally, linguistically, and academically diverse students, including English learners. While a few states now require their teachers to have preparation in how to effectively teach ELs, of the more than 50% of American teachers who have ELs in their classrooms, most have had little, if any, preparation in how to meet their academic and linguistic needs. In addition, only some school administrators have had preparation in how to develop appropriate programs for English as a Second Language (ESL), English Language Development, or sheltered instruction/Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English, an approach that extends the time students have for English language support while they learn content subjects. Sheltered instruction classrooms integrate language and content, while teachers aid student comprehension of content topics by adjusting their speech and instructional tasks. In some schools, sheltered classes include only ELs, while in other schools, sheltered classes include both ELs and native English speakers.

During the past two decades, researchers have learned a great deal about how to provide appropriate instruction for English learners. For example, some research shows instruction in a student’s primary or home language results in positive educational gains. In contrast, ELs who are educated in "regular" (mainstream) classes, with English as the language of instruction and without educational intervention, perform at the lowest achievement levels and are more likely to drop out of school. Findings such as these suggest that English learners have an advantage when their educational programs provide them the opportunity to develop bilingual and biliterate competencies, at least through the elementary school grades.

But in many U.S. school districts, bilingual programs, where students receive instruction in both their first and second language, are not readily available because of reasons such as the following: 

• The large number of languages spoken by ELs in the school district (e.g., approximately ninety-four languages spoken in Boise, Idaho, schools and more than 127 languages spoken by students in Los Angeles County);

• A lack of ESL and bilingual certified teachers relative to the number of English learners;

• State mandates that prohibit bilingual education.

In all, because of the shortage of teachers trained in ESL methods, many English learners do not receive the intensive instruction in English they need to become successful in their subject area classes. What we know is that simply mainstreaming these students in English-only content classes with under-prepared teachers and little or no intensive English instruction further increases the academic gap between English learners and their native-English speaking peers.

So, what can we as educators do to provide high-quality, effective subject area instruction for English learners, whatever their English proficiency level? First, we must commit to developing coherent, enriching, and effective programs that incorporate proven, effective sheltered instruction methods that develop content knowledge and English proficiency concurrently. Rather than having a focus on remediation, appropriate programs for ELs are based on grade-level standards and curricula that reflect high expectations for student achievement.

Further, all teachers must have sufficient, high-quality professional development to learn how to implement effective sheltered instruction for English learners. Learning how to meet the needs of ELs should be perceived by teachers and administrators alike as a process that make take two to three years. Viewing the implementation of effective sheltered instruction as a "quick fix" will doom the professional development effort and will not result in higher achievement gains. 

When teachers implement particular high-quality instructional methods consistently and systematically with English learners, the students’ academic achievement improves. Among the instructional methods that, when used in combination, have been found to improve EL achievement are the following:

• Content lessons that incorporate both content and language objectives serve as the focus for lesson design and implementation, and during lessons, students read, write, listen, and speak English;

• Classrooms that are organized with small-group and partner work help ELs and other students interact frequently with peers and the teacher to develop English proficiency;

• Academic language that is taught relative to all subject areas (Note: Academic language refers to the vocabulary used in formal schooling, often related to particular subject areas. For example, in history/social studies, students must learn key content words [e.g., Redcoats, taxation without representation, etc.], process/function words [e.g., debate, summarize, describe], and structure/grammar words [e.g., history, historical, historically]);

• Supplementary materials, such as photos, illustrations, and demonstrations that are used to a high degree to make the content information comprehensible;

• Meaningful activities that are selected to support lesson objectives, link to students’ background knowledge and past learning, develop English vocabulary, promote higher-order thinking skills, and provide hands-on application of newly learned knowledge;

• Frequent feedback that is provided during lessons so the teacher can monitor content learning and re-teach content and language objectives when necessary.

Whereas these teaching techniques may seem to be "just good teaching," for English learners, they are of critical importance if these students are to reach academic content standards while learning English. If we as a country are serious about leaving no child behind, then we must provide English learners with teachers who know how to effectively meet their academic and language development needs. Our English learners deserve no less.