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Access and Engagement
Program Design and Instructional Approaches
for Immigrant Students in Secondary School
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Table 3. Checklist: Does your secondary school incorporate effective elements of schools for language minority (LM) students?
Effective Elements
- THE SCHOOL CONTEXT
- Value is placed on the students’ languages and cultures
School Staff
(a) Learn about student’s cultures.
(b) Learn student’s languages
(c) Hire bilingual staff with cultural backgrounds similar to those of the students
(d) Encourage students to develop their primary language skills
(e) Allow students to speak their primary languages
(f) Offer advanced as well as lower division content courses in the student’s primary language
(g) Institute extra-curricular activities that will attract (LM) students
(h) Other
- The use and development of students’ native languages are supported in a variety of ways.
(a) Students use their native language to:
(1) Assist one another inside and outside class
(2) Tutor other students
(3) Write for class assignments
(4) Interact socially
(5) Other
(b) Teachers and instructional aides use students’ native languages to:
(1) Check comprehension
(2) Explain activities
(3) Provide instruction
(4) Interact socially
(5) Other
(c) In the larger school context:
(1) Administrators use of students’ native languages
(2) Library books are provided in students’ native languages
(3) Parents receive communication in their native languages (e.g. letters, phone calls, forms to fill out)
(4) Other
- High expectations of language minority students are made concrete
Schools
(a) Hire minority staff in leadership positions to act as role models
(b) Provide a special program to prepare (LM) students for college
(c) Offer advanced and honors bilingual/English language content classes
(d) Provide counseling assistance (in the primary language if necessary) to help students apply to college and fill out scholarship and grant forms
(e) Bring in representatives of colleges and minority graduates who are in college to talk to students
(f) Work with parents to gain their support for students going to college
(g) Recognize students for doing well
(h) Other
- Staff development is explicitly designed to help teachers and other staff serve (LM) students more effectively
Schools and School Districts
(a) Offer incentives and compensation so that school staff will take advantage of available staff development programs.
(b) Encourage all staff to participate in staff development focused on (LM) students
(c) Provide staff development for teachers and other staff in:
(1) Effective instructional approaches to teaching (LM) students
(2) Principles of second language acquisition
(3) The cultural backgrounds and experiences of the students
(4) The languages of the students
(5) Cross – cultural communication
(d) Other
- Families of LM students are encouraged to become involved in their children’s schooling
Schools provide and encourage
(a) Staff who can speak the parents’ language
(b) On-campus ESL classes for parents
(c) Monthly parent nights
(d) Parent involvement with counselors in the planning of their children’s course schedules
(e) Neighborhood meetings with school staff and parents
(f) Early morning and/or late night meeting with school staff and parents
(g) Telephone contacts to check on absent students
(h) Potlucks
(i) Other
- Support services and extracurricular activities serve and include language minority students
These include
(a) Peer tutoring
(b) Teacher/staff mentoring
(c) Career planning
(d) College preparation activities
(e) Multicultural awareness activities
(f) International clubs
(g) Cultural/ethnic groups
(h) Sports teams
(i) Other
- Curriculum
- The school’s curriculum is designed to take into account the fact that language minority students are heterogeneous have varied needs.
It offers:
(a) Native language development classes (e.g. Spanish for Spanish speakers literature.)
(b) ESL classes
(c) Content classes in English
(d) Content classes in the students’ native languages
(e) More advanced content classes designed for LM students as needed (e.g. calculus, government, physics.)
(f) Less advanced content classes designed for LM students, as needed.
(g) AP and/or Honors classes for LM students
(h) International clubs
(i) Cultural/ethnic groups
(j) Sports teams
(k) Other
- Staff Features
- School leaders make the education of language minority students a priority
They:
(a) Hire teachers who are bilingual and/or trained in methods for teaching LM students
(b) Learn about the communities the school’s students represent
(c) Are knowledgeable of instructional and curricular approaches to teaching LM students and communicate this knowledge to staff
(d) Take strong leadership role in strengthening curriculum and instruction for all students, including LM students
(e) Are bilingual minority group members themselves
(f) Advocate for LM students in the school and community
(g) Other
- Administrators and other staff who are not formally part of special programs for LM students actively support such programs and services
They:
(a) Promote and seek staff development focused on LM students
(b) Include issues relevant to LM students on meeting agendas
(c) Work with district bilingual/ESL staff
(d) Attend activities sponsored by LM groups in the school and community
(e) Speak up in favor of programs and services in various forums
(f) Other
- All staff are knowledgeable of various aspects of education for LM students
(a) Staff development of LM issues provided and encouraged for mainstream as well as bilingual/ESL staff.
(b) Language development strategies are incorporated into content area courses across the curriculum
(c) Staff in all role groups participate in staff development on LM issues (administrators, teachers, instructional aides, counselors, and others).
(d) Staff in all role groups, departments, and programs see the education of LM students as part of their responsibility
(e) Other
- Counselors give special attention to LM students.
They
(a) Speak the students’ languages.
(b) Are the same or similar cultural backgrounds.
(c) Are informed about postsecondary educational opportunities for LM students
(d) Believe in, emphasize, and monitor the academic success of LM students
(e) Are available to the students who most need their services
(f) Other
- School staff members share a strong commitment to empowering language minority students through education
They
(a) Give extra time to work with LM students
(b) Actively challenge the inequality of the social and political status quo.
(c) Reach out to students in ways that go beyond their job requirements, for example, by sponsoring extracurricular activities.
(d) Participate in community activities in which they act as advocates for LM students
(e) Other
- School staff members actively promote programs and services for LM students
They
(a) Attend school, district, and community meetings to provide information about LM students, programs, and services
(b) Bring up LM student issues and needs in formal and informal discussions with colleagues
(c) Seek opportunities to discuss LM student issues and need with the local press
(d) Highlight student successes in a variety of forums (at meetings, in newsletters, in newspapers.)
(e) Actively seek collaboration with other district and community agencies to provide services to LM students
(f) Sponsor cultural events for public attendance
(g) Other
- Longevity & Pervasiveness of Effective Features
- The elements of effective schooling for LM students are present throughout the time they are in the secondary school.
- The elements of effective schooling for LM students are present across all of the educational experiences of LM students in the secondary school.