AN INVESTIGATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING IN AN URBAN DISTRICT IN TRANSITION

The landscape of education has changed in dramatic ways in school districts that once enrolled predominantly white and African American students. Each district responds differently to a shift in demographics and the impact that an emerging population of English language learners has on the district. This dissertation explores the effectiveness of the model for instructing English language learners, and the attention given to the instruction and learning of ELLs in the policies of an urban district in the midst of comprehensive school reform. Employing concepts from positioning theory and sociocultural theory, as well as the theory of sensemaking, the attention given to ELLs in the district's plan for school reform was investigated. An analysis of state and district documents showed that ELLs were not visible in district policy as a separate group of students in need of specialized instruction, nor was professional development readily available to build teacher capacity. The absence of a state ESL teacher certification also contributed to the need for capacity building. Observations and interviews in the qualitative case study, suggest that teachers were not prepared to serve the increasing needs of their ELL students. Little collaboration time existed to improve the program. This study adds to an emerging body of research on the effectiveness of all teachers of English language learners and the need for capacity building. It also contributes to research regarding needed infrastructure changes in school districts with emerging English language learning communities