Millions of American students need to learn English

Trevon Milliard:

More than 5.3 million American public school students would struggle to understand this sentence.

These students need to be taught the English language in addition to the usual material in math, science, and social studies. This presents a monumental challenge for educators nationwide, according to Patricia Gandara, a UCLA education professor whom President Barack Obama appointed to the Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. She is also co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Speaking at the Education Writers Association's National Seminar, held in May at Stanford University, Gandara referenced a nationwide survey given to teachers already trained for the growing number of English-language learners, commonly called ELLs.

"In the words of teachers themselves, they don't feel qualified," Gandara said.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 31, 2013 12:59 AM
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