Thank you for keeping up with DSF Consulting! As always, our team was busy in January working on multiple projects to support English learners’ academic achievement.
Blogs and Other Writing
- Colorin Colorado: Diane posted four lengthier blogs related to the Common Core for ELs on Colorin Colorado website, a popular bilingual website for educators and families of English learners, in January. The blog is now being used by teachers for their own professional development and by professors in teacher education programs. Take a look at some of the posts written in January 2013:
- English Learner Advocacy Book: Diane submitted her complete book manuscript to Corwin Press on advocating for English learners at the K-12 level. The first seven chapters have already been reviewed by teachers and administrators in different areas of the country, and the preliminary reviews are very positive. This book will be published in the late spring or early summer.
- Academic Language Chapter: Diane and co-author Darina Walsh made finishing touches to the chapter they are contributing to Margo Gottlieb and Gisela Ernst-Slavit’s upcoming series on academic language for English learners. Diane and Darina’s chapter is on teaching a unit to a diverse group of seventh grade ELs on writing research questions in order for the students to conduct their own research using complex fiction and informational texts. The book will be published this year by Corwin Press.
Professional Development
- Kentucky: As part of a year-long initiative, DSF Consultant Ayanna Cooper made another visit to a school district in Kentucky in January where she is providing an EL program evaluation, technical assistance, conducting observations and collecting qualitative data to help support program improvements. Her recommendations for the program include staffing, professional development implementation, and building the program’s capacity for a successful program centered on EL student success.
- American Federation of Teachers: As part of an i3 grant, Ayanna and Diane finalized their creation of EL-related materials for a two-day professional development session aimed at teacher evaluators on working with ELs and Students with Disabilities. They will pilot the PD session in February and March with a group of teacher evaluators from New York and Rhode Island.
TESOL International Association
Diane coordinated the review of 30 TESOL teacher education programs for accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the highest number of reports received in TESOL history. DSF Consultants Ayanna and Sabrina Wesley-Nero also lend their expertise to the process as volunteer TESOL/NCATE reviewers.
Dissertation Proposal Defense Committee
Diane joined Jodi Crandall, Bev Bickel, Claudia Galindo, and Linda Valli as a committee member for Heather Linville’s dissertation proposal defense at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Heather’s research centers on how advocacy for ELs is operationalized by in-service ESOL teachers.
Upcoming Presentation
If you’re at the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) conference in Orlando in February, please consider attending the presentation I will give with TESOL’s John Segota. The presentation is called Demands of the Common Core State Standards: Preparing Effective Teachers of English Learners and takes place February 7 from 12-12:50 in Coronado Room S.