Transforming Literacy Education for Long-Term English Learners Recognizing Brilliance in the Undervalued

Grounded in research on bilingualism and adolescent literacy, this volume provides a much-needed insight into the day-to-day needs of students who are identified as long-term English language learners (LTELs). LTELs are adolescents who are primarily or solely educated in the U.S. and yet remain identified as "learning English" in secondary school. Challenging the deficit perspective that is often applied to their experiences of language learning, Brooks counters incorrect characterizations of LTELs and sheds light on students’ strengths to argue thateffective literacy education requires looking beyond policy classifications that are often used to guide educational decisions for this population. By combining research, theory, and practice, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of literacy pedagogy to facilitate teacher learning and includes practical takeaways and implications for classroom practice and professional development. Offering a pathway for transforming literacy education for students identified as LTELs, chapters discuss reframing the education of LTELs, academic reading in the classroom, and the bilingualism of students who are labeled LTELs. Transforming Literacy Education for Long-Term English Learners is a much-needed resource for scholars, professors, researchers, and graduate students in language and literacy education, English education, and teacher education, and for those who are looking to create an inclusive and successful classroom environment for LTELs.

Chapter 1: More than Long-term English Learners: Reframing the Education of an Under-served Population Who are Long-Term English Learners? Damage-centered Research and LTELs Power of Labels Humanizing Reading Instruction for LTELs LTELs, Literacy Instruction, and The Importance of Framing Alternative Frames for Understanding LTEL Student Experiences More than English learners: Pushing Past Policy Classifications A More Humanizing Perspective on Reading Pedagogy Significance of this Book Chapter 2: Bilingualism and Students who are Labeled LTELs Valuing the Devalued Bilingualism for English Reading Pedagogy Language Use and Dynamic Bilingualism The Role of Racial Positioning The Focal Students Five Focal Students’ Linguistic Histories Implications for Students Considered to be LTELs Chapter 3: Local Texts: The Textual Environment of Biology and English Language Arts Reading, Texts, and Comprehension Academic Texts in Mrs. Rodriguez’s and Mr. Gomez’s Classrooms Patterns in Overall Text Use The Predominance of Teacher-Assembled Texts Books: A Noteworthy Disciplinary Exception Implications for Students Considered to be LTELs Next Steps Text Sets to Build Background Knowledge Linked Text Sets Closing Chapter 4: Strong and Loud Readers: Academic Reading in the Classroom Academic Reading In Practice An Introduction to the Nervous System "Effective" Reading in English Language Arts Implications for Students Considered to be LTELs Next Steps Successful Readers Meaningful for Futures Closing Chapter 5: Constructing Meaning Independently: An In-depth Analysis of Reading from an Individual Perspective Five Similar Perspectives on Reading Interrelation of Experiences and Ideas About Reading "Doing" Independent Reading Text Selection Student Discontent Think-Aloud Instructions Independent Reading in Action Reading Strategies in the Classroom Engagement with Unfamiliar Content Implications for Students Considered to be LTELs Next Steps Closing Chapter 6: Recognizing brilliance in the undervalued: Transforming literacy education for Long-term English Learners A Focus on Opportunity to Learn Reading Pedagogy: A Humanizing and Socially-Informed Perspective Moving Forward

Maneka Deanna Brooks is an Assistant Professor of Reading Education at Texas State University, USA.