IES Grant
Title: | The Oregon English Learner Alliance: A Partnership to Explore Factors Associated with Variation in Outcomes for Current and Former English Learners in Oregon | ||
Center: | NCER | Year: | 2014 |
Principal Investigator: | Thompson, Karen | Awardee: | Oregon State University |
Program: | Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research [Program Details] | ||
Award Period: | 2 years (8/1/2014 – 7/31/2016) | Award Amount: | $399,928 |
Type: | Researcher-Practitioner Partnership | Award Number: | R305H140072 |
Description: | Co-Principal Investigators: Bautista, David; Martinez, Martha Partners: Oregon Department of Education, WestEd Purpose: The number of English language learners (ELLs) in Oregon increased greatly over the past two decades, and ELLs now comprise 10% of the state's K-12 population. Efforts to explore the factors that contribute to ELL academic success are hampered by a lack of information on what differentiates ELLs who are eventually reclassified out of ELL status from those who are not. Furthermore, information describing the instructional programs that ELLs in the state experience needs further development and validation in order to support analysis of characteristics of instruction that contribute to better educational outcomes for ELLs. Under this project, the Oregon English Learner Alliance conducted analyses to determine best practices to support academic achievement among current and former ELLs. The partnership enhanced existing databases to include information on ELL classification status and established new definitions to characterize the instructional programs students experience. Partners and Partnership Activities: The Oregon English Learner Alliance was a new partnership that built on existing relationships and statewide momentum to work towards improving outcomes for the state's ELLs, and was comprised of Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), and WestEd. The Oregon Education Investment Board, which oversaw education initiatives in Oregon, approved the first-ever statewide ELL Strategic Plan in April of 2013. Approximately 150 superintendents and 400 educators contributed to crafting this plan, the mission of which was to prepare all ELLs to be ready to meet demanding college and career-ready standards. This plan identified the need to follow both current and former ELLs in order to identify instructional programs that best serve ELLs. Furthermore, interest in bilingual education in Oregon continues to grow and resulted in the creation of a grant program to support development of dual-language instructional programs. Using a longitudinal, student-level database including information on all students enrolled in Oregon public schools from 2006-2007 through 2016-2017, the Alliance addressed six specific research questions about English learner (EL) outcomes in Oregon, including how student, program, school, and district factors affect their performance and their opportunity to learn. In addition, the Alliance collaborated with a statewide work group to establish new program model definitions that went into effect for the 2015-16 school year, which improved the validity and reliability of program model data going forward. Population: The project analyzed longitudinal data from all public schools in Oregon. The sample consisted of all current and former ELLs enrolled in Oregon schools from 2006 – 2017. Approximately 75% of Oregon ELLs were native Spanish speakers, with Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic representing the other most frequently spoken home languages. Key Outcomes: The main findings from this partnership work include:
In addition, the partnership work influenced policy and practice in Oregon in three specific ways:
WWC Review: The partnership's analysis of the effect of reclassification on later outcomes was reviewed by WWC: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/85547. Related IES Projects: National Research and Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners (R305C200008) Project Website: https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/odeosuellpartnership/ Publications and Products Inside IES Research Blog Understanding Outcomes for English Learners: The Importance of the 'Ever EL' Category (2017) Journal publications Kieffer, M. & Thompson, K. D. (2018). Hidden progress of multilingual students on NAEP. Educational Researcher, 47(6), 391-398. Robinson-Cimpian, J.P., Thompson, K.D., and Makowski, M. (2017). Evaluating English learner reclassification policy effects across districts. American Educational Research Journal, 54(1): 255S-278S. WWC Review of this study. Robinson-Cimpian, J.P., Thompson, K.D., and Umansky, I.M. (2016). Research and policy considerations for English learner equity. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1): 129–137. Thompson, K.D., Martinez, M.I., Clinton, C., and Díaz, G. (2017). Considering interest and action: Analyzing types of questions explored by researcher-practitioner Partnerships. Educational Researcher, 46(8): 464–473. Umansky, I.M., Thompson, K.D., Diaz, G. (2017). Using an Ever-EL framework to examine Special education disproportionality among English learners. Exceptional Children, 84(1): 76–96. Thompson, K. D., Umansky, I. M., & Porter, L. (2020). Examining contexts of reception for newcomer students. Leadership and Policy in Schools 19(1), 10-35. Nongovernment report, brief, or newsletter Burho, J. & Thompson, K. D. (2019). Policy brief: Family engagement for English learners with disabilities. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. Thompson, K. D. & Díaz, G. (2016). Policy brief: English learner students with disabilities. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. Thompson, K. D. & Díaz, G. (2019). Policy brief: Timeframes for students to attain English proficiency. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. Thompson, K. D. & Umansky, I. (2019). Policy brief: Access to core content for secondary English learners. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. Thompson, K. D., Umansky, I. M., & Porter, L. (2019). Policy brief: Newcomer students in Oregon schools. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. Thompson, K. D., Umansky, I. M., & Rew, W. J. (2019). Policy brief: Better understanding outcomes for English learners. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. Additional online resources and information Webinars and policy briefs: https://education.oregonstate.edu/odeosu-english-language-learner-partnership-research-symposium |
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