Review
“An interesting case study...Coles-Ritchie discusses the national (and local) ‘discourse of assimilation’ that currently surrounds the teaching of immigrant students in the U.S.”--J. A. Reyhner, Choice
“Coles-Ritchie documents the struggles English learners face in a high school that severely limited their abilities to learn English and complete school, and what teachers who banded together did to change the school structures and teaching practices toward more equitable ways of these students’ academic and social needs. This book is a must read for high school teachers and educators looking for smart ways to make fundamental changes in how they include English learners in all aspects of high school academic and social life.”--Christian Faltis, David and Dolly Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education, University of California, Davis
“This book’s provocative and insightful research illustrating how power, language and race intertwine in a high school facing a Latino/a student population for the first time is a must read. The richness of Coles-Ritchie’s findings are framed by the complex challenges of doing ethnographic research in contested landscapes. She shows exceptional strength as an emerging scholar.”--Donna Deyhle, Professor in the Department of Educational Studies and the Ethnic Studies Program, and Co-Director of the American Indian Resource Center. University of Utah
“This book offers us scholarship that is firmly grounded in the lived realities of both teachers and students. At a time when the education of English Language Learners is of critical concern to school districts across the nation, this study offers deep insights as to the complexity and intersections of competing and conflicting discourses concerning language instruction, comprehensive teacher professional development, and measures of academic achievement. For educators who are committed to transforming learning environments, this book charts a course for developing responsive pedagogy.”--Norma Gonzalez, Professor and Head, Department of Language, Reading and Culture, University of Arizona
Book Description
The way many secondary schools are structured limits the ability of immigrant English Learners to achieve academically and develop social networks, often resulting in hyper-segregated learning experiences. This book explores the journey of a group of teachers in a secondary school as they work to change the ESL program for immigrants in their school. As this group of teachers worked to create a program that supported their students’ home languages and funds of knowledge, structures within the school, and Discourses from other teachers, administrators, and the nation/community both constrained/enabled the teachers to create an equitable learning environment.
