Districts Cultivate Common Ground on English-Learner Curriculum

The federal No Child Left Behind Act has helped prompt some school districts to develop, for the first time, a well-articulated curriculum for English-language learners—and even to work together in tackling what can be a daunting task for local educators.

One notable example: two neighboring school districts in Rhode Island with a large number of ELLs who move back and forth between the communities.

Spurred by the efforts of a teacher-educator at Rhode Island College, in Providence, the Pawtucket and Central Falls, R.I., districts last summer came up with a curriculum for junior high and high school ELLs, who are divided into classes for...