‘A Lot of Inadequate’ Teaching of English-Learners

Patricia Gándara, a research professor and co-director of the Civil Rights Projects at the University of California, Los Angeles, says that an overemphasis on English-language-learner reclassification in research and classrooms has hamstrung efforts to answer an important question: What does it take to be a competent, high-quality teacher for ELLs? Reclassification is important, but it shouldn’t be the end goal; how students benefit from the English-learners programs should take precedence, Gándara argues.