Supporting Children Who Are English Language Learners Succeed In Their

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 31, 2025, 3:13 PM

supporting children who are english language learners succeed in their

Introduction: The Better Start Literacy Approach is an example of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to facilitate children's early literacy success. It is set within a strengths-based and culturally responsive framework for literacy teaching and is being implemented in over 800 English medium schools across New Zealand. This report focuses on how children identified at school entry as English Language Learners (ELL) responded to the Better Start Literacy Approach during their first year at school. Method: Using a matched control design, the growth in phoneme awareness, phoneme-grapheme knowledge, and oral narrative skills for 1,853 ELL was compared to a cohort of 1,853 non-ELL. The cohorts were matched for ethnicity (mostly Asian, 46% and Pacific, 26%), age (M = 65 months), gender (53% male), and socioeconomic deprivation index (82% in areas of mid to high deprivation). Results: Data analyses indicated similar positive growth rates for ELL and non-ELL from baseline to the first monitoring assessment following 10 weeks of Tier 1 (universal/class level) teaching.

Despite demonstrating lower phoneme awareness skills at baseline, following 10 weeks of teaching, the ELL cohort performed similarly to non-ELL in non-word reading and spelling tasks. Predictors of growth analyses indicated that ELL from areas of low socioeconomic deprivation, who used a greater number of different words in their English story retells at the baseline assessment, and females made the... Following the 10-week monitoring assessment, 11% of the ELL and 13% of the non-ELL cohorts received supplementary Tier 2 (targeted small group) teaching. At the next monitoring assessment (20 weeks post baseline assessment) the ELL cohort showed accelerated growth in listening comprehension, phoneme-grapheme matching and phoneme blending skills, catching up to their non-ELL peers. Discussion: Despite limitations of the dataset available, it provides one of the few insights into the response of ELL to Tier 1 and Tier 2 teaching in their first year at school. The data suggest that the Better Start Literacy Approach, which includes high-quality professional learning and development for teachers, literacy specialists, and speech-language therapists, is an effective approach toward developing foundational literacy skills for ELL.

The important role speech-language therapists have in collaborating with class teachers to support children's early literacy success within a MTSS framework is discussed. Keywords: English language learners; Literacy; Oral narrative; Phonological awareness; Reading; Speech-language therapy. English language learners (ELLs) are diverse students who struggle to communicate or learn effectively in English as their second language. They often come from homes where English isn’t the primary language and require special instruction in both English and their academic courses. The achievement gaps between ELLs and their non-ELL peers pose a significant challenge within the educational system. Bridging these gaps is crucial for ensuring ELLs have equal opportunities to succeed academically.

Here are key strategies and responsibilities schools can undertake to support English language learners and narrow these achievement gaps. Supporting ELLs is crucial for schools as they strive to provide an inclusive and enriching educational environment. To achieve success, schools need to embrace the following key responsibilities: Schools should use teaching methods proven to be effective when teaching ELLs. For example, teachers can use fun activities like games and pictures to help ELLs learn new words and concepts or encourage ELLs to practice speaking English by engaging in conversations with classmates. When creating lesson plans and classroom materials for an English learner, schools should rely on strong pedagogical principles and teaching practices.

This means developing a high-quality curriculum that aligns with these principles and helps ELLs learn better. Educators talk about the strategies they use to build connections with English learners’ families. Topics: English Learners, Family and Stakeholder Engagement The number of English learners (ELs) in U.S. public schools has slowly increased over the years, according to the most recent data available from the National Center for Education Statistics, from 4.6 million students (9.4 percent) in 2011 to 5.3 million (10.6... And the overwhelming majority (93.1 percent) received English language instruction.

But even with a rich diversity of languages spoken in school communities, many school leaders are not prepared to communicate and collaborate with EL families. In this edition of What Works, Principal magazine asked several educators with expertise in engaging English learners how to reach out to family members to collaboratively advance students’ academic performance, social integration, and emotional... Here are some of their best ideas. What languages are spoken in your school community?Our students represent 157 countries and 186 languages. During one of my first years as an educator in an inclusive preschool program, I had an opportunity to engage with many families from diverse backgrounds. Four of the 10 children in my class spoke Spanish at home, one spoke Yiddish, and the rest were monolingual English speakers.

I also had one teaching assistant who spoke Hindi. While everyone shared English as a common language, I worked to ensure that each child saw their home language as a strength and represented in our setting. According to US Census data, about a quarter of children in preschool settings are multilingual learners, meaning they’re learning two or more languages simultaneously at home and/or at school. As educators, it’s important to encourage these children: research shows improved academic outcomes for children who have the opportunity to learn more than one language during the early years. In addition, supporting the development of a child’s home language while promoting English proficiency is part of equitable teaching. As a preschool educator working to integrate the cultural backgrounds of all the children in my setting, I had to be intentional about the lessons and activities I planned throughout the day.

I understood how important it was for children to see their families, languages, and cultures reflected in our setting and learning materials. These, after all, are strengths that should be celebrated. So how can early childhood educators foster language development and support multilingual preschoolers in inclusive settings? Here are a few strategies based on the research and my experiences. Research has shown that multilingual learners thrive when they have the opportunity to share their home languages with others and transfer what they know from one language to another. Early childhood educators can create these language-rich environments in a number of ways.

With support from both teachers and parents, children have more chances to use and improve their language. Yes! You can help your child to gain in confidence and feel more motivated by giving them lots of praise and opportunities to practise English. It’s easier for children to learn when they get encouragement at home. You could also all learn some English together. If you are enthusiastic about learning the language, they will be too.

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Supporting Children Who Are English Language Learners Succeed In Their

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