Expanding the Knowledge Base on Teacher Learning and Collaboration: A Focus on Asian American English Language Learners

Project 2.2 Final Report 2.2 Final Report 2.2 Executive Summary This school-based research was conducted as an effort to address educational issues confronting English language learners of Asian descent who were not stereotypical model minority students and were placed in the sheltered program in the present study, hereafter, the target students. In general, the target students were expected to succeed in school despite having limited English language proficiency (LEP), varying levels of teacher and peer support in largely sink-or-swim classroom environments, challenging economic conditions, and/or having school identified mild learning disabilities. These educational conditions do not bode well for our target students' futures, particularly given the push for higher standards for graduation and the usage of standardized test scores to determine high school graduation eligibility. At best, the target students will enter the job market without vocational training because without a high school diploma, they do not qualify for vocational school. Therefore, this research project endeavored to provide the target students with a glimmer of hope and the possibility of building a better life within and beyond school. This final report is organized in five sections: background and purpose of the study, research goals and objectives, research design, results and discussion, and conclusion and implications.