CHAPTER 10: Linking Coursework, Fieldwork, and Professional Development: A Model for Preparing Teachers to Meet the Linguistic Needs of English Learners

Since the 2002 passage of a statewide voter referendum commonly known as “Question 2,” English learners in Massachusetts public schools have been served through Structured English Immersion programs (Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 71, § 1). The policy shift away from native language instruction for English learners has placed increased pressure on these pupils to learn English and academic content quickly in order to pass high-stakes tests and meet graduation requirements. It has also placed increased pressure on mainstream teachers, many of whom have received little or no formal training about language teaching. Teacher preparation programs, responding to growth in cultural diversity as well as the expanding achievement gap between White and non-White students in U.S. schools, have begun to focus to a greater extent on preparing novice teachers to meet the needs of historically underserved populations (Sleeter, 2008; Trent, Kea, & Oh, 2008). However, according to Lucas and Villegas (2011), teacher preparation programs have yet to adequately consider issues of linguistic diversity. This chapter, which focuses on a collaborative model of teacher preparation, adds to the growing literature that responds to Zeichner’s (2005) call for research that “pays special attention to the preparation of teachers to teach English Language Learners” (p. 747).