Chapter 37: Crossing The Cultural Border: What the Field of Tesol Can Offer School Counselors

Over the past 15 years, the United States has seen a rapid growth in the English Language Learner (ELL) population. In particular, from 1997- 2009, the number of ELLs enrolled in public school increased by 51% from 3.5 million to 5.3 million in the PreK-12 public school environment (McGinty, 2012; Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2012). This large demographic shift in the ELL population has caused tremendous strain on school districts and schools that may be underprepared to understand and accommodate the unique needs of ELLs in the PreK-12. This means many faculty and staff in the public school system, who have little or no experience and training concerning ELLs, may feel overwhelmed and frustrated (NCES, 1996). Specifically, school counselors are generally lacking the academic training and professional development to handle the needs of the ELLs in school situations. TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), a professional organization whose mission is to advance and foster inclusive practices and expertise in settings with non-native speakers of English, has much to offer school counselors in training and even to those who are currently working in the PreK-12 American public school environment.