Cobb County ESOL

World's Population

Census Bureau Population Clock

http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

Top Ten Countries with the Highest Population

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats8.htm

World Population Declining?

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/11/overcrowding-nah-the-worlds-population-may-actually-be-declining/?hpt=hp_bn16

 

 

China’s One Child Policy

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1912861,00.html

Thomas Malthus Population Theories

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/malthus_thomas.shtml

 Seven Minute Video on World Population with Historical Contexts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BbkQiQyaYc

 

Immigration Information (New!)

Click here to download the presentation on Immigration: Download Immigration slides_KR

Immigration Concepts: Download Immigration Concepts

Undocumented students (Presentation from Dr. Paula Mellom, CLASE: Download College advising corp 2_27_13

Listed below are some additional resoures on immigration:

AJC article: State Immigration Law Beset with Gaps, AJC, November 8, 2011

NY Times series of articles and interactive media on immigration

PBS "Lost in Detention:" Over 400,000 people deported in 2011: Watch the PBS program

The research report, "Shattered Families," on the thousands of children in foster homes whose parents have been deported.

The ACLU website: The ACLU Report on Cobb's 287g is attached.
Information from the Anti-Defamation League on organizations that represent the other side of the issue.

Information required for application for the naturalization process.

The article on Joaquin Luna, the undocumented high school student's suicide

CNN article on allegations of Arizona sheriff's discrimination of Latinos

The Pinky Show's tongue-in-cheek video, "How to Solve Illegal Immigration"

The "Newly Arrived Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 2010" report, which was relased recently by the Census. Surprisingly, since 2008, immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for only 41 percent of newcomers. Prior to 2005, immigrants from that region constituted 54 percent of new arrivals.

 

High School Graduation Rate

28% of the nation's students and 32% of Georgia's students drop out of high school. Most students who drop out of school believe that they could have succeeded in school.

Check the resources below for more information. As a teacher, what can YOU do to reduce the drop out rate?

article: The Silent Epidemic  Download TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL

statistics, stories and ideas: http://www.boostup.org/en

diploma requirements, comparison of states:
http://mb2.ecs.org/reports/Report.aspx?id=735

 

 

90+ Languages

Ever need a little more information about the language of one of your ELs? Well, the Rhode Island Teachers of English Language Learners (RITELL) has developed an amazing resource with the RITELL Language Project. There are powerpoints with information on over 90 languages on their website. Each powerpoint contains

1.  Background information on the language, it's varieties, where it is spoken,
it's orthography and structure
2.  Information on common problems a speaker of that language would have when
learning English and
3.  Cross cultural communication aspects to be aware of (touching and other
taboos to be aware of when speaking to a speaker of that language).

While the information was collected by grad students and not language specialists, it is very useful. Citations are listed for every language and may lead you to exactly the information that you need for a particular students. Thank you for sharing, RITELL!

Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does--and Does Not--Say

Claude Goldenberg, a professor of education at Stanford University, takes an in depth look at current research on the teaching of English Language Learners. Check out his article in the Summer 2008 issue of the American Educator at http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/issues/summer08/goldenberg.pdf

Life as an Undocumented Immigrant

March 2012 Research Report from Center for American Progress: Download Life_as_undocumented

Information on issues of immigration, education and English Learners

www.presente.org: website that explores issues relevent to Latino populations

www.dreamactivist.org: website with information and support for undocumented students

www.colorlines.com: daily news site that focuses the overcoming of racism in society

www.fairus.org: an organization that supports an alternative view to immigration issues

Ed Week article: On Open Article from Undocumented Students

 

article: 103 Things to Do, Before/DuringAfter Reading

Click here to acess an article by James Burke that has excellent ideas on how to get students interacting with what they are reading. Check it out!

 

See below for an excerpt of the wonderful activities:

 

1. Business card Book

   Write the story in the most compelling way you can on paper the size of a business card.

2. Postcard

   Write to a friend, the author, or to a character about this book. Write as if you were the character or author and write to yourself.

3. Mapmaker

   Draw a map of the book's setting.

4. Moviemaker

   Write a one page "pitch" to a producer explaining why the story would or would not make a great movie.

5. Trailer

   Movie previews always offer a quick sequence of the best moments that make us want to watch it – storyboard or narrate the scenes for your trailer. Focus on verbs.

6. Billboard

   As in the movies, take what seems the most compelling image(s) and create an ad.

7. Adjective-itis

   Pick five adjectives for the book or character(s), and explain how they apply.

Excerpted from Burke, J., (1998). The English Teacher's Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession. Boynton/Cook Publishers.

 

The Growing Achievement Gap between Rich and Poor

Newly released Stanford Study examines the widening achievement gap. The achievement gap between children from high- and low-income families is roughly 30 to 40 percent larger among children born in 2001 than among those born twenty-five years earlier. In fact, it appears that the income achievement gap has been growing for at least fifty years, though the data are less certain for cohorts of children born before 1970.

Forvo: All the words in the world. Pronounced.

Ever wonder how to pronounce something in another language? Check out Forvo! I have found out how to pronounce names of places around the world, names of some of my favorite authors and other words in several languages! Forvo currently boasts over a million words in 281 languages. If the word/name that you would like pronounced is not there, you can add it and someone in the Forvo community will pronounce it.

ESOL: Staying current

Many of you have asked how you can stay current on issues related to ESOL and Title III. A couple of sources that I use are listed below:

Learning the Language: a blog from Ed Week that focuses on educational, policy and social issues as they pertain to ELs.

 

Title I-derland: a blog from Thompson provides news, insights and analysis on issues in K-12 education. The have categories dedicated to "English Learners" and "Title III."

The Diversity Kit: An Introductory Resource for Social Change

Brown University's Education Alliance has developed an excellent resource for educators. The three-part kit addresses the gap between research and practice with insights on language acquisition and the effects of student cultural backgrounds on the learning process. It allows educators at all levels, administrators, policymakers, and community members to examine their beliefs, perceptions, behaviors, and educational practices with respect to diversity in education. Each of the three sections contains activities, vignettes, and suggestions for further exploration. the kit contains information on videos, online and print resources. The resource is available FREE and can be downloaded from the Education Alliance site. For your convenience, the kit may be downloaded here: Download Dk_dev26-66

The Danger of the Single Story

TED is a non-profit that focuses on ideas that are worth spreading. One idea worth spreading is the concept that all of our students who come to us have their own stories. As teachers it is important to realize that each of students has an internal story that we may only be privy to if we build a strong, trusting relationships with our students.

Check out the words of Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie as she shares her thoughts about the story within us all in "The Danger of the Single Story."

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

Long Term ELLs - more likely to drop out

Long Term ELs are more likely to drop out. According to  a new study on ELLs from researchers at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. Using three years of statewide, student-level data, the report examines enrollment history, achievement gaps and staying power in school for ELLs and reclassified ELLs as compared to students who are not English learners.

Click here to the link on the article.

15 Eye-Opening Facts on Undocumented Students

The following is from http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/10/19/15-eye-opening-facts-on-undocumented-students/

"Families immigrate to the United States constantly, and many of them bring children along with them. Immigrant adults with dubious legal status have it bad enough, but their kids face even more difficulty, unable to achieve their dreams in a country they consider home. About 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools every year, and their presence is not insignificant. Although they are guaranteed a public school education through grade 12, their future in college is much less certain. From federal Financial Aid restrictions to reduced opportunities, students with undocumented status face a lower quality of education and future careers than their legal classmates. Read on, and we'll explore several important facts about their experiences in the United States."

1.     Most undocumented students have no role in the decision to come to the US

Often, undocumented youth are brought into the US by their parents or relatives, and spend more years here than their country of origin. It's usually a family decision to move, and students may be small children when this happens. In 2000, approximately 2.5 million undocumented youth under 18 were living in the US. Typically, undocumented students enter the US without authorization, or they enter legally but remain without authorization.

2.    Undocumented students may not even be aware of their status

As undocumented youth are often brought into the US at a very young age, they may have no recollection of actually immigrating, and typically, no understanding of any legal arrangements that may have been made. In fact, some students have no idea that they are not legal US citizens until their late teens, when they apply for federal Financial Aid or begin looking for a job. This surprise can be devastating, as they are not able to pursue the college and career choices they may have been working toward.

3.    Federal law protects young undocumented students

Plyler v. Doe in 1982 included several points that help undocumented students in school. Through this law, schools must provide an equal education to all children, including the undocumented. In fact, they can't even ask for documentation of a child's immigration status, and schools can't use Social Security numbers as a prerequisite for enrollment. Students are further protected by the law that forbids school personnel from sharing information about a child's immigration status with any individual or institution, even government agencies. This means schools are a safe place for all students to receive a quality K-12 education.

4.    Undocumented students are often high performers

UCLA's Center for Labor Research and Education's hearing and conference in 2007 revealed that although undocumented students may not have access to the same resources as legal US citizens, they often do very well in school. Many are honor students, student leaders, and athletes with high academic achievement. However, they may be held back upon graduation because they cannot access higher education or legal employment.

5.    Undocumented students have fewer opportunities in school

Undocumented students aren't able to move freely due to fear of deportation, which means they may miss out on opportunities that legal US citizens are able to take advantage of. Study abroad, trips with friends, and even transferring to a new school can be incredibly difficult for undocumented students. Additionally, some programs or careers require that students are legal citizens, including teacher certification and nurse registration. The undocumented do not have the opportunity to pursue these careers due to their status.

6.    Undocumented isn't always illegal

Although many are quick to assume that undocumented means illegal, undocumented students can be in a number of different situations. Some have applied for permanent residence or another type of status, but are still awaiting approval. Others have cases pending in either Immigration or Federal Courts, a process that can take several years to complete. In some extreme cases, even US citizens may be undocumented, due to issues with proof of their citizenship.

7.    The DREAM Act may provide relief for undocumented students

Since 2007, legislation has been pending for the DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented students to qualify for immigration relief. Students who have been continuously present in the US for at least five years, were under 16 years of age at the time of entry into the US, and those who are able to demonstrate good moral character would qualify. Students would be given a pathway to citizenship through college or the armed forces, granting lawful permanent resident status after completing two years in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher, or at least two years of honorable military service. They would still not be eligible for federal education grants, but unlike current legislation, would be able to take advantage of federal work study and student loans. If passed, an estimated 2.1 million undocumented young adults might benefit from the DREAM Act.

8.    Thousands of undocumented students fail to complete high school

Although undocumented immigrants can attend high school, not all of them do, lacking support and motivation. About 80,000 undocumented immigrants turn 18 every year, but of those, 16 to 20% of them will not graduate. Presumably, undocumented students do not see the value in a high school degree when they are not able to legally work, and may not be able to get grants or even attend college.

9.    Only a fraction of undocumented students make it to college

With many undocumented students failing to complete high school, it's not surprising that so many of them don't make it to college, either. According to the UCLA Labor Center, only five to 10% make it to college due to a lack of available Financial Aid. Even among undocumented students who have attended college, problems abound; many see family members deported, some have to drop out of school because they can't afford it, others have to put their education on hold to find work, and some even experience workplace raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, all of which can severely complicate completing a college degree.

10. Undocumented college students can't receive federal loans or grants

Although federal law does not prevent admission of undocumented students, they may still face obstacles when getting into college. Financial Aid is important to many enrollees, including loans and grants. However, undocumented students are prohibited from receiving federal assistance. In many cases, they are also ineligible for assistance at the state level as well.

11.  Undocumented students may be able to pay in state tuition

In 13 states, undocumented graduates of state high schools are allowed to pay in-state tuition at colleges and universities. The states base eligibility on state school attendance and graduation. These states are as follows: Texas, Connecticut, California, Utah, Washington, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Rhode Island, Nebraska, and New Mexico. With this legislation, undocumented students can save thousands on their tuition, making it easier to attend college.

12. Somehow, undocumented graduates may still find work

Although legally, illegal aliens can't do anything with their high school or college degrees, as they can't work in the US, the reality may be different. Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams reports, "current enforcement practices" result in illegal aliens being hired. Mehlman-Orozco points out, if illegal aliens are somehow finding jobs, they might as well be college educated.

13. Undocumented students often don't apply to college or take advantage of state programs

Although 50,000 to 65,000 undocumented students graduate from US high schools each year, Education Week reports that many of them do not apply to college because it is "economically inaccessible." Still others do not take advantage of in-state tuition programs because they are not aware of them. And in other cases, even students who are aware of in-state tuition programs don't use them because their inability for financial aid means that college is still out of reach financially.

14. Financial Aid opportunities exist for undocumented students

Although undocumented students cannot receive federal Financial Aid, and in some cases, state aid as well, there are other options. Organizations including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the United Negro College Fund, and the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund provide financial assistance to undocumented students. Additionally, schools themselves may offer Financial Aid to undocumented students, as higher learning institutions are able to set their own relevant policies.

15. Some schools offer undocumented students full ride scholarships

For high achieving undocumented students, there is hope when it comes to being able to afford the cost of college, especially those who have their sights set on the Ivy League. Both Harvard and Stanford University offer full ride scholarships to undocumented students. Although it's a controversial choice, it does mean that undocumented students who do well enough to be admitted to some of the top schools in the nation might not have to worry about how they're going to pay for it all.

 

Research on Testing Accommodations for English Learners

Historically, testing accommodations have been based on research from special ed populations. While most states offer testing accommodations for the English Learner population, many of the accommodations do not specfically address the specific linguistic and cultural needs of English Learners. Recently, many studies and reports have been produced on this topic.

If you would like more information regarding accommodations and English Learners, check out the list of studies and publications available through the Northwest Regional Comprehensive Center.

The Bilingual Advantage

Having our families maintain their native language at home is important! Read Claudia Dreifus' article from the NY Times on The Bilingual Advantage. According to cognitive neuroscientist, Ellen Bialystock, the evidence is in the BRAIN!

Jose' Antonio - NY Times article

Click here to access the article about Jose' Antonio, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html

Achievement Gaps

"Achievement gaps occur when one group of students outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant (that is, larger than the margin of error). The NAEP reports on the Hispanic-White achievement gap and the Black-White achievement gap use NAEP scores in mathematics and reading for these groups to illuminate patterns and changes in these gaps over time." (from ies National Center for Educational Statistics)

On June 23, 2011 the NCES released a report that showed that the Hispanic-White achievement gap has remained largely unchanged over the last two decades. The full report or an executive summary entitled "Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress" can be downloaded from the NCES site. In response to the report, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan challenged the nation to work together to make Hispanic educational excellence a priority. Click here to read Secretary Duncan's response.

Race - The Power of Illusion

What is race? Is race for real?

We all know that people look different. Anyone can tell a Czech from a Chinese. But are these differences racial? What does race mean? Find the answers to these and other questions by exploring different interactivities within this site.

There's less - and more - to race than meets the eye.

Check out the website from PBS: Race - The Power of Illusion

Project Implicit

It is well known that people don't always 'speak their minds', and it is suspected that people don't always 'know their minds'. Understanding such divergences is important to scientific psychology.

The Project Implicit web site presents a method that demonstrates the conscious-unconscious divergences much more convincingly than has been possible with previous methods. Their new method is called the Implicit Association Test, or IAT for short.

Project Implicit blends basic research and educational outreach in a virtual laboratory at which visitors can examine their own hidden biases. Project Implicit is the product of research by three scientists whose work produced a new approach to understanding of attitudes, biases, and stereotypes.

The Project Implicit site (implicit.harvard.edu) has been functioning as a hands-on science museum exhibit, allowing web visitors to experience the manner in which human minds display the effects of stereotypic and prejudicial associations acquired from their socio-cultural environment. Since 1998 over 4.5 million tests have been completed.

Video - Media Matters: Winner of the Immigration Award

Very powerful video that clearly illustrates the struggles that our ESOL students face in their new country.

 

For the website: http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/watch/9/immersion

 

Worldmapper

Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest. There are now nearly 700 maps. Maps 1-366 are also available as PDF posters.

GA Data - U.S. Census Widget

Census 2010: Population shifts

Click here for the report: U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Final State 2010 Census Population Totals for Legislative Redistricting

 

Click here for the article: Census: Hispanics shift US dynamics