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National Research and Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners

Increasing the capacity of educators, policymakers, and researchers to equitably and with quality serve students who are also English Learners.

Current Challenge

English Learners need ecologically designed education that is coherent in all directions across the classroom, school, district, and state levels simultaneously. 

The two main ecological categories we are studying explore how to (1) enable high-challenge and high-support opportunities for students to learn academic concepts and language at the same time, and (2) drive continuous improvements to English Learner trajectories by taking into account multiple variables over time, including the impact of educational decisions and policies. 

Purpose

The Center conducts studies aimed at bridging English Learner research and practice bidirectionally and provides compelling and actionable information to improve opportunities for English Learners in secondary schools. 

Audience Served

The National Research and Development Center provides research and resources that help educators, policymakers, and researchers ensure students who are also English Learners have equitable and high-quality educational experiences. It conducts studies to bridge English Learner research and practice and provides compelling, actionable information to improve opportunities for English Learners in secondary schools. 

Key Activities

Current Center studies seek to identify and describe the systemic barriers that prevent secondary English Learners from accessing the general curriculum and gaining credits for valuable course work. Center researchers are also developing and testing innovative educative curriculum aiming to develop teacher expertise and English Learners’ autonomy to reach their full potential in community, college, and career. 

Center Director

Photo of Aida Walqui

Aída Walqui 

For the past 5 decades, Aída Walqui has dedicated her professional life to improving the expertise of teachers and educational leaders, with a focus…

Funder

The National Resource and Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners is funded in full by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education through award number R305C200008. 

Project Duration

Since 2020

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