This article reviews published experimental studies from 2000 to 2012 that evaluated the effects of providing reading interventions to English learners who were at risk for experiencing academic difficulties, including students with learning disabilities. Criteria included: (a) the study was published in a peer-referred journal, (b) the study was an intervention for English learners at risk or with a learning disability in Grades K-12, (c) data were disaggregated by English learner status if all participants were not English learners, and (d) information about fidelity of implementation was reported. Twelve studies met these criteria. Results of seven studies conducted in kindergarten and first grade indicated significant moderate-to-large effect sizes (ES range, 0.58-0.91) for interventions targeting beginning reading skills. Findings in five of the 12 studies suggested significant moderate-to-large effects in reading or listening comprehension (ES range, 0.47-2.34). The interventions in these studies included explicit instruction, and 10 used published intervention programs. Moderator variables, such as group size, minutes of intervention, and type of personnel delivering the intervention, were not significant predictors of outcomes.by guest on April 6, 2016 ecx.sagepub.com Downloaded from

This article provides a framework and description of pedagogies that may be used in teacher preparation across a range of settings from college classrooms to P-12 settings to support teacher candidates as they learn to use high-leverage practices (HLPs). These “pedagogies of enactment” must include a continuum of opportunities to use teaching practices in increasingly authentic settings, ranging from video analysis, case studies, rehearsal, and virtual simulations to use of practices with coaching support in a classroom (e.g., lesson study, structured tutoring, and aligned field experiences). In this article, we use research on the development of professional expertise and from cognitive science to identify pedagogies from the teacher education research base that have promise for promoting candidates’ learning and describe how these pedagogies might be scaffolded over the duration of a teacher education program to promote learning.

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This article describes an extended program of research in sheltered instruction and the effects on the academic literacy development of English language learners. It also highlights the challenges of scaling up an instructional intervention. The intervention was the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model, an approach that teaches subject area curriculum to students learning through a second language using techniques that make the content material accessible and also help develop the students' second language skills. Three successive studies looked at teacher change over time and student achievement on standardized assessments and researcher-developed measures. Results of the three studies reveal that students with teachers who were trained in the SIOP Model of sheltered instruction and implemented it with fidelity performed significantly better on assessments of academic language and literacy than students with teachers who were not trained in the model. The article offers guidance for strengthening professional development for teachers so the quality of instruction they deliver to English language learners improves and the students strengthen their English language and academic outcomes.

Use of research‐based practices for improving content area literacy of English learners is important both because of their growing numbers and their overall poor academic performance. However, how do we ensure that teachers are implementing proven methods with fidelity? This study shows the direct relationship between teachers' level of implementation of such practices on student achievement. Specifically, we report findings from research through the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE). In the study, teachers learned and implemented the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model of instruction to improve their students' language and content literacy development. The degree to which teachers implemented the model with fidelity resulted in relative improvement in student performance, underscoring the importance of teacher implementation of proven practices.