General thoughts blog11/13/2023 ![]() ![]() Although ELs may benefit from additional services, I repeatedly found that many educators (including EL specialists and special education teachers) did not know how to determine whether ELs needed more time to develop English language and reading skills or had, in fact, a language-based disability. What I found disturbing were the discussions about routing ELs to special education services under the assumption of learning disabilities (LDs), which occurred far too frequently given the expected prevalence of LDs in this community of learners. This is not surprising given that EL students, by definition, are effectively still in the process of developing English proficiency. The students who were English learners (ELs) tended to struggle with English language and reading development more than their English-proficient peers. I soon noticed a common thread across the two school contexts. Most students in the school commonly labeled as “diverse”-the same school I attended as a student-were of Mexican origin and from Spanish-speaking, low-income homes, whereas students in the other school actually represented a wide range of linguistic, socioeconomic, and racial/ethnic backgrounds. I taught five grade levels within a 3-year span in two very different elementary school contexts. My experience as an elementary school teacher in Southern California is what motivated me to pursue graduate studies. How did you become interested in a career in education research? She believes the results of the study have the potential to mitigate English reading comprehension difficulties, improve school-based assessment practices to better inform special education decisions, and reduce disproportionate special education representation for students from Spanish-speaking homes. Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, associate professor at Vanderbilt University, who recently received a new NCSER grant to explore the associations among language comprehension skills in both Spanish and English, the processes involved in English reading comprehension, and special education placement decisions for elementary school students from Spanish-speaking homes. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, we interviewed Dr.
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