PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
A Member of the Texas A&M University System
WHITLOWE R. GREEN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
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Announcement
Doctoral
ABSTRACT
INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND
EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
(Summer 2015)
Toiya Gulley
B.S., Grambling State University
M.Ed., Prairie View A & M University
Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Patricia Hoffman- Miller, Ph.D.
Nearly 50 percent of all Hispanic Americans living in the United States were
concentrated in two states: California and Texas (Crouch & Zakariya, 2012). The Hispanic
population more than doubled in size from 1980 to 2000 (Hobbs & Stoops, 2002). The National
Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) noted the demographic changes in the United States,
showing a tripling of the population in the past 30 years (NCTE, 2008). Nearly ten percent of
the United States’ counties had at least 50 percent or more minorities reported living there
(Crouch & Zakariya, 2012). Projections for the upcoming years through the year 2019 provided
a detailed prediction of race in the country (Hussar & Bailey, 2011). Projections showed an
increased growth of the Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian populations, with
decreases in both African American and White students (Hussar & Bailey, 2011).
According to the American Psychological Association, Latinos had the largest dropout
rate in the Nation - 46.2 percent, and many did not have the skills to acquire English fluency as
quickly as their United States born counterparts (American Psychological Association, 2012).
Governmental figures showed that 5.5 million students in the United States were English
Language Learners (Sanchez, 2007). In 2010, only 11 percent of Hispanic students in a
graduating senior class met the college readiness criteria on their ACT exam (Gewertz, 2010).
Burgoyne, Whiteley, & Hutchinson (2011) concluded that there was a reciprocated association
between students’ vocabulary and comprehension that led to widening the academic achievement
gap that existed amongst ELLs. Harris, Plucker, Rapp, & Martinez (2009) studied a district in
the Midwest to determine strategies for addressing Gifted/Talented (G/T) students and
determined that more research would better help to identify Gifted and Talented ELL students,
using methods such as support by local and statewide government, changes in assessment
policies, increased parental involvement and increased professional development of teachers.
Thus, college readiness, Advanced Placement courses, and academic success were some of the
needed tools in preparation for the future. High dropout rates, under-representation of Hispanic
ELL learners in scholastic achievement, improper placement of students in Special Education
could occur without the proper guidance from well-prepared teachers.
In 2011, the state of Texas was made up of 8,526 schools with 4,912,385 students
attending either public schools or public charter schools (Texas Education Agency, 2012). Of
these students, 13% were African American, 31% were Caucasian, 50% were Hispanic, and 6%
identified themselves as other. In Texas, 59.2% of students were economically disadvantaged.
Seventeen percent of the student population were Limited English Proficient (LEP), and 16%
were enrolled in the bilingual and/or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses (Texas
Education Agency, 2012).
If there was an increased success of teachers’ preparation programs, either traditional or
non-traditional, there was also the potential to increase student (ELL) performance in their core
content courses. Additionally, increased professional development of teachers could have
influenced their students’ achievement. The issue of the academic success of ELLs was of
extreme importance to educational systems, not only globally or nationally, but also statewide
across Texas and locally in the greater Houston area. There existed a need to ensure that this
culture was educated, as the trends in the Nation’s population changed. This study examined the
role that educator preparation programs (EPPs) and professional development played on the
success of English Language Learners.
The researcher identified three main purposes of this study. First, the researcher used this
study to determine the impact of educator preparation programs attended by Bilingual and
English as a Second Language teachers on student success in a school district in South East
Texas with a large population of English Language Learners who are of Latino/a and/ or
Hispanic origin. Second, the researcher wanted to determine the impact of the amount of time
teachers were engaged in school or district professional development on student achievement.
Last, the researcher sought to determine the impact of multiple variables on student success, as
measured by students’ individual Reading STAAR scores in relation to their ESL/Bilingual
teachers.
A causal-comparative research method, along with survey research were utilized. This
study gathered data based on previously implemented mandatory professional development for
teachers and students’ STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) End of
Course (EOC) scores based on the first year implementation of the newly created STAAR test in
the 2011-2012 school year. It compared students’ individual Reading STAAR test scores from
ESL/Bilingual grades 3-5 classes, based on student rosters submitted by teachers. Rosters were
submitted from the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. In addition, educator preparation
programs, a precursor to becoming a teacher, were evaluated. Thus, this study examined ex post
facto elements through the use of a causal-comparative approach.
The results of this study could provide school district officials and employees information
about their current professional development of teachers and their hiring practices. Additionally,
results could affect student achievement in English as a Second Language and Bilingual classes
and the overall academic development of students. Results would benefit internal and external
stakeholders, as the training and certification of teachers has a tremendous impact on local
economies. Additional research regarding the preparation of teachers and the amount of
professional development may impact overall testing and graduation rates.
References
American Psychological Association. (2012). Crossroads: The psychology of immigration in the
new century. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/topics/immigration/report.aspx?item=11
Burgoyne, K., Whiteley, H. E., & Hutchinson, J. M. (2011). The development of comprehension
and reading-related skills in children learning English as an additional language and their
monolingual, English-speaking peers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81,
344-354.
Crouch, R., & Zakariya, S. B. (2012). The United States of education: The changing
demographics of the United States and their schools. The Center for Public Education.
Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/You-May-Also-Be-InterestedIn-landing-page-level/Organizing-a-School-YMABI/The-United-States-of-educationThe-changing-demographics-of-the-United-States-and-their-schools.html
Gewertz, C. (2010). Rate of minorities taking ACT continues to rise. Education Week, 30(1), 6.
Harris, B., Plucker, J. A., Rapp, K. E., & Martinez, R. S. (2009). Identifying gifted and talented
English Language Learners: A case study. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 32(3),
368-393. Retrieved from EBSCOhost
Hobbs, F., & Stoops, N. (2002). Demographic trends in the 20th century: Census 2000 special
reports. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/censr-4.pdf
Hussar, W.J., and Bailey, T.M. (2011). Projections of education statistics to 2019 (NCES 2011017). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S.
Department of Education. Washington, D. C.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) (2008). English Language Learners: A policy
research brief. Nation Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/PolicyResearch/ELLResearchBrief.pd
f
Sanchez, M. (2007, March). U.S.-born don’t learn the language easily. Seattle Times, p. 1,
Opinions.
Texas Education Agency. (2012). Snapshot 2011 summary tables: State totals. Retrieved from
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/snapshot/2011/state.html
Date: _July 14, 2015___
Department: Educational Leadership and Counseling
Time: 1:00 PM
Location/Room: DELCO 220
Dissertation Chair:
Patricia Hoffman-Miller, Ph.D.
Dissertation Committee:
Laxley Rodney, Ph.D.
Carl Gardiner, Ed.D.
Teresa Hughes, Ph.D.