Ojo Amarillo Elementary School’s Navajo language program’s goals are for all children to become bilingual in Navajo. Ojo Amarillo Elementary School recognizes its students’ strengths by acknowledging all students at the quarterly school wide awards recognition assemblies. The principal and staff make every effort to recognize students in some way for their efforts and success.

Ojo Amarillo Elementary School’s Navajo language classes implement multiple unique instructional strategies, which are:

1. Hands on experiential learning;
2. Integrating Culture-Based Arts/Activities into target language instruction;
3. Navajo Literacy Nights;
4. Use of realia, visual aids, and reading materials in Navajo.

Ojo Amarillo Elementary School has established an upward trajectory from being a D school in 2011-2012 to being a B school. The school has maintained this school grade of B for two academic school years now. Fifty-three percent (53%) of English learners showed proficiency in Reading and 48% in Math. The school community is enthusiastic and dedicated to their profession. Additionally, teachers are striving to create a more culturally sensitive environment in order to work with diverse, and particularly Native American, students.

The Santa Teresa Middle School’s vision is Striving Toward Mastering Standards. The mission is to create and maintain an environment and system of support that ensures that every member of the learning community reaches a high level of academic achievement as determined by state and national standards.

PAL program – Program for Acquiring Language: This program is a “school within a school” for newcomers or recent immigrant students. The PAL students are not isolated and are able to participate in all programs such as art and sports. The goal of the program is intensive literacy instruction for English learners so they can be mainstreamed in all content classes before they attend high school. Principal Rosa Lovelace encourages parents new to New Mexico to enroll their child in the PAL program “so we don’t lose kids” and we accelerate their learning in English and in Spanish.”

All teachers at Santa Teresa Middle School have a TESOL or Bilingual Endorsement. There is minimal teacher turnover since teachers report that they “want to be here at STMS.” Santa Teresa Middle School received a school grade of A. Ninety-two percent (92%) of English learners achieved proficiency in Reading and 74% in Math!

Culturally responsive pedagogy emerged over the last few decades as a response to address the underachievement of minority students. According to some researchers, teachers can improve ELs’ learning outcomes by using culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices (Tharp et. al., 2000; Villegas & Lucas, 2002). Culturally responsive teaching practices (a) are based on a socio-constructivist approach to teaching and learning; (b) build on students’ cultural and linguistic resources by accessing prior knowledge and relevant experiences; (c) help students examine curriculum from multiple perspectives; (d) use a variety of assessment practices that promote learning; and (e) make the classroom culturally inclusive of all students (Villegas and Lucas, 2002).

Culturally responsive pedagogy offers a potential solution for addressing the challenges associated with educating ELs. Findings from the 2006 National Literacy Panel’s Report—a comprehensive review of the research on developing literacy among second language learners—suggest that a culturally responsive approach to teaching and learning may be a promising practice for teaching ELs (August and Shanahan, 2006). But the report noted that there is little empirical work to serve as guide for the implementation of effective PD on culturally responsive teaching practices.

The ALD4ALL project inquiry and PL is grounded in sociocultural theory, a social constructivist perspective of teaching and learning. Researchers from this perspective recognize that learning is not only an individual endeavor, it is also socially mediated and context-dependent (Vygotsky, 1978). Individuals are recognized to possess valuable funds of knowledge (Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005). As a critical component of—and to model a sociocultural approach to —PL, teacher coaching and on-going support are integral components of intervention design (Walqui, 2011). Furthermore, the inquiry takes a generative theoretical approach (Ball, 2009) to designing and delivering professional development.

A generative approach to PL encourages teachers to connect their personal and professional knowledge with what they learn about their students to implement instruction that meets their students’ educational needs, interests, and inquiries (Ball, 2009). The inquiry and the PL is anchored in the research and scholarship pertaining to bilingual education and school improvement including the indicators of effective practices for improving the education of CLD/EL students (Cadiero-Kaplan, 2004). The indicators of effective practices —value of learners, academic language orientation, expectations for learners, instructional goals, resources, and assessment and accountability (Cadiero-Kaplan, 2004)—are the source of inquiry providing a lens and setting the foundation for the ALD4ALL project’s inquiry and PL.

Project Theory of Change

Given the learning from the first year of the project and the feedback of the program officer at the time, the ALD4ALL project worked early in the second year to clarify and document the project’s theory of change. The ALD4ALL project’s theory of change is that by focusing on culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) pedagogy, collaboration, effective practices, generative learning, and professional growth, at all levels of the school system, we will be able to improve the teaching-learning process for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students and English Learners (ELs) in our state. The ALD4ALL project began with an inquiry into how effective schools with bilingual multicultural education programs serving CLD and EL students sustain gains in student achievement. The ALD4ALL project aims to sustain the process by providing ongoing resources and support from the PED, and by disseminating information for fostering increased collaboration within each school community.

Drawing from Generative Theory and a Model of Generative Change, the ALD4ALL project developed a Generative Professional Learning process for participating schools.

Generative Theory: The processes through which teachers and students develop voice, generativity, and efficacy in their thinking and practice (Ball, 2009, p. 66).

• Stages of Generative Professional Learning
• Clarity: Observing, Listening & Identifying
• Ownership: Developing
• Action 1: Customizing
• Action 2: Planning
• Efficacy: Implementing

Stage 1 CLARITY: We began the inquiry phase of the project with site visits, that involved classroom observations followed by interviews and focus group with parents, students, teachers, and administrators. We listened to their needs, wishes, interests, and inquiries about their school community. The data collected from these experiences was used to inform our collaboration and development of a professional learning action plan for their schools and programs.

Stage 2 OWNERSHIP: The professional learning plans were developed in collaboration with educators who remained engaged throughout the process. We learned from each other as we went along. The project schools were introduced to the effective practices framework we were using to study bilingual and multicultural education programs (BMEPs) in New Mexico. These effective practices provided the project schools with the same framework with which to self-examine their own instructional and systemic educational practices.

Stage 3 & Stage 4 ACTION: The professional learning action plan was customized for each local context and the list of effective practices were reviewed by each school in their action plan. The ALD4ALL inquiry team facilitated and differentiated each professional learning activity to provide a space for generative thinking about the areas of growth the school identified as needing support, in turn transforming their instructional practices to better meet the educational needs of their students. Each teacher created a Lesson Plan of Action. The ALD4ALL facilitator’s responsibility was to support the planning and share resources pertaining to culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy.

Stage 5 EFFICACY: When teachers implemented their plans of action, they were in effect combining theory, best practices, and their knowledge of their students and local community. Each professional learning session with an ALD4ALL facilitator allowed for collaborative reflection, problem solving and generative professional learning, all essential ingredients for becoming an efficacious teacher, and one who perseveres in improving the education of his or her students.

Ball, A.F. (2009). Toward a theory of generative change in culturally and linguistically complex classrooms. American Education Research Journal, 46(1), 45-72.

YouTube Description.  Neddy Vigil, research professor in UNM's Department of Spanish and Portuguese and director of UNM's Language Learning Center, and Garland Bills, UNM professor emeritus of linguistics and of Spanish and Portuguese, discuss their book, "The Spanish Language of New Mexico and Southern Colorado," a linguistic atlas that delves into Spanish as it is spoken by the Hispanic population of New Mexico and southern Colorado.

If you're looking for the PED ALD4ALL data collection and sharing site, you came to the right place.  Here are some links to help you get started.

Online Entry for the Teacher Self-Assessment Scales: ald4all.positivepractices.com/ald4all.html

Teacher Self-Assessment Scales (PDF for printing) Download: ald4all.positivepractices.com/ald4all-scales.pdf

Training packet (PDF for printing): Download: ald4all.positivepractices.com/ald4all.pdf

NMTEACH Educator Effectiveness Rubrics (reformatted by CPP): Download: ald4all.positivepractices.com/nmteach-rubrics-cpp.pdf

NMTEACH Rubrics Summary Sheet (reformatted by CPP): Download: ald4all.positivepractices.com/nmteach-summary.pdf

NMPED NMTEACH: Portal Entry: ped.state.nm.us/ped/NMTeachIndex.html

All links above in one place: ald4all.positivepractices.com/ped-links/

ALD4ALL facilitators Dr. Elisabeth Valenzuela and Dr. Susana Ibarra Johnson join students in dancing folklorico.

Beaulieu, David (2008). Native American Education Research and Policy Development in an Era of No Child Left Behind: Native Language and Culture during the Administrations of Presidents Clinton and Bush, Journal of American Indian Education. This article traces the history of policy development in Native American education from the second term of President William J. Clinton and his signing of Executive Order 13096 of August 6, 1998 on American Indian/Alaska Native education, through the passage and implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and initial consideration of its reauthorization in the twilight of the presidency of George W. Bush. The article describes the interaction of political action, research, and policy development under the umbrella of the growing political influence of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) to the successful passage of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act and preparation for reauthorization of NCLB. The analysis provides a unique perspective of the implementation of NCLB with American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students through a personal narrative of those years by the author, who served in key positions within the federal government and NIEA. Throughout this period, a research agenda in American Indian/Alaska Native education evolved with a focus on the role of Native languages and cultures in Native American education. With the passage of NCLB, that role was threatened despite the plain language of Title VII in NCLB and the pronouncements of President Bush's American Indian/Alaska Native education executive order. This threat was blunted by a significant effort on the part of NIEA to protect the keystone of post-Meriam federal Indian education reforms: the foregrounding of Native languages and cultures in the education of Native students. Symbolic to this effort and foundational for future efforts was the 2006 passage of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act in a Republican-controlled Congress and its signing by President Bush. [more] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, American Indians, Alaska Natives, American Indian Education
Reiss, David, Ed.; And Others (). Children and Violence.. This volume documents the rise in violence in our communities and explores its impact on children's physical, psychological, and social development. Focal themes are: the necessity for better information about the kinds of violence to which children are exposed, the necessity of beginning to build intervention strategies aimed at violence, and the need to examine related fields for helpful information. The following papers are included: (1) "Introduction: American Violence and Its Children" (David Reiss); (2) "Community Violence and Children's Development: Toward a Research Agenda for the 1990s" (John E. Richters); (3) "The NIMH Community Violence Project: I. Children as Victims of and Witnesses to Violence" (John E. Richters and Pedro Martinez); (4) "The NIMH Community Violence Project: II. Children's Distress Symptoms Associated with Violence Exposure" (Pedro Martinez and John E. Richters); (5) "Chronic Community Violence: What Is Happening to Our Children?" (Joy D. Osofsky, Sarah Wewers, Della M. Hann, and Ana C. Fick); (6) "Community Violence and Children on Chicago's Southside" (Carl C. Bell and Esther J. Jenkins); (7) "Children's Exposure to Community Violence: Following a Path from Concern to Research to Action" (Raymond P. Lorion and William Saltzman); (8) "Community Violence, Children's Development, and Mass Media: In Pursuit of New Insights, New Goals, and New Strategies" (Bernard Z. Friedlander); (9) "Child Sexual Abuse: A Model of Chronic Trauma" (Frank W. Putnam and Penelope K. Trickett); (10) "Toward an Ecological/Transactional Model of Community Violence and Child Maltreatment: Consequences for Children's Development" (Dante Cicchetti and Michael Lynch); (11) "The Horror! The Horror! Reflections on Our Culture of Violence and Its Implications for Early Development and Morality" (Robert N. Emde); (12) "Impact of Violence on Children and Adolescents: Report from a Community-Based Child Psychiatry Clinic" (Marilyn Benoit); and (13) "Children in Poverty: Resilience Despite Risk" (Norman Garmezy). References follow each chapter. [more] Descriptors: Adolescents, Child Abuse, Child Development, Child Health
Rivas, Manuela Raposo; De La Serna, Manuel Cebrian; Martinez-Figueira, Esther (2014). Electronic Rubrics to Assess Competences in ICT Subjects, European Educational Research Journal. Helping students to acquire specific competences is nowadays one of the basic pillars of university teaching; therefore its evaluation and accreditation is of key importance. As of late, rubrics and in particular electronic rubrics (e-rubrics) have become an important resource to assess competences and guide students in their learning processes. In this contribution, the authors present a quasi-experimental study that was conducted to explore and evaluate the use of the e-rubrics in subjects related to information and communication technology (ICT). Data were collected on how students viewed their use of e-rubrics in self-evaluation and peer evaluation. They show that the experimental groups using e-rubrics were better evaluated by their professors than the control groups who did not engage in self-evaluation using e-rubrics. The students see e-rubrics as a positive resource because they feel e-rubrics allow for a truly objective evaluation. Additionally, e-rubrics are considered to be helpful in improving learning and self-regulation. [more] Descriptors: Scoring Rubrics, Information Technology, Competence, College Instruction
Uso-Juan, Esther; Martinez-Flor, Alicia (2008). Teaching Learners to Appropriately Mitigate Requests, ELT Journal. It is commonly recognized that, for lecturers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a university setting, the goal of their teaching is to develop learners' ability to communicate appropriately in this language. This means that teaching practices should pay attention not only to the key features of the linguistic system of English, but also to its pragmatic norms since lack of this knowledge may impede communication. Consequently, language learners need to be exposed to appropriate input in the classroom. In order to help lecturers in this task, it is the aim of this paper to present a learner-based instructional method designed to develop learners' pragmatic ability when using request mitigating devices in EFL. The rationale behind the selection of this pragmatic feature is discussed in the paper together with an explanation of the proposed teaching method. [more] Descriptors: Pragmatics, Teaching Methods, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning
Kelly, Patricia J.; Cheng, An-Lin; Peralez-Dieckmann, Esther; Martinez, Elisabeth (2009). Dating Violence and Girls in the Juvenile Justice System, Journal of Interpersonal Violence. The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence and associated behaviors of dating violence among a population of girls in the juvenile justice system. A sample of 590 girls from an urban juvenile justice system completed a questionnaire assessing attitudes and self-efficacy about and occurrence of dating violence. The analysis developed a random effect model to determine a risk profile for dating violence. The strongest predictors of dating violence were (a) initial sexual experience at age 13 or earlier, (b) unwillingness of initial sexual experience, (c) drug use, and (d) low self-efficacy about preventing dating violence. The high prevalence of dating violence and associated behaviors among participants suggests the importance of implementing primary prevention programs to assist preteen girls in delaying initial sexual intercourse and in learning techniques to prevent dating violence. [more] Descriptors: Females, Self Efficacy, Incidence, Prevention
Jacobs, Sue-Ellen; Tuttle, Siri G.; Martinez, Esther (1998). Multimedia Technology in Language and Culture Restoration Efforts at San Juan Pueblo: A Brief History of the Development of the Tewa Language Project, WICAZO SA Review. The Tewa Language Project CD-ROM was developed at the University of Washington in collaboration with San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, to restore the use of spoken and written Tewa and to repatriate cultural property. The CD-ROM contains an interactive multimedia dictionary, songs, stories, photographs, land and water data, and linguistic resources collected in the early 1900s and 1960s-70s. [more] Descriptors: Adult Education, American Indian Education, American Indian Languages, Cultural Maintenance