ELL STAFF 1

Running head: ELL STAFF SELECTION

Considerations for hiring staff for English Language Learners

Andrea Mercado

NYIT

EDLT 830

Dr. Heinreich
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The issue of serving the needs of and teaching of English language learners

has come to light as more ELLs enter mainstream classrooms throughout the

country. Although primary large and urban school districts have been faced

with challenge of developing programs for to address the needs of ELLs for

many years, the discussion around how and who educates this population

subset has become pressing with the No Child Left Behind legislation. This

legislation has highlighted the need to develop appropriate and effective

programs and highly qualified teachers to increase the achievement of the

many times overlooked and underrepresented group of students whose

numbers are steadily rising in the American school system. With this come

the added pressures of teaching students with a variety of pedagogical,

social, and emotional needs in an environment that only focuses of results.

Unless administration and teaching teams establish and effectively

implementing ESL programs where teachers serve as an integral part of the

school community, the challenge of enabling students the equitable

instruction necessary for success in American schools becomes a gamble.

The question of teacher effectiveness has become a pressing issue with

schools and administration as budget cuts have forced districts to decide

where monies will be allocated and who needs to be “cut”. To add insult to

injury, onset of data driven assessment based teacher evaluations and

questionable practices for determining teacher effectiveness and impact on

student achievement, the demoralization of the profession has taken a turn.

For administrators have who strive to find and retain teachers motivated to
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perform to their optimal potential and for the greatest benefit of students

and the learning community within their organization, many factors must be

addressed. Perhaps the initial question is how do we approach the issue?

Should administrators take a bottom up approach by looking at the dynamics

of social and educational organizations and or take a top down approach and

look at the individual teacher? What are the essential elements to look for

when selecting staff members who will support the mission of the school as

well as contribute to the success of English language learners?

ISSUES WITH AND CHALLENGES WITH ENGLISH LANGAUGE LEARNERS vs

GENERAL EDUCATION

One of the key challenges or issues administrators face when developing the

structures necessary for an effective ELL program is the lack of

knowledge on the needs of this special population that in and of itself is

an umbrella for many other sub populations. For those who do not truly

understand the key components that distinguish the teaching of English

language learners and see many of the strategies to addressing the

needs of English language learners.

In addition to the basic needs all students have, ELL students have to

deal with linguistic, socio-cultural and identity issues as well as issues of

immigration. American school systems may present a challenge for parents

and families who come from different forms of government. The values these

students have been taught may differ from those of the teachers and

administration in schools and many times misconstrued in many contexts

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causing friction for the student with adults in the school. A recent report

released by the Urban Institute (2005) outlines key issues in ELL education

with respect to NCLB:

• There has been a sharp rise in the number of children of

immigrants, who now compose one fifth of all US school-age
children
• School-age children of immigrants are concentrated in large
states but dispersing rapidly to nontraditional receiving states
• Most children of immigrants are native-born, but the foreign –
born share is higher in secondary school than elementary or
preschool
• Most LEP students in elementary and secondary schools were
born and raised in the US and many have US born parents
• Most LEP children live in linguistically isolated families and
attend linguistically segregated schools
• Children of immigrants often fall into several of NCLB’s protected
group of students; schools enrolling large number of these
children are disproportionately missing the law’s performance
targets

With this information at hand, school administrators must know how to

carefully select the team that will be addressing these needs with so many

systematic and academic challenges. As an administrator, I plan to address

this issue by carefully looking at the academic background (areas of

professional study such at ELL teacher preparation program) and

professional qualifications as well as experience.

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ELL TEACHER PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND MINIMAL

QUALIFICATIONS

Administrator who understands and stays abreast of developing research

and pedagogy specific to English language learning and bilingual learners

are better equipped to implement structures necessary to develop an

effective bilingual and dual language program. With these structures in

place, the chances that novice as well as developed teachers, are much

more likely to succeed in delivering effective instruction. In addition, the

teacher who is equally willing to constantly partake in professional

development will also be more likely to yield greater results in effectively

delivery the adequate instruction necessary to meet the needs of this

diverse learning population and the challenges brought to them by state and

federal policy. Therefore, it is important to determine during the hiring

process whether or not the new hire has a record of maintaining or

participating in his/her own professional development through activities such

as continuing education, conferences, affiliations with local and national

professional organizations or even publishing. If this information is not

evident in the resume or portfolio (which it should be) the individual may be

asked his/her willingness to participate in such activities if asked to if the

school offers and encourages this practice.

A hiring committee should be developed in the school comprised of might be

indecisive about the individual and this type of evaluation continuum may

help put the candidates into a ranking order. Naturally the hiring committee
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would “involve stakeholders in crafting their vision” (Rebore, 143) for who

the right candidate might be as well.

A recent research study published in the TESOL Journal, Moussu (2010)

expressed the need for ELL teachers to have “an adequate education in

TESOL or applied linguistic is crucial for all ESL teachers; a ‘‘good’’ teacher

should no longer be a native or nonnative speaker, but should only be an

educated person who masters a combination of linguistic, pedagogical, and

methodological skills matching a given context at a given time and for a

given purpose.” If this is the case, as an administrator I will need to know

what to look for when reviewing a candidate for staff selection to serve my

ELL students. Many administrators who may not have a background or

personal experience in being or teaching ELLs may be biased and believe

that only a native English speaker should be used as a ‘model’ for English for

these students. This is a common misconception, particularly in school

districts where ELLs are a particularly new and recent challenge. Further

research and analysis of what the key components and indicators of

longevity of successful performance in TESOL teachers is necessary.

Nevertheless, a preliminary list of possible criteria for hiring was given by

Moussu (2010) when she asked a group of intensive English program

administrators what they look for in hiring English language teachers in

higher education. The following criteria yielded:

• past teaching experience (2–5 years):

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• master’s degree (or enrollment in a TESOL certificate or MA program)

in one
of these fields: ESL/education, TESL, intercultural communication,
English,
linguistics, and applied linguistics
• ability to work effectively with international students, experience
overseas
(‘‘must have lived abroad’’), learning other languages (‘‘at least one
language
other than English’’)
• a personal interview (‘‘[This] is an absolute must, during which I
evaluate
how the person presents himself/herself, how the person
communicates in
English in this situation, and how well the person may fit into our
program’’)
• native-like fluency in English or ‘‘native quality English
level’’
• good references and letters of recommendation
• ‘‘a particular content area of expertise/experience (Writing, Reading,
etc.)’’
• ‘‘where that teaching experience was—and the teaching situation—
does the
person have any experience dealing with multiple languages and
cultures in
a single classroom, an ESL situation?’’
• ‘‘mission fit (personality, enthusiasm, dedication)’’
• ‘‘a commitment to teach at any level and any subject area’’
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Therefore, I plan to take this information into consideration when forming my

hiring committee and seeking well-qualified and effective instructional staff

specifically in bilingual and ELL school settings. The criteria I use might

include but is not limited to the following at a minimum:

Professional Characteristics and Qualifications:

•Bachelors degree (Masters degree preferred) in bilingual education, TESOL

or Foreign language education, or target language
•State certification in one of the above
•Enthusiasm for teaching
•Willingness to partake in constant professional development opportunities
•;Self motivated, creative and resourceful
•Organized and knowledgeable about issues in field
•Strong oral and written English skills to effectively communicate to a wide
variety of audiences
• Exceptional organizational skills and demonstrated classroom management
skills
• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills--Must be able to
effectively tailor communication to different audiences: Student, Parent,
Teacher/ Administrator ·

•Passionate about teaching and learning as evident from student

interactions and presentations—evidence of ability to motivate students
• Must be flexible and responsive to needs of organization
•Ability to project a professional image

Personal Characteristics and Qualifications:

•Near native or native fluency in both target languages

•Knowledge of teaching/learning process
•Philosophy regarding language learning aligned with school philosophy
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•Job related hobbies or talents

•Life experiences related to language learning (learning another language)
•Life experiences related to cultural exploration (ie international travel)

Experience and Training

•Coursework, training, certification or experience in specific area

• Relevant teaching experience (internship may be acceptable)
• Appropriateness of participation in professional organizations
• Relevance of non professional work experience

This criteria would naturally follow the general guidelines for whatever the

district has listed as minimal requirements for each position as I have seen

most districts have more or less a blanket list of minimal requirements for

positions and then the schools may have additional requirements particular

to their needs.

Moussu (2010) also made recommendations based on her literature review

to teachers:

• Completion of TESOL practicum

• Discussion/participation in forum of world Englishes and
sociolinguistics often
• Discuss difference in ESL/EFL pedagogies
• Discussion/presentation of successful native and non-native English
speaking teachers on topics with novice and mainstream teachers
• Discuss suggestions for collaboration
• Encourage professional development in individual areas (e.g.,
technology, professional writing, English for specific purposes) to
enable teachers to become experts
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These considerations will be the topics I would question my prospective ELL

on when conducting the face to face interview. Within the hiring committee I

would include a panel (including myself) of ‘experts’ competent enough to

engage in discussion on the topics aforementioned. Part of my interview

would be a performance task of sorts that would ask my applicant to partake

in discussion on world Englishes, the role of sociolinguistics and ESL/EFL

pedagogies, suggestions for collaboration and contemporary issues in the

TESOL field. I want my staff to be well versed in these issues and current. If I

can find an individual who takes his/her profession seriously enough to take

the time to stay abreast of these issues, I feel this is a rare asset to a

teaching professional. Being able to communicate and participate in a formal

discussion is equally as important because within this discussion the teacher

will be defending his/her pedagogical approach within the classroom and

more likely to be respected as a part of my staff as well as likely to be a

leader as an advocate for ELL students which is ultimately what I would most

like to see an any and all of my teachers.

Most of all, however, I do believe that as much as we would like to keep

things on a professional level, we are always human before anything else. If I

was in a circumstance where I had one of two candidates to choose from, the

deciding factor may hang on how much the committee and I felt that

candidate would fit into the school culture and how culturally sensitive to our

students the candidate may be. When it comes to the field of ELLs and

bilingual students, cultural sensitivity plays a great part as culture is directly

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tied to language learning. This is one of the great differences in dealing with

this particular population.

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References

Capps, R., et al. (2005). The new demography of America’s schools:

Immigration and the No Child Left Behind Act. Washington, DC: The

Urban Institute.

http://www.urban.org/uploadedPDF/311230_new_demography.pdf

Moussu, L. (2010). Conversations between ESL teachers and IEP

administrators. TESOL Journal, (1) 4, pp. 400-426.

Rebore, R., (2010). Human resource administration in education: A

management approach, 9th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Working Group on ELL Policy. (2010). Improving educational outcomes for

English language learners: Recommendations for the reauthorization

of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Washington, DC:

Center for Applied Linguistics.

http://www.cal.org/topics/ell/ELL-Working-Group-ESEA.pdf