Language Diversity, School Learning, and Closing Achievement Gaps: A Workshop Summary (2010)
Chapter: Appendix A: Workshop Agenda
Appendix A
Workshop Agenda
Workshop on the Role of Language in School Learning: Implications for Closing the Achievement Gap
October 15-16, 2009
AGENDA
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Location: |
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation |
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Mariposa Lily Room |
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2121 Sand Hill Road |
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Menlo Park, CA |
Goals: To explore the state of knowledge about aspects of language development that are critical to learning in K-12 classrooms and that may contribute to observed achievement disparities; to explore the state of knowledge on approaches to instruction that help students develop language for academic achievement; and to identify priorities for research and dissemination given the current state of knowledge.
Guiding Questions
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What aspects of language development are critical for academic learning in K-12 classrooms? Why do these developments matter both in the early years of formal schooling (K-3) and for master-
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ing specialized language- and literacy-intensive subject matter in the later elementary grades and beyond?
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What individual differences in language experiences and abilities do students bring to K-12 education? Do these differences help to explain observed disparities in school achievement?
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What do research findings suggest about how to intervene in pre-K and K-12 classrooms to develop aspects of language needed for school achievement? What is known about how to measure progress?
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What are the most urgent priorities for research, from basic and translational science to dissemination research? In particular, what still needs to be understood about: (1) aspects of language needed for learning academic subjects, (2) effects of language differences on achievement gaps, and (3) instructional approaches or other interventions that develop essential language capacities for academic learning K-12 classrooms?
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2009
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8:00–8:30 |
Welcoming Remarks |
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Kenji Hakuta (Committee Chair), Stanford University Barbara Chow, Education Program Director, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation |
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8:30–10:30 |
Panel 1: Vocabulary and Academic Language |
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Moderator: Claude Goldenberg (Committee Member), Stanford University |
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Presenters: Erika Hoff, Florida Atlantic University Mary Schleppegrell, University of Michigan |
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Commissioned Papers: |
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Erika Hoff, Do Vocabulary Differences Explain Achievement Gaps and Can Vocabulary-Targeted Interventions Close Them? |
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Mary Schleppegrell, Language in Academic Subject Areas and Classroom Instruction: What Is Academic Language and How Can We Teach It? |
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Respondents: Nonie Lesaux, Harvard University Aída Walqui, WestEd |
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Open Discussion |
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10:30–10:45 |
Break |
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10:45–12:45 |
Panel 2: Preschool Language Experiences and Interventions: Linkages to K-3 Learning and Achievement |
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Moderator: Lynne Vernon-Feagans (Committee Member), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Presenters: David Dickinson, Vanderbilt University Carol Scheffner Hammer, Temple University |
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Commissioned Papers: |
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David Dickinson and Jill Freiberg, Environmental Factors Affecting Language Acquisition from Birth to Five: Implications for Literacy Development and Intervention |
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Carol Hammer, Dual-Language Learners’ Early Language Development and Academic Outcomes |
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Respondents: Jill de Villiers, Smith College Roberta Golinkoff, University of Delaware Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University Mariela Páez, Boston College |
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Open Discussion |
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12:45–1:30 |
Lunch and discussion on Panel 1 and 2 presentations |
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1:30–3:50 |
Panel 3: Explicit Instruction, Language Transfer, and Relations Between Oral Language and Literacy |
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Moderator: Fred Genesee (Committee Member), McGill University |
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Presenters: Robert Bayley, University of California, Davis Aydin Durgunoğlu, University of Minnesota, Duluth John Rickford, Stanford University |
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Commissioned Papers: |
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Robert Bayley, Explicit Formal Instruction in Oral Language: English-Language Learners |
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John Rickford and Walter Wolfram, Explicit Formal Instruction in Oral Language as a Second Dialect |
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Aydin Durgunoğlu, Effects of First Language Oral Proficiency on Second-Language (reading) Comprehension |
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Respondents: Susanna Dutro, E.L. Achieve Guadalupe Valdés, Stanford University |
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Open Discussion |
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3:50–4:00 |
Break |
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4:00–5:00 |
Discussion of Themes from the Day’s Presentations |
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Moderator: Kenji Hakuta (Committee Chair), Stanford University |
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Open Discussion |
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5:00 |
Adjourn |
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009
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9:00–11:00 |
Panel 4: Language Deficits and Differences: Past and Future |
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Moderator: Jill de Villiers (Committee Member), Smith College |
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Presenters: William Labov (Committee Member), University of Pennsylvania Guadelupe Valdés, Stanford University |
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Commissioned Papers: |
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William Labov and Anne Charity Hudley, Symbolic and Structural Effects of Dialects and Immigrant Minority Languages in Explaining Achievement Gaps |
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Guadelupe Valdés, Jeff MacSwan, and Laura Alvarez, Deficits and Differences: Perspectives on Language and Education |
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Respondents: Robert Bayley, University of California, Davis Lisa Green, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Otto Santa Ana, University of California, Los Angeles |
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Open Discussion |
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11:00–11:15 |
Break |
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11:15–12:15 |
Discussion of Papers in Light of Emergent Themes and Guiding Questions |
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Moderator: Kenji Hakuta (Committee Chair), Stanford University |
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Committee Member Respondents: Jill de Villiers, Smith College Claude Goldenberg, Stanford University William Labov, University of Pennsylvania |
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Open Discussion |
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12:15–1:15 |
Lunch and continued discussion of the papers |
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1:15–2:45 |
Practical Steps to Advance Research and Dissemination |
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Guiding Questions
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Moderator: Kenji Hakuta (Committee Chair), Stanford University |
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Committee Member Respondents: Donna Christian, Center for Applied Linguistics Fred Genesee, McGill University Lynne Vernon-Feagans, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
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Open Discussion |
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2:45–3:00 |
Summation and Closing Remarks Kenji Hakuta (Committee Chair), Stanford University |
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3:00 |
Adjourn |
