National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition
& Language Instruction Educational Programs (NCELA)
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for LEP Students, the NCELA is a guide to the wide range of federal services for language minority students and a huge, well-organized resource for language learning research, data, policies, and teaching strategies. Some highlights: up-to-the-minute national and state/territorial demographic information, an excellent glossary, a vast language and education links section, and a classroom resources area.
website: www.ncela.gwu.edu
email: askncela@ncela.gwu.edu
telephone: 202/467-0876 or 800/321-6233
mailing address: 2121 K Street, NW, Suite 260, Washington, DC 20037
Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
CAL’s mission is “to promote and improve the teaching and learning of languages, identify and solve problems related to language and culture, and serve as a resource for information about language and culture.” Its website does that splendidly, featuring extensive information for English language teachers. CAL is a good first stop when you’re researching ESL/bilingual teaching and learning topics; its links to databases, CAL-run services and outside links offer an multi-perspective, current panorama of just about anything you’d need to know.
website: www.cal.org
email: info@cal.org
telephone: 202/362-0700
fax: (202/362-3740
mailing address: 4646 40th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016-1859
Portraits of Success
A joint project of the National Association for Bilingual Education, Boston College, and the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University, Portraits of Success presents detailed profiles of seven distinct schools that are examples of successful bilingual education. Each profile include a description of the school’s bilingual program, student outcomes, community response, program funding, and contact information. The web site also contains a helpful annotated bibliography of research on effective bilingual practices.
web site: www.lab.brown.edu/public/NABE/portraits.taf
contact person: Maria Brisk
email: brisk@bc.edu
telephone: 617/232-8907
fax: 617/552-1840.
The Internet TESL Journal
The Internet Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Journal is a monthly web publication featuring contributions from teachers worldwide talking about what works for them in the classroom. The Journal is an immensely practical and well-organized resource, and its emphasis on classroom practice makes it immediately relevant for teachers planning lessons and looking for effective strategies for pressing problems. Don’t miss teaching techniques section, full of ideas and solutions. For teachers interested in contributing ideas or articles, see the site for a clear and detailed submission process.
web site: http://iteslj.org/
email: iteslj@ge.aitech.ac.jp
mailing address: The Internet TESL Journal, PO 94, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Japan 461
Education Week Hot Topics: Bilingual Education
In “Bilingual Education,” Education Week presents a concise summary of the history of and debates about bilingual education, ESL programs, and other related initiatives. The page includes links to relevant research, a wide spectrum of concerned organizations, and Education Week articles on English language learning. It’s a useful destination if you seek a broad overview of the bilingual /ESL landscape.
web site: www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=8
Language Policy Web Site
Journalist James Crawford draws on his long career of reporting on English language learning matters to showcase research, policy analysis, articles, and books (his own and those by other authors), all with a definite bias toward promoting bilingual education and arguing against the policies and practices associated with the English-Only movement. Crawford’s work and collected information is a great way to learn more about the many influences on language learning policy. The site particularly assists those who are interested in understanding recent language policy-related legislative and judicial decisions and their effects, wanting to know more about the English -Only movement, and seeking more information about endangered Native American and other languages.
web site: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/
Urban Institute
The Urban Institute describes itself as “a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization” focused on urban issues, and its scope extends far beyond language pedagogy issues. Within its resources, the site presents a rich research section on immigration-related research, statistics, and policy analysis, immensely helpful to anyone working for the benefit of newly arrived immigrants and their families—that is, the majority of English language learners. The Urban Institute’s other featured information also contributes to making sense of the factors in the lives of many people from urban and/or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
web site: www.urban.org
email: paffairs@ui.urban.org
telephone: 202/833-7200
mailing address: 2100 M Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037
Teachers of English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL)
A professional association of 14,000 English language educators, TESOL helps new and veteran TESOL teachers through its various publications, circulation of employment opportunities and annual convention. Other TESOL member services include access to email groups focused around specialized interests and opportunities to apply for awards and grants. The TESOL web site features a useful list of worldwide TESOL -related meetings, conventions and other events and collections of national and international TESOL advocacy news.
web site: www.tesol.org
email: info@tesol.org
telephone: 703/836-0774 or 888/547-3369
fax: 703/836-7864
mailing address: 700 South Washington Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, Virginia 22314