Abstract for Kate Menken's talk

RISLUS Reports: Prof. Kate Menken
Kate Menken (RISLUS/Queens College, CUNY)
February 21, 2007 (Wednesday)
6:30 PM - ; CUNY Graduate Center, room C201

Kate Menken, RISLUS Research Fellow and Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Queens College (CUNY), will report on her research on Wednesday, February 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the CUNY Graduate Center, room C201. All are welcome.

No Child Left Behind was passed into law by Congress in 2001, with serious implications for all students - particularly English-language learners (ELLs). In the wake of this federal education legislation, standardized tests are being used to determine major decisions such as high school graduation. Yet ELLs typically score far below native-English speakers on standardized tests, and are disproportionately being 'left behind.' This presentation locates NCLB within the history of language policy in the U.S., and then explores the law's impact on high school ELLs in New York City, sharing findings from an intensive year-long research study in ten different schools.