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Graduate Program in Linguistics at the City University of New York



Research and Publications

Where Have All the Bilingual Programs Gone?: Factors in School Administrators’ Decisions about Educational Programming for Emergent Bilinguals

Kate Menken, Principal Investigator.  

The purpose of this research study is to examine the factors that determine the language education policies adopted by school leaders, through research in schools that have recently eliminated or reduced their bilingual education programs in favor of English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. Through qualitative research involving interviews with school administrators in 10 elementary, middle, and high schools across New York City, we seek to answer the following research questions:

  • What are the factors that school administrators and teachers cite as having the greatest impact on their school’s language policy?
  • Specifically, why have school leaders in recent years favored ESL programming over bilingual education programming in New York City?

This study is scheduled for completion Summer 2011.

 

Meeting the Needs of “Long-Term English Language Learners”

Kate Menken, Principal Investigator.  

This study was conducted with a team of researchers from RISLUS and funded by the Office of English Language Learners of the New York City Department of Education. Further information, including publications, presentations, and reports resulting from this research as well as an annotated bibliography can be found on the project website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Linguistics/rislus/projects/LTELL/

Click here for the Long-term English Language Learner website

[hyperlink: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Linguistics/rislus/projects/LTELL/]

Publications

Books

Menken, K. & García, O. (Eds.). (2010). Negotiating language policies in schools: Educators as policymakers. New York: Routledge.

 

Menken, K. (2008). English learners left behind: Standardized testing as language policy. Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters.

 

Articles in Refereed Journals

Menken, K., Kleyn, T. & Chae, N. (In Press). Spotlight on “long-term English language learners”: Characteristics and prior schooling experiences of an invisible population. International Multilingual Research Journal.

 

Menken, K. (2011, March). From policy to practice in the multilingual apple: Bilingual education in New York City. Editorial. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 14(2): 123-133.

 

Menken, K. (2010, Spring). No Child Left Behind and English language learners: The challenges and consequences of high-stakes testing. Theory Into Practice, 49: 121-128.

 

Menken, K. & Kleyn, T. (2010, February). The long-term impact of subtractive schooling in the educational experiences of secondary English language learners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 13(4), 399–417.

 

Menken, K. (2009, March). ‘No child left behind’ and its effects on language policy. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 2009 (29), 103–117.

 

Menken, K. & Kleyn, T. (2009, April). The difficult road for long-term English learners. Educational Leadership, April 2009, 66(7).[Online]. Available: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/apr09/vol66/num07/The_Difficult_Road_for_Long-Term_English_Learners.aspx

 

Menken, K. (2008, September). Editorial introduction 7.3. Thematic issue “No Child Left Behind and U.S. language education policy.” Language Policy, 7(3), 191-199.

 

Menken, K. (2006, Summer). Teaching to the test: How standardized testing promoted by No Child Left Behind impacts language policy, curriculum, and instruction for English language learners. Bilingual Research Journal, 30(2), 521-546.

 

Menken, K. (2001, May/June). When all means all: Standards-based education reform and English-language learners. NABE News, 24(5), 4-7.

 

Menken, K. (2000). What are the critical issues in wide-scale assessment of English language learners? NCBE Issue Brief No. 6,1-8. Washington, DC: NCBE. [Online]. Available: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/issuebriefs/ib6.htm

 

Menken, K. & Look, K. (2000). Meeting the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students. Schools in the Middle, February 2000, 20-25.

 

Menken, K. (1994). Ethnic pride and the classroom: An ethnographic study. Working Papers in Educational Linguistics, 10(1), 91-106.

 

Book Chapters in Edited Volumes

Avni, S., & Menken, K. (In Press). Educating for Jewishness: The teaching and learning of Hebrew in day school education. In García, O., Zakharia, Z. & Octu, B. (Eds.). Bilingual community education and multilingualism. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

 

Menken, K., Kleyn, T. & Funk, A. (with Ascenzi-Moreno, L., Chae, N. & Flores, N.). (In Press). Teachers at the epicenter: Engagement and resistance in a biliteracy program for “Long-Term English Language Learners” in the U.S. In C. Hélot and M. Ó Laoire (Eds). Pedagogy of the possible: Language policy for the multilingual classroom. Expected 2011 publication. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

 

Menken, K. (2009). Policy failures: No Child Left Behind and English language learners. In S. Groenke & A. Hatch (Eds.), Critical pedagogy and teacher education in the neoliberal era: Small openings. Berlin, Germany: Springer.

 

Menken, K. (2008). Language policy and social control. In J. González (Ed.), Encyclopedia of bilingual education (pp. 452-455). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

 

Menken, K. (2008). No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, testing requirements. In J. González (Ed.), Encyclopedia of bilingual education (pp. 604-607). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

 

Menken, K. (2008). High-Stakes Testing Effects. In J. González (Ed.), Encyclopedia of bilingual education (pp. 350-353). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

 

Menken, K. (2007). High-stakes tests as de facto language policies in education. In E. Shohamy and N. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education (pp. 401-414). Volume 7: Language testing and assessment. Netherlands: Kluwer.

 

García, O. & Menken, K. (2006). The English of Latinos from a plurilingual transcultural angle: Implications for assessment and schools. In S. Nero (Ed.), Dialects, Englishes, creoles, and education (pp. 167-184). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

 

Menken, K. (2006). Historical overview of policies for English language learners. In R. Freeman & E. Hamayan (Eds.), English Language Learners at school: A Guide for Administrators (pp. 1-5). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing.

 

Book Reviews

Menken, K. (2008, April). Review of Language policy: Hidden agendas and new approaches by Elana Shohamy. Current Issues in Language Planning 9(2), 231-234.

 

Menken, K. (2006, January/February). Invited review of Leaving children behind: How “Texas-style” accountability fails Latino youth by Angela Valenzuela (Ed.). Language Learner 1(3), 22-23.

 

Other Scholarly and Creative Works

Menken, K. (Ed.). (2011, March).  From policy to practice in the multilingual apple: Bilingual education in New York City. Special issue guest editor. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 14(2), March 2011.

 

Menken, K., Kleyn, T., Ascenzi-Moreno, L., Chae, N., Flores, N., & Funk, A. (2009). Meeting the needs of long-term English language learners in high school, Phase II. A report for the Office of English Language Learners of the New York City Department of Education.

 

Menken, K. & Shohamy, E. (Eds.) (2008, September). No Child Left Behind and U.S. language education policy. Guest Editor for a Thematic Issue of Language Policy 7(3), September 2008.

 

Menken, K., Kleyn, T. & Chae, N. (2007). Meeting the needs of long-term English language learners in high school. A report for the Office of English Language Learners of the New York City Department of Education.

 

Bartlett, L., Menken, K., Seghers, M. & Adely, F. (2003). Human development and language policy. Invited report for United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2004.

 

Pompa, D. & Menken, K. (2003). Appropriate inclusion of English language learners in accountability systems: A model system. Guidelines. Washington, DC: National Association for Bilingual Education & Education Commission of the States.

 

Menken, K. & Barron, V. (2001, revised 2002). What are the characteristics of the bilingual education and ESL teacher shortage? AskNCBE No. 14. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE). [Online]. Available: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/expert/faq/14shortage.htm

 

Menken, K. (2001). Do the models fit? Towards comprehensive school reform for English language learners. NCCSR/NCBE Issue Brief. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform and the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. [Online]. Available: http://www.centerforcsri.org/pubs/issue/ibjune01.pdf

 

Menken, K. & Look, K. (2000). Making chances for linguistically and culturally diverse students. The Education Digest 65(8), 14-19.

 

Menken, K. (2000). 1) How does standards-based reform affect English language learners? 2) Models that fit: Comprehensive school reform and English language learners 3) What are the critical issues in wide-scale

assessment of English language learners? 4) Ensuring English language learners’ success: Balancing teacher quantity with quality. What is the reform agenda for our English language learners?: A compilation of essays by the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Washington, DC: NCBE.  Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs.

Auntez B. & Menken, K (2000).An overview of the preparation and certification of teachers working with LEP students. Washington, DC,: NCBE. [Oneline]. Available: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/reports/teacherprep/teacherprep.pdf