Maneka Deanna Brooks

The Oregon Journalism Project article, also published in Lookout Eugene-Springfield, declaring that most of Oregon’s state teacher prep programs still get an “F” in reading instruction, makes for an eye-catching headline. But it erases the realities of educator preparation in our state and does little to address reading outcomes for Oregon’s children. The grades cited in the article come from a privately funded think tank in Washington, D.C. called the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Youths identified as English learners (ELs) within the United States school system are legally entitled to receive specialized instructional services (e.g., English as a second language [ESL] classes and bilingual education programming) that facilitate their academic and English language development (Lhamon & Gupta, 2015). The existence of the legal requirement for EL instructional services reflects hard-won battles for educational justice (Powers, 2014).