ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we consider, on the basis of a select review of the literature, which issues matter most with respect to the academic achievement of English language learners. To do this, we begin by examining the notion of best practices for the instruction of English language learners (ELLs) with a particular focus on language and literacy, and we consider what our fi eld gains and loses by foregrounding an approach to instruction that may obscure other more pressing concerns. For example, Valenzuela (1999) points out that far too often good or effective teaching is viewed solely in methodological terms and that such a perspective backgrounds what may be more infl uential, which is the development of meaningful relationships between young people and teachers. Valenzuela develops her thesis that teachers and other educators need to develop and communicate an ethic of caring before students are willing to invest in the process of schooling, or as she puts it, “many students ask to be cared for before they care about” (p. 24).
