ABSTRACT
This collection was born out of three events, each of which occurred within weeks of each other. The first was the spring 2003 research symposium sponsored by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and the Education Alliance and the Northeast and Islands Regional Laboratory at Brown University, at which researchers and educators from throughout the country gathered to discuss how U.S. school systems might best serve English language learners (ELLs). One overriding lesson emerged during this symposium: Researchers speak to each other through publications and professional conferences, but far too frequently their messages are not translated into accessible language and disseminated to the practicing teacher and educational administrator. As one educator stated at the symposium, “Speak to me in language that I can understand.”
