Research

Select Recent Research Projects

Acquiring Literacy in English
The National Institutes of Health, with co-funding from the Department of Education, awarded CAL a grant to study the acquisition of English literacy by children who speak Spanish as their native language. In a 5-year program of research, the Center and its collaborators, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Miami, sought to improve understanding of the factors that predict success as Spanish-speaking children learn to read and write in English. Learn more about the Acquiring Literacy in English project at its archived Web site.

Academic Literacy Through Sheltered Instruction for Secondary English Language Learners
CAL is working intensively with middle and high school educators from the Clifton (NJ) Public Schools to investigate the relationship between professional development and student achievement by collecting and analyzing data on the implementation of the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Model for sheltered instruction in order to determine if the academic performance of secondary ELLs improves under the instruction of SIOP-trained teachers.

Adolescent ELL Literacy Policy
The Carnegie Corporation of New York funded CAL to convene a panel of researchers to examine issues related to literacy development in adolescent English language learners and prepared a policy document on promising practices. Learn more about CAL's work on this project.

Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE)
CAL partners with several institutions in the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE), a National Research and Development Center for English language learners. CREATE conducts a program of research designed to address specific challenges in the education of English language learners in the middle grades (Grades 4-8). Learn more about CREATE.

Enhancing Secondary Education in the Central Valley: Success and Access for English Language Learners
CAL is conducting a project aimed at improving instruction and preparation for post-secondary education in Central Valley high schools with high enrollments of language minority students whose achievement does not keep pace with that of other students. The project will also develop mechanisms to guide more of these students into post-secondary education and help them succeed there. Learn more about this project.

Exemplary Programs for Newcomer English Language Learners at the Secondary Level
Through a combination of activities, including a national survey of newcomer programs and a series of case studies, CAL staff will collect and analyze evidence of the academic success of newcomer students and determine the means by which the programs provide students access to social services and facilitate transitions to further education or employment. Learn more.

National Literacy Panel
CAL partnered with SRI International on a contract from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences to convene a National Literacy Panel to conduct a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the research literature on the development of literacy among language minority children and youth. The project's final report, including the review and analysis of current research in this field, are now being disseminated to practitioners, policymakers, and researchers around the country. Learn more about the National Literacy Panel.

Two-Way Immersion Education
This 5-year study of two-way immersion education investigated the language development and academic achievement of students, the professional development of teachers, and the articulation of programs from the elementary to the secondary level. Learn more at CAL's Two-Way Immersion Web site.

Vocabulary Instruction and Assessment for Spanish Speakers (VIAS)
CAL received a second 5-year grant to continue to study the development of literacy in Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs). This is a continuation of the Acquiring Literacy in English project. The grant consists of three subprojects. The first studies the literacy development of ELLs through seventh grade; the other two examine the effects of interventions designed to build the language and literacy skills of ELLs in the early grades. The project includes a research and assessment core, managed by the Language Testing Division, and an administrative core. Learn more.

View our complete list of current projects.