Nonie Lesaux

This presentation will focus on a line of research designed to advance the literacy skills of students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, many of whom attend under-resourced schools. Developmental trends from research on this population’s literacy development highlight the need for a shift in the instructional model to better meet the needs of today’s students. In turn, the implementation and efficacy of an academic language curriculum for use in mainstream middle-school classrooms will be discussed in detail. Findings focus on student impact as well as teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum and corresponding barriers and facilitators to their implementation, given the context of middle school literacy reform.