Intercultural Competence for Teachers of Young ELLs

Introduction

The population in preK-12 settings in the U.S. is progressively more diverse than past decades, containing a wide variety of races, ethnicities, languages, and cultures. This diversity exemplifies the rapid growing population and changing characteristics of English language learners (ELLs) in public schools (NCES, 2013). These changing characteristics of ELLs consist of home language use, participating in English language programs, differences in race and ethnicity groups, and support for special needs programs.

In 2011, over 26% of the preK-12 population were identified as ELLs (Ryan, 2013). The evidence of demographic changes is also found in the enrollment in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools. The enrollment rate range shifted from 64.8% White students in 1995 to 51.7% in 2011 and from 13.5% Hispanic/Non-White students in 1995 to 23.7% Hispanic/Non-White students in 2011 (NECS, 2013). Based on NCES statistics from NCES, studies predict students of color will represent more than 55% of enrollments by 2021 (NECS, 2013).

Increasing diversity not only exists in student population but also in pre-service and in-service teacher programs in public elementary and secondary schools. In 2012 the population of the White teachers was 81.9%, down from 86.5% in the early 1990’s. Furthermore, the Hispanic/Non-White teacher population has increased from 4.2% in the early 1990’s to 7.8% in 2012. The roles educators play are extremely crucial because their knowledge (i.e., global literacy skills and intercultural competence), attitudes, and practices in culturally diverse classrooms impact how students interact and communicate with peers from different cultural backgrounds (Sandell & Tupy, 2015).

Previous research suggests that pre-service and in-service teachers may unintentionally stereotype ELLs and their families due to lack of culturally relevant knowledge (Sandell & Tupy, 2015; Solomon & Levine-Rasky, 2003). Educators are required to understand these invisible regulations in various social and intercultural contexts in order to develop mutual understanding and healthy relationships with their students and families. Studies also report the benefit of culturally relevant and responsive teaching on learning outcomes of diverse students (Sleeter, 2010).

In 2013, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced new standards for diversity curriculum. The new set of standards include emphasizing learning disabilities, language learners, gifted learners, and learners from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. More specifically, the first CAEP standard reinforces this policy in the Interstate Teacher and Support Consortium (2011) and emphasizes the importance of enhancing intercultural competence, individual learning and differences, as well as collaborating with families and communities. The second standard promotes in-service and pre-service teachers to expose themselves to diverse cultural environments and cross-cultural practicum experiences.

The statistics show an increasing pressure on educators to be prepared to work with ELLs in order to ready them for the challenges of the global world. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Global Competence Position Statement (2014) and the World-Readiness Standards for Language Learning (2015) reinforce the importance for teachers in general, and language teachers in particular, to help learners deal with these challenges. However, integrating meaningful cultural curriculum and instruction into language learning environments, one of the most critical elements in teacher preparation programs, still remains underdeveloped.