Abstract
In this chapter, I analyze patterns of school achievement among students of immigrant background and suggest evidence-based directions for increasing students’ educational success. Although each social context is unique, some generalizations regarding patterns of achievement and causes of underachievement can be made based on the research evidence. Identification of causal factors, in turn, enables us to highlight instructional interventions that respond to these causal factors.
References
Adesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80, 207–245.
Agirdag, O. (2010). Exploring bilingualism in a monolingual school system: Insights from Turkish and native students from Belgian schools. British Journal of Sociology of Education., 31(3), 307–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425691003700540.
Barac, R., & Bialystok, E. (2011). Cognitive development of bilingual children. Language Teaching, 44(1), 36–54.
Brozo, W. G., Shiel, G., & Topping, K. (2007). Engagement in reading: Lessons learned from three PISA countries. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51, 304–315.
Christensen, G., & Segeritz, M. (2008). An international perspective on student achievement. In B. Stiftung (Ed.), Immigrant students can succeed: Lessons from around the globe (pp. 11–33). Gütersloh: Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Christensen, G., & Stanat P. (2007). Language policies and practices for helping immigrant second-generation students succeed. The transatlantic task force on immigration and integration convened by the migration policy institute and Bertelsmann Stiftung. Available from: http://www.migrationinformation.org/transatlantic/. Accessed 15 Oct 2007.
Collier, V. P. (1987). Age and rate of acquisition of second language for academic purposes. TESOL Quarterly, 21, 617–641.
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49, 222–251.
Cummins, J. (2001). Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a diverse society (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: California Association for Bilingual Education.
Cummins, J., & Early, M. (Eds.). (2011). Identity texts: The collaborative creation of power in multilingual schools. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.
Cummins, J., & Early, M. (2015). Big ideas for expanding minds: Teaching English language learners across the curriculum. Toronto: Rubicon Press/Pearson Canada.
Cummins, J., Hu, S., Markus, P., & Montero, M. K. (2015). Identity texts and academic achievement: Connecting the dots in multilingual school contexts. TESOL Quarterly, 49, 555–581.
Duke, N. (2000). For the rich it’s richer: Print experiences and environments offered to children in very low and very high-socioeconomic status first-grade classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 37(2), 441–478.
Elley, W. B., & Mangubhai, F. (1983). The impact of reading on second language learning. Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 53–67.
Esser, H. (2006). Migration, language, and integration (AKI Research Review 4). Berlin: Programme on Intercultural Conflicts and Societal Integration (AKI), Social Science Research Center. Available from: http://www.wzb.eu/zkd/aki/files/aki_research_review_4. Accessed 20 Feb 2011.
Francis, D., Lesaux, N., & August, D. (2006). Language of instruction. In D. August & T. Shanahan (Eds.), Developing literacy in second-language learners. Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (pp. 365–413). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Gögolin, I. (2005). Bilingual education: The German experience and debate. In J. Söhn (Ed.), The effectiveness of bilingual school programs for immigrant children (AKI research review 2, pp. 133–145). Berlin: Programme on Intercultural Conflicts and Societal Integration (AKI), Social Science Research Center. Available from: http://www.wzb.eu/zkd/aki/files/aki_bilingual_school_programs.pdf. Accessed 20 Feb 2011.
Hakuta, K., Butler, Y. G., & Witt, D. (2000). How long does it take English learners to attain proficiency? Santa Barbara: University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute.
Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the every experience of young American children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Hélot, C., Sneddon, R., & Daly, N. (Eds.). (2014). Children’s literature in multilingual classrooms: From multiliteracy to multimodality. London: IOE Press.
Jang, E. E., Dunlop, M., Wagner, M., Kim, Y.-H., & Gu, Z. (2013). Elementary school ELLs’ reading skill profiles using cognitive diagnosis modeling: Roles of length of residence and home language environment. Language Learning, 63(3), 400–436.
Klesmer, H. (1994). Assessment and teacher perceptions of ESL student achievement. English Quarterly, 26(3), 8–11.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32, 465–491.
Lindholm-Leary, K. J., & Borsato, G. (2006). Academic achievement. In F. Genesee, K. Lindholm-Leary, W. Saunders, & D. Christian (Eds.), Educating English language learners (pp. 176–222). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lindsay, J. (2010). Children’s access to print material and education-related outcomes: Findings from a meta-analytic review. Naperville: Learning Point Associates.
Manyak, P. C. (2004). “What did she say?” Translation in a primary-grade English immersion class. Multicultural Perspectives, 6, 12–18.
Markus, P., & Stille, S. (2015, March). Creating bridges to student voice through identity texts. Panel presentation, TESOL Convention, Toronto, Canada.
Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. (2011). To read or not to read: A meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 137(2), 267–296.
Neuman, S. B., & Celano, D. (2001). Access to print in low-income and middle-income communities: An ecological study of four neighbourhoods. Reading Research Quarterly, 36, 8–26.
Ntelioglou, BY, Fannin, J., Montanera, M., & Cummins, J. (2014). A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: A collaborative inquiry project in an inner city elementary school. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1–10. Article 533. Available from: www.frontiersin.org. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00533.
Nusche, D. (2009). What works in migrant education? A review of evidence and policy options (OECD Education working papers, No. 22). OECD Publishing. doi:https://doi.org/10.1787/227131784531.
OECD. (2004). Messages from PISA 2000. Paris: OECD.
OECD. (2010a). PISA 2009 results: Overcoming social background—Equity in learning opportunities and outcomes (Volume II). Paris: OECD. Available from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/48852584.pdf
OECD. (2010b). PISA 2009 results: Learning to learn—Student engagement, strategies and practices (Volume III). Paris: OECD. Available from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/11/17/48852630.pdf
OECD. (2010c). Closing the gap for immigrant students: Policies, practice and performance (OECD Reviews of Migrant Education). Paris: OECD.
OECD. (2012). Untapped skills: Realising the potential of immigrant students. Paris: OECD.
Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2001). Legacies: The story of the immigrant second generation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Stanat, P., & Christensen, G. (2006). Where immigrant students succeed: A comparative review of performance and engagement in PISA 2003. Paris: OECD.
Steele, C. M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52(6), 613–629.
Sullivan, A., & Brown, M. (2013). Social inequalities in cognitive scores at age 16: The role of reading. London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London. Available from www.cls.ioe.ac.uk
Zinovyeva, N., Felgueroso, F., & Vazquez, P. (2014). Immigration and student achievement in Spain: Evidence from PISA. SERIEs, 5, 25–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13209-013-0101-7.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cummins, J. (2018). Urban Multilingualism and Educational Achievement: Identifying and Implementing Evidence-Based Strategies for School Improvement. In: Van Avermaet, P., Slembrouck, S., Van Gorp, K., Sierens, S., Maryns, K. (eds) The Multilingual Edge of Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54856-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54856-6_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54855-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54856-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)