How might a “back to basics” approach help EL educators ground themselves in practices that can provide the most impact for the students they serve? What are some of the pitfalls of looking for the next new thing and how can we avoid them? How might we help bridge the gap between research and practice when vetting, implementing, and assessing educational tools and practices? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Jana Echevarria.

Jana is a Professor Emerita at California State University, Long Beach.  She started out teaching in special education, but also taught in elementary, middle, and high school in general education, special education, ESL, and bilingual programs. She is a founding researcher of the SIOP Model,  and her research over the years has focused on effective instruction for English learners, including those with learning disabilities. Jana has presented her research in the U.S. and internationally, including at Oxford University (England), Wits University (South Africa), Harvard University (U.S.), Stanford University (U.S.), University of Barcelona (Spain), and South East Europe University (Macedonia) where she was a Fulbright Specialist. In 2016, she was honored to be inducted into the California Reading Hall of Fame.

Many of our listeners will also recognize her as the co-author of the highly regarded book, Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP® Model.

During our conversation, Jana and I reference the following books and resources:

• You can learn more about Jana's work on her blog.
• Follow Jana on Twitter 
• Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP® Model, by Jana Echevarria, Mary Ellen Vogt, and Deborah J. Short
• Rousing Minds to Life, by Ron Gallamore - great information on instructional conversations
• The work of Jim Cummins
• The work of Claude Goldenberg, particularly the book Successful School Change

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