Promoting Resiliency for English Language Learners
Dr. Yolanda Padrón

Educational resiliency has been defined as the heightened likelihood of success in school and in other life accomplishments despite environmental adversities brought about by early traits, conditions, and experiences.
(Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1994, p. 46).

Dr. Padron started by stating that educators need to focus on new instructional approaches for improving education of English language learners (ELLs). The programs need to specifically address the needs of Latino students who are trying to learn a new language. One approach is to examine students who have done well in school and have begun to use English effectively. This approach focuses on ELLs from disadvantaged backgrounds who are resilient and doing well in school. It differs from others in that it focuses on what has worked in contributing to students’ success rather than on what has not worked, and it identifies alterable factors that distinguish resilient and non-resilient students.

Dr. Padron discussed a case study that examined the effectiveness of a teacher training resiliency program that was designed to help teachers improve their classroom instruction, students’ resiliency behaviors, and students’ academic achievement. It examined both resilient (academically successful) and non-resilient (academically unsuccessful) students and determined factors that affect educational resiliency.

These factors included:
• The amount and type of interactions in the classroom process between students and their peers and teachers
• The differences in school and learning environments
• The differences in the attitudes and self-esteem of the students, as well as their future aspirations
• The amount of parent involvement

The intervention took place in an elementary school in a metropolitan area in the South where over 90 percent of the students were Latino. The teacher training included seven instructional components:
• Improving classroom instruction
• Reciprocal teaching (an instructional procedure that engages students and teachers in dialogue to help the students comprehend the text)
• Culturally relevant instruction
• Five Standards of Effective Teaching (Pedagogy)
• Educational resiliency, i.e., helped teachers improve the learning of non-resilient students as well as resilient ones
• Feedback from observations and the learning environment instrument administered
• Implementation of learning centers in the classrooms

Dr. Padron then explained the various instruments used to study the students and teachers. According to the findings of the study, in comparison to the control group, the students in treatment classes:
• Were given better instruction by their teachers
• Reported a more positive learning environment
• Felt much higher cohesion, satisfaction, and teacher support, and less friction
• Had significantly higher reading achievement gains

She also discussed concerns about the results.

Dr. Padron ended by saying that qualified staff development for all teachers, as in this intervention, is one of the keys to successful school reform. However, other projects need to be implemented that focus on changing the entire school climate so that teachers and administrators can create more collaborative, supportive work cultures that enable them to help students better.