Beginning English learners are at risk of being lost in a system that doesn't know how to reach them. With more and more ELs entering. schools every year, educators need to act quickly to create school- and classroom-based programs that work. Veteran educators Debbie Zacarian and Judie Haynes provide templates and tools—along with vignettes illustrating real-world challenges—to help teachers and administrators:

Learn strategies for teaching beginning level ELs across the curriculum

Create a welcoming environment for English learners and their families who are unfamiliar with the American education system

Reach out to students from literacy and non-literacy-oriented homes

Engage parents to become a part of the school community

Develop instructional models for students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE)

Build sensitive practices for students who have experienced trauma

The Essential Guide for Educating Beginning English Learners provides a realistic and comprehensive framework for effectively reaching and teaching this growing population.