The following discussion announcement and invitation is from David
Rosen, special topics discussion list moderator

I am very pleased to announce a special discussion on "What Works for
Adult ESL Students" with the principal authors of the study, Heide
Spruck Wrigley and Larry Condelli. The discussion will begin April 9th
and continue through April 15th. Below you will find brief biographies
of the authors, and (links to) some short and longer pieces about the
research. This is one of the major studies of adult ESL/ESOL in our
field, and a wonderful opportunity to discuss the study and its findings
with the authors. I hope you will take time before the discussion to
read the study and to formulate your questions for the authors. You may
send your questions beginning now although they will be held until April
9th when the discussion begins.

Information on Subscribing

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Biographies of the Guest Researchers

Dr. Heide Spruck Wrigley is Senior Researcher for Language, Literacy and
Learning with LiteracyWork Associates, a small independent firm
conducting research and professional development work in the United
States and in Canada. She has been key in every federally funded
national research study on adult ESL and acted as the subject matter
expert in the What Works for Adult ESL Students study. She has written a
number of books and articles related to adult ESL Literacy, including
"Bringing Literacy to Life" a handbook for practitioners, "Communicating
in the Real World", a textbook on workplace ESL, and most recently the
"Language of Opportunity" a report for the Center on Law and Social
Policy; and "Capturing What Counts" a chapter in "Adult Biliteracy: 
Socio-cultural and Programmatic Responses" (Erlbaum 2007).
Dr. Wrigley currently is a non-resident fellow with the Migration Policy
Institute in Washington, D.C. where she focuses on immigrant integration
and policy issues related to adult ESL, employment and family literacy. 
She has served on a number of advisory boards and expert panels,
including the National Academy of Sciences, the National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, and (currently) the National
Institute for Literacy and the National Center for Educational
Statistics.
In an effort to make research accessible to practitioners, Dr. Wrigley
is involved in a number of professional development efforts across the
U.S. These include a four year ongoing staff development effort in
Socorro, Texas to help teachers integrate family literacy, EL Civics,
and technology. She also heads up several professional development
Institutes (including a virtual course) for both new teachers and master
teachers throughout Texas, focused on teaching English as a Second
Language to adults. She has delivered numerous talks and key notes at
conferences both within the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Wrigley holds
a PhD in Education with a focus on Language, Literacy, and Learning and
an MA in Applied Linguistics.

Dr. Larry Condelli is a managing director of the Adult Education and
Literacy Program in the Education and Human Development Division at the
American Institutes for Research. His work includes research on adult
ESL students, accountability, and conducting professional development
and technical assistance for adult educators. He recently directed the
What Works Study for Adult ESL Literacy Students, the first large-scale
empirical study of the effectiveness of instructional practices for
adult ESL students, and is currently directing a study of the impact of
explicit literacy instruction on low-literate adult ESOL learners for
the U.S. Department of Education. He is also the project director for
the National Reporting System and was instrumental in developing this
national accountability system for federally funded adult education and
literacy program. Dr. Condelli's other projects include development of a
performance-based reading assessment for low-literate adults for the
National Assessment of Adult Literacy, funded by the National Center for
Educational Statistics. He is a staff development and data consultant
for the states of Alabama, California, Georgia and Utah and provides
training and technical assistance to adult education staff in several
states. Dr. Condelli holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of
California.

Readings to prepare for the Discussion

Below are links to readings (1 and 2) and attached documents (3 and 4)
that will help you to prepare for the discussion. (Note, some people may
not be able to open 3 and 4. If you have difficulty, and would like me
to email these to you, let me know. ( djrosen1 at comcast.net
<mailto:djrosen1 at comcast.net> )

1. A short NCSALL Focus on Basics article on What Works for Adult ESL
Students
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=189

2. Instruction, Language and Literacy: What Works Study for Adult ESL
Literacy Students
http://lotos.library.uu.nl/publish/articles/000176/bookpart.pdf

3. A long, but not too theoretical paper on the What Works ESL study
presented in England (attached)

4. A paper on the What Works for Adult ESL Students study presented in
Tilburg, Netherlands (attached)

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion List Moderator djrosen at comcast.net
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