How to Design and Implement a Newcomer Program (Pearson Resources for Teaching English Learners)

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Brenda Custodio on the pressing need for newcomer programs.

(Pearson please note: author asked for the copy in italics to be included on the back cover copy.)

While the atmosphere and focus of education has changed to center strongly on standards and assessment, there is still room for programs that focus on meeting the needs of beginning level ELLs. In fact, it can be argued that this sense of desperation and frustration adds urgency to the creation of programs that help these students build academic skills and move into the mainstream as quickly as possible. Most schools can’t afford to have students sitting in classes, lost and confused while they slowly develop language proficiency. Time has become the enemy and well-developed newcomer programs can help students adjust to their new surroundings and find academic success faster than traditional pullout classes. These programs can help insure that students do not become the victims of this current educational atmosphere and end up being “left behind.

In this unique, first-of-its-kind look at an increasingly popular educational model—the newcomer program—author Brenda Custodio brings over 25 years of ESL experience and nine years of newcomer program development to this practical resource. In it she shows what’s needed to design and implement the program, prepare the site, develop the curriculum, interview and hire staff, and continually build a constantly evolving, successful newcomer program based on learners’ needs.

Brenda K. Custodio has been working in the ESL field for 25 years, as a classroom teacher, a curriculum developer, and a building administrator. She received her Ph. D. in TESOL/Children’s Literature in 2001 from Ohio State University and since then has also been teaching courses for The Ohio State University with teachers who are working on their TESOL license. Currently, Brenda is the assistant principal for a newcomer program in Columbus, OH.