UC San Diego

The pervasive gap in achievement between minority and nonminority students is an issue of national importance. Addressing the needs of teachers of minority students, specifically Latino English learners, has received some-- but not sufficient--attention in professional development research. The research regarding teaching practices toward minority students highlights the deficit views and low expectations held by teachers; however, this is seldom accounted for in the development of reform or in the design and outcomes of professional development of teachers of minority and language-minority students. The greatest impact of teacher practices toward minority and language-minority students is how these students experience schooling, in particular how and if they experience success. This student voice research serves as a contributing component toward reform as it presents the barriers and supports that long-term English learners (LTEL) experience. The findings from this study serve to generate a framework of factors that lead to success as revealed by LTEL students. The study's implications are pertinent to school leaders, classroom teachers, and professional development providers. The study suggests areas for future research in student voice