Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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Date of Graduation
Fall 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Department
Department of Social Work
Advisor(s)
Cynthia Hunter
Abstract
This honors research project explores the features of Title III requirements as they relate to the actual experience of students and their families. This paper synthesizes my experience researching English as a Second Language (ESL) specific supports and policy to inform my time spent accompanying an upper-level administrator for the Harrisonburg City Public School (HCPS) system, and interviewing professionals at an area school. In this paper I outline the results of interviews with 13 service providers. Interviews examined the “letter of the law” and the subsequent “spirit of the law” through application of a social work lens to the different ESL supports available to HCPS.
For the purpose of this research, policy broadly refers to the ways in which Title III addresses English Learners’ (ELs) academic achievement and English language proficiency, as well as language instruction educational programs (LIEPs) for teachers (Virginia Department of Education, n.d.). The general aim of the study is to investigate how service providers make use of/implement policy requirements in order to effectively reach their students. The significance of this research includes gaining a deeper understanding of the intersection between policy priorities, and the realities of implementation.
Keywords: ESL, policy priority, policy implementation, immigrant, mental health, community
Recommended Citation
Cuevas, Grace M., "In translation: An examination of ESL policy on paper as it relates to the realities of implementation" (2018). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 662.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/662
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Education Law Commons, First and Second Language Acquisition Commons, Social Work Commons
