Morillo-Campbell (undated) identify these barriers as the inability to understand English, unfamiliarity with the school system, differences in cultural norms and cultural capital. While research supports the importance of parental communication and participation for improved student achievement, better school attendance, and reduced dropout rates regardless of socioeconomic background or ethnicity, it is a sad reality that many school programs make little effort to promote this.
Similarly, the recent rapid growth of ELLs in mainstream classrooms has been an equally enormous challenge to schools. Schools are faced with greater tasks to provide appropriate facilities, instructional materials, curriculum content, teaching staff, manpower and logistical support needed to respond to the learning needs of this group of students. Admittedly, even the school’s most committed and dedicated teachers cannot provide high quality education without appropriate skills and knowledge for educating ELLs. It is also important to create a positive environment so as to foster understanding and learning (Scott and Ytreberg 1990). Unless ELLs receive appropriate intervention, their difficulties may become even more serious and the gap between their achievement and that of their peers may further widen over time.
My first objective is the creation of educational environments that reflect a philosophy that all students can learn and that educators are responsible for helping them (Ortiz, 2001) so as to Steer ELLs towards academic success. The contexts in which educators teach and learn must also necessarily take into consideration the organizational culture of ELL students. If educators are expected to commit to the implementation of effective