Purpose

Although schools across the United States are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse, many teachers remain underprepared to work with students classified as English learners (ELs), especially at the secondary level. Acknowledging the importance of developing systems of support for teachers of ELs, this paper examines the district- and school-level factors shaping secondary teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning in one large urban school district.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning, the authors draw on 49 in-depth interviews with district leaders and staff from nine secondary schools. Data analysis was guided by a structure, culture and agency theoretical framework.

Findings

Findings revealed that decreased structural support, in terms of both fiscal and human resources, constrained teachers' access to EL-related professional learning. Further, the district culture was characterized by limited understanding of ELs' backgrounds and assets. While some school leaders exercised agency to bolster EL-focused professional learning for teachers, such supports were rare.

Practical implications

Findings help to contextualize secondary teachers' feelings of unpreparedness to serve ELs, illuminating several factors that district and school leaders should attend to in order to bolster the development of professional capital for teachers of ELs at the secondary level.

Originality/value

While prior research outlines the importance of designing systems of support for EL-focused professional learning, this study highlights specific structural and cultural factors shaping such systems.

中文翻译：

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城市学区英语学习者中学教师的专业学习：检查支持系统

目的

尽管美国各地的学校在语言和文化上变得越来越多样化，但许多教师仍然没有准备好与被归类为英语学习者 (EL) 的学生一起工作，尤其是在中学阶段。承认发展对 EL 教师支持系统的重要性，本文研究了在一个大型城市学区中影响中学教师获得以 EL 为重点的专业学习的地区和学校层面的因素。

设计/方法/方法

为了检查教师获得以 EL 为重点的专业学习的机会，作者对来自九所中学的地区领导和工作人员进行了 49 次深入访谈。数据分析以结构、文化和代理理论框架为指导。

发现

调查结果显示，财政和人力资源方面的结构性支持减少，限制了教师获得 EL 相关专业学习的机会。此外，地区文化的特点是对 EL 的背景和资产的了解有限。虽然一些学校领导行使代理权来支持教师以 EL 为重点的专业学习，但这种支持很少见。

实际影响

调查结果有助于将中学教师对服务 EL 缺乏准备的感觉置于情境中，阐明地区和学校领导应注意的几个因素，以促进中学 EL 教师专业资本的发展。

原创性/价值

虽然先前的研究概述了设计支持以 EL 为重点的专业学习系统的重要性，但本研究强调了塑造此类系统的特定结构和文化因素。