An Australian Perspective on Standards-Based Education, Teacher Knowledge, and Students of English as an Additional Language

This article presents an Australian perspective on the issue of standards-based education and the place of students of English as an additional language (EAL) who are working within mainstream schools. Beginning with an overview of the various standards documents that impact the lives of teachers and their students in mainstream Australian schools, the discussion turns to the kind of knowledge required of teachers in their work with EAL students. The author draws on prior research completed over an extended period of time to address questions about teacher knowledge and specifically to address the domains of knowledge required for the effective design and implementation of programs with EAL students. She argues that, while standards can and do play an important role in legitimising knowledge, in themselves they cannot provide the depth of theoretical and professional knowledge that is required of teachers in the planning and implementation of effective teaching practices that both challenge and support their students, including their EAL students.