OMB Seeks Feedback on Initial Proposal for Updating Race and Ethnicity Statistical Standards by April 12 |
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The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) maintains government-wide standards for federal race and ethnicity data that ensure our ability to compare information and data across federal agencies and to understand how well federal programs serve a diverse America. On January 26, 2023, OMB released an initial set of recommended revisions proposed by an Interagency Technical Working Group (Working Group) to revise OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive No.15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). The public is invited to provide feedback through the Federal Register Notice on the proposed revisions by April 12, 2023.
The initial proposals include:
- Collecting race and ethnicity information using one combined question.
- Adding “Middle Eastern and North African” as a new category.
- Requiring the collection of detailed race and ethnicity categories by default.
These recommendations are preliminary, and they do not represent the positions of OMB or the agencies participating in the Working Group. Your feedback will help guide the Working Group as they develop their final recommendations to OMB and will also help OMB determine how to revise SPD 15 to improve the quality and usefulness of federal race and ethnicity data.
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Capitalizing on the Moment: How Local Education Leaders Can Contribute to State Digital Equity Planning Efforts |
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All states have received funds from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, as authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to begin developing their state digital equity plans throughout 2023. A recent Office of Educational Technology blog showcased examples of how leaders are collaborating across agencies at the state level to include the voices, needs, and assets of the education sector in the digital equity plans.
As part of their planning efforts, many states have also announced opportunities where local communities can contribute, opening the door for sustained dialogue on digital equity. Given their experiences navigating the pandemic, identifying barriers and strategies, developing trusted relationships in communities, and building digital skills, education leaders can leverage these opportunities to provide essential perspectives on how to meet the needs of “covered populations.”
This blog contains a list of states (with relevant links) that have announced or will soon announce opportunities for the public to engage.
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Join the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) on April 4 at 4:00 p.m. ET for the new year of their webinar series Research to Policy: Critical Conversations in Language Education. For 2023, the theme is “Multilingualism without Borders,” and in this webinar, presenters will consider how schools and classrooms might push back against artificial borders by ensuring that multilingual students are not segregated from their peers. Dr. Beatriz Arias and Dr. Karen Lillie will share their perspectives on the research around the harm caused when students identified as ELs are placed in segregated educational environments and will provide recommendations on policies and practices that ensure students’ civil rights are protected and that multilingual students have access to a full suite of educational programs, curricula, and opportunities. |
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Students who are learning English are more than just language learners—they are usually members of immigrant families who are navigating the complexities of acculturation, trauma, resettlement, and/or isolation while also building on their strengths and developing resiliency. This webinar from Immigrant Connections will examine students’ and families’ strengths and needs with a holistic, social-emotional lens. |
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Newcomer students are in many of our classrooms and are a vital part of our school communities. What unique supports do they need to succeed? How can we ensure they receive those supports? Join TNTP and Next100 for this panel discussion, where they will delve into the practice, research, and policy to support newcomer students effectively and systemically. |
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Dual language programs are rapidly expanding across the country, providing opportunities for districts to close disparities between students identified as multilingual learners and their peers. What does it take to effectively implement dual language programs? Join TNTP for this panel discussion, which will delve into the research, policy, and practice to effectively and systemically expand dual language programs, with a focus on Texas. |
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The Center for the Success of English Learners and the National Research and Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners—both funded by the Institute of Education Sciences—invite you to attend “Improving instruction, assessment, and policies for secondary English Learners across the content areas.” The joint conference, held at George Washington University, is intended for teacher educators, teachers, district and state EL program administrators, and others playing key roles in the field, including policymakers and researchers. |
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The 6th Annual National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) DLS offers two full days of professional development for educators and includes a Dual Language Networking Event on June 1. NABE 2023 DLS will include an opening general assembly, a closing plenary, and over 20 professional development breakout sessions, including the following topics: Recruitment of Highly Qualified Dual Language Teachers; Developing Teacher Leaders – Growing Your Own Highly Qualified DL Teachers; Addressing the DLBE Teacher Shortage: Preventing Attrition and Increasing Retention; Improving Equity and Access in DLBE Programs; Enhancing Family Engagement in Dual Language Programs; and Integrating STEM/STEAM in Dual Language Curriculum. |
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Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) is a multistate conference hosted by the Cambio Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Focused on the integration of Latin@s/Latinxs/Hispanics and immigrants in new destinations, this conference is a professional development opportunity in which people from various fields who work with Latine and immigrant communities come together to share research and promising practices. |
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June 26–28
Virtual Conference
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Join SIOP® authors and fellow educators from across the country who are seeking to make a positive impact on student learning for the 2023 SIOP® Virtual Conference hosted by Savvas Learning, an authorized source for SIOP® events and professional learning. The conference offers new and seasoned educators an opportunity to reinvigorate and strengthen their teaching practices to successfully support multilingual learners/ELs. |
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The74
About 45% of Central Falls, RI, school system students are classified as ELs. There is a discrepancy between the testing outcomes of students who are proficient in English and ELs. In the pandemic’s aftermath, Central Falls has gotten a chance to reimagine its programming with $23 million in federal grant money. The district introduced after-school and newcomer programs to help ELs. Though the programs are voluntary, more than 225 students have enrolled, adding 2 hours of English learning to their daily schedules. The after-school lessons work in tandem with the “newcomer academy,” which operates during school hours. In the academy, recently arrived immigrant children alternate between bilingual and general education classes, meaning they learn in their native language and are integrated with their English-speaking classmates.
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Politico
One Brooklyn school has figured out a successful model for the children of asylum seekers as the city’s Education Department struggles to accommodate the new students from Latin America. P.S. 24 in Sunset Park has a bilingual program where students learn in English for half of the day and in Spanish for the other half. With funding from the DOE’s central office, the school rehired its retired “English as a New Language” instructor and extended its arts offering to a lunchtime program where kids learn about different instruments and musical genres from Latin America and the Caribbean. The school’s counselor does individual and group sessions, checks in informally with students in the morning, and sees them during lunch.
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Language Magazine
In a speech last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a charge to “Raise the Bar to provide better opportunities for our students in America to be Multilingual.” In his speech, Cardona promised support and assistance to the 50 states that are working to improve their English Development Programs and Multilingual Language Programs. He stressed that we should look at students in bilingual programs as gifted with assets that we want other students to have.
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Language Magazine
Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework that provides options to ensure that all students have the opportunity to experience growth and success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) urges states to adopt UDL in areas such as assessments and requires schools to use the principles of UDL to support the learning needs of all students, including ELs. This article describes the building blocks of UDL that include three core principles, which remind educators to provide options to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to access and engage with rigorous academic curriculum.
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Education Week
The EL population is growing, but the number of specialized instructors for them as well as training for general education teachers who work with ELs is lagging. Researchers and educators say professional development for all teachers and school leaders that is rooted in best practices for ELs is needed to fill in the gap. In this article, Diane Staehr Fenner, the president and founder of SupportEd, a consulting firm focused on ELs’ education, and Rebecca Bergey, a senior researcher at the nonprofit American Institutes for Research, offer suggestions on the best practices and preparation for professional development for EL support.
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NABE is now accepting proposals for the 1st Annual NSI in Salamanca, Spain, this June. The theme is New Horizons for Communication and Culture, and topics include:
- The Role of Communication and Culture in the Retention and Promotion of Highly Qualified Teachers
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The Role of Communication and Culture in Educational Equity
- The Role of Communication and Culture in Family Engagement
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Would you like to learn how to boost your students’ vocabulary development, academic language, reading comprehension, and writing skills—across all content areas? Have you always wanted to learn the research-based ExC-ELL Model but haven’t been able to find an institute near you? Are you looking for ways to continue to hone your craft as an educator and/or earn professional learning credits? The 2023 ExC-ELL Summer Institute is all virtual and delivered in three modules. Each module will be offered at two different times to fit busy schedules. Attendees of each module can expect a fun and meaningful 2-hour virtual professional learning session, opportunities to interact with colleagues and practice the instructional strategies learned, and a digital toolkit.
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Pre-K–8 dual language teachers and coaches will learn about, and practice using, the eight components of the SIOP® Model to effectively teach language and content while addressing the three pillars of dual language programs: bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement, and socio-cultural competence.
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Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
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Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
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Have you heard? NCELA has a fresh look! We’re excited to share our refreshed website at ncela.ed.gov, which is designed to give you easy access to the resources that you’re most interested in. The site has new content and features, including:
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a “What’s Happening” section on the home page for the latest updates from OELA and the U.S. Department of Education;
- a new search feature for the Resource Library that allows users to search by resource type and topic; and
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curated resources for educators, students, families, and researchers.
Explore the new NCELA website now!
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Submit Your News
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Send your alerts, upcoming events, resources, and job postings to AskNCELA
by Tuesday, April 11, 2023 for inclusion in the next edition of Nexus.
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National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)
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Disclaimer: NCELA Nexus is intended to share information that can be of use to educators, parents, learners, leaders, and other stakeholders in their efforts to ensure that every student, including ELs, is provided with the highest quality education and expanded opportunities to succeed. The information and materials presented on NCELA Nexus do not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by NCELA, the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), or the U.S. Department of Education.
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