August 21, 2024

Toolkit for Schools: Engaging Parents to Support Student Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being

Explore the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Connectedness Toolkit for ready-to-use templates and graphics designed for newsletters, emails, and social media posts. These resources will help schools and partners inform parents about how fostering healthy and supportive school environments can boost resiliency, enhance overall health, and improve academic achievement for students.

Educators of ELs: Availability, Projected Need, and Teacher Preparation

As school comes back in session, check out this infographic for valuable insights on supporting ELs. Nearly 45% of all public school teachers reported teaching ELs during the 2020–21 school year. The demand for EL instructors varies each year for various reasons. This infographic includes an overview of EL teacher availability, needs, and preparation. 

Request for Applications: Policies, Practices, and Programs to Support English Learners

Improving outcomes and meeting the needs of millions of ELs continues to be a pressing issue as the EL population in the U.S. expands rapidly across a range of geographic regions, grade levels, ages, and education settings. The experiences of ELs within rural school settings and among adult learners are especially understudied. The prevalence of ELs means that many if not all research projects have the opportunity to consider the unique circumstances associated with educating and conducting research with ELs.

The National Center for Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences is competing the Education Research Grants program (ALN 84.305A) and welcomes projects across all topic areas and project types that will yield useful insights and effectively address education outcomes for EL populations. Applications are due September 12, 2024.

Join principal investigators Ilana Umansky, PhD, and Karen Thompson, PhD, to learn patterns evident from data analysis across several States and how malleable levers in States are associated with the expanded course access that students should receive in order to succeed.

Register for the second annual Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Research and Development Centers Conference on Improving Instruction, Assessment, and Policies for Secondary English Learners Across the Content Areas, which will take place at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on September 16 and 17, 2024. The conference is intended for educators, administrators, policymakers, researchers, and others involved in enhancing education practices and policies.

This WIDA webinar explores five critical, research-based aspects or “guideposts” of reading instruction for multilingual learners (MLs). For each guidepost, attendees will receive an overview of the current research and strategies and tips for how the guidepost translates to classroom instruction.

The Coalition of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools Conference brings together everyone who is interested in learning about and collaborating with community-based heritage language schools. This hybrid event will take place both on-site at American University in Washington, DC, and online on October 4–5, 2024. Follow these links to visit the conference website, learn about the plenary speakers, and register.

The WIDA Annual Conference is the premier event for educators of Pre-K through Grade 12 multilingual learners, giving educators from around the globe the opportunity to share best practices and discover innovative classroom strategies. The in-person conference will take place October 16–18, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A curated virtual option will be available on October 15 that includes a sampling of sessions from the in-person WIDA Annual Conference and an exclusive virtual keynote speaker.

The in-person portion of this year’s Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) conference will be held at the Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Round Rock, TX, from October 17–20. Virtual participation is also available. Conference registration opened on June 1.

November 12–16

La Cosecha Dual Language Conference

Conference

Are you, or someone you know, looking for a conference focused on providing instructional and programmatic support to best serve your ELs and emerging bilingual students? La Cosecha 2024 will feature more than 280 professional presentations and workshops for supporting two-way and one-way immersion, developmental bilingual, and heritage/tribal language immersion programs and will bring together educators, parents, researchers, and practitioners from across the United States.

The Texas Tribune

After Six Years of Low Scores for Students Learning English, Texas Educators Say It’s the Test’s Fault

This article discusses a sharp drop in the speaking scores of ELs on the Texas English language proficiency assessment that has taken place since automatic testing and scoring have been implemented. Educators believe that this drop is an assessment artifact, which can negatively affect students’ success.

The 74

From New Mexico to Michigan, States Take Action After 74 Investigation Reveals Rampant Enrollment Discrimination

This article details the results of the investigation by The 74 that exposed multiple refusals by high schools around the country to enroll an older newcomer EL student, despite the student’s age being eligible for enrollment. As a result of this investigation, multiple State and local education agencies pledged to take action to ensure equitable access to education for all students.

Chalkbeat

New Chin Language Classes in Perry Aim to Serve Growing Community With Roots in Myanmar

Two high schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, are offering Chin heritage language courses. Indianapolis is home to a large community of immigrants from Myanmar, and these language courses will help heritage speakers to form a deeper connection with their culture, families, and communities.

U.S. Government Accountability Office

NEW RESOURCES: K–12 Education: How States Identify English Learners, Including Those With Disabilities

This report examines how the 50 States and Washington, DC, identify ELs and ELs with disabilities. The report summarizes survey data on the characteristics and effectiveness of Home Language Surveys in the identification process and what assistance States offer to local educational agencies to help them identify ELs with disabilities. 

The Hechinger Report

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Should Teachers Customize Their Lessons or Just Stick to the ‘Script’?

This article discusses the advantages and challenges of using set curricula materials in classrooms around the country. While many curricula are aligned to the academic State standards, they often do not take into account the cultural and linguistic representation of students. The article provides accounts of how educators adapt curricula and lesson plans to accommodate diverse student populations.

Internationals Network for Public Schools: Immersive Experiences

Have you ever wondered what it looks like when a school is designed to center on the experiences of multilingual high school students? Come visit an Internationals Network school!



There will be seven different school visits over the course of the coming school year, each with a different focus and topic. These experiences will include a full-day visit to a school and a half-day debrief the following day. Every Internationals Network professional development experience, including school visits, is designed to be participant-centered. Activities will be hands-on, exploratory, and collaborative, modeling many of the ideals that make the schools tick.

You will:

• See classrooms.
• Talk with teachers, students, and leaders.
• Explore student-facing materials.
• Build community with like-minded educators.
• Engage in discussions about how it all connects to your own work.
• Take part in a half-day debrief to support reflection and planning.

AZ DLI Leadership Academy for Fall Semester 2024

The Arizona Dual Language Immersion (AZ DLI) Network supports educators through a dynamic community that fosters collaboration, innovation, and growth. Registration is now open for the AZ DLI Leadership Academy Cohort 6 for Fall Semester 2024. The program offers a blend of valuable content, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.

Learning, Joy, and Equity: A New Framework for Elementary Education

This report from the Children’s Equity Project and New America identifies 14 core ingredients that, when combined, can help us move toward transformative, quality elementary school experiences for every child. These ingredients are informed by data and research and illustrated through clear and concrete examples. Notably, ingredient number seven highlights the importance of children receiving dual language education to promote bilingualism, biliteracy, biculturalism, and positive self-identity.

Multilingual Learner K–5 Coordinator

College Achieve Charter School - Paterson

Plainfield, NJ

Associate Manager, Rater Training

The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)

Washington, DC

Raise the Bar: How Community-Based Schools Can Contribute to the Multilingual Landscape Parts I & II

This two-part podcast, hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s OELA, focuses on how community-based heritage language schools contribute to the multilingual landscape in the United States.



The podcast features a panel of experts, including Joy Kreeft Peyton, the president of the Coalition of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools; Ana Lucia Lico, co-founder and board member of ABRACE; Heika Feltes, teacher and co-director at Bay Area Kinderstube; and Shahid Iqbal, co-founder and program director of the Indus Arts Council. 

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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 all students, including English learners, are provided with the highest quality education and expanded opportunities to succeed. The information and materials presented in NCELA Nexus do not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or partiality by NCELA, the Office of English Language Acquisition, or the U.S. Department of Education.