Meet Beatriz Ceja-Williams: The New Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education | |
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We are thrilled to announce Beatriz Ceja-Williams as the new Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) at the U.S. Department of Education. She has served at the Department of Education for over 20 years in various capacities.
Most recently, Ceja-Williams was the Senior Director for Institutional Service (IS) in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the Department where she was responsible for the Divisions that administer the discretionary and formula grant programs to Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Predominately Black Serving Institutions, and other minority-serving institution programs. Prior to that, she was the Division Director for Hispanic Serving Institutions. Please join us in welcoming her to OELA. Check out the Department's video on her journey.
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Upcoming Webinars – Supporting Multilingualism for All: Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy Part I and Part II | |
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OELA will host a webinar series titled "Supporting Multilingualism for All: Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy" starting on November 6. The Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) honors students who have completed high school and that can read, write, speak, and listen in at least two languages, one being English.
Geared toward educators and leaders (administrators and superintendents) leading biliteracy efforts in states, schools, districts, and communities, this two-part webinar centers on the presenters’ research-based 5P framework to implement the SoBL and promote biliteracy for all students, including an explicit lens on equity for multilingual and heritage-language learners. Whether just beginning to implement the SoBL or looking to enhance and expand current implementation, participants will identify actionable steps to implement the SoBL in their unique contexts to broadly and equitably promote biliteracy.
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ED Awards More than $11 Million to Support Multilingual Learners in Tribal Communities | |
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ED announced new awards totaling more than $11 million for the new Native American Language Resource Centers (NALRC) program, the first-ever Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI) program, and the State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program. Together, these awards seek to strengthen the vitality of Native American languages in schools, support Native American teachers, and ensure Tribal Educational Agencies can coordinate grant resources alongside state and local partners.
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New Blog – NPD Grantee Spotlight: Project SEED, Project ELEVATE, Project DICE PLUSS | |
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OELA provides professional development activities and instructional guidance for educators of ELs through the National Professional Development (NPD) grant program. Read the blog to learn more about the projects and explore the work being done by Projects DICE PLUSS, ELEVATE, and SEED. The efforts of these NPD grantees are having a lasting and meaningful impact on the education of ELs.
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The American Educational Research Association (AERA) Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group will host a webinar on October 26 at 1 p.m. This webinar is an exciting opportunity for educators, educational researchers, and policymakers to come together to explore transformative ideas in multilingual education. Panelists will imagine together the educational reality they hope to see in multilingual education if they were to dismantle repressive and suppressive policies, procedures, and practices that pervade PreK–20+ educational spaces and build something extraordinary in their place. | |
Join CATESOL this October at the College of Alameda (located near Oakland) to “break new ground” at the first CATESOL State Conference to be hosted at an academic institution. Connect with colleagues from all over California and complete multiple hours of professional development at plenaries, workshops, educational materials expositions, and networking sessions. | |
The Center for Applied Linguistics will be hosting a webinar on October 31 at 4 p.m. This webinar will examine the challenges and opportunities that multilingual, transnational students encounter in U.S. schools. A panel will be available to engage with thoughtful questions and offer creative solutions for educators and policymakers to support successful academic outcomes for transnational students. | |
La Cosecha 2023 will take place in Albuquerque, NM, under the theme “Honoring Our Story: Reclaiming Our Past Through Empowerment and Action.” The conference is focused on providing instructional and programmatic support to best serve ELs and emerging bilingual students. La Cosecha 2023 will feature over 270 professional presentations and workshops for supporting two-way and one-way immersion; developmental bilingual and heritage/tribal language immersion programs; and opportunities to bring together educators, parents, researchers, and practitioners from across the U.S. Registration deadline is October 27. Contact Leslie@dlenm.org with questions. | |
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning for all students in the United States, with ELs facing unique challenges. In this Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest webinar, panelists will discuss recent reports on changes in ELs’ English language proficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic and host a question-and-answer session. This webinar is intended for state-, district-, and school-level policymakers, staff, and practitioners focused on serving and supporting ELs. | |
The Illinois Resource Center is excited to bring together educators from across the state for the Multilingual Illinois 2023 Statewide Conference in Conjunction with ESSA. This event will be held in person from December 5-7, 2023, at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, Illinois. More than 75 informative sessions will be offered across the three days of the conference, with a dynamic lineup of speakers. Register by November 17, 2023, at 5 p.m.. For further information or questions about this event, please email the Illinois Resource Center at ircregistration@cntrmail.org. | |
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The University of Kansas
Study Examines Role of Working Memory, Cognitive Functions in English Learners Learning to Write
A new study from the University of Kansas is among the first to examine cognitive functions and their role in teaching ELs to write in their second language, which can help shed light on how students learn to write and how to help close the achievement gap in the growing EL population. The study performed a battery of bilingual cognitive tests with nearly 500 elementary-age ELs. The results showed that working memory was the most significant predictor of writing ability and underscored the significance of the ability to quickly recall vocabulary and concepts while writing. The findings also implied that without native language instruction in schools, students may not be enhancing their oral language development and phonological awareness skills, despite having innate strengths in their native language.
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WTOP News
New Report Finds Black, Hispanic Students in Prince George’s Co. Outperformed Peers Statewide
Black, Hispanic, EL, and economically disadvantaged students in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGPS) outscored their peers statewide. Results from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program revealed that Black and Hispanic students in the county’s public schools scored significantly higher than their peers across all other Maryland school districts with more than half of the schools that showed the greatest improvement in ELA being in Prince George’s County. Data also demonstrated that nearly 25% of the PGPS students are on the cusp of proficiency, which speaks to the effectiveness of post-COVID interventions and instruction.
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Language Magazine
TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Embracing Bilingual Assessment
One of the most enduring misconceptions is that multilingual students are at a higher risk of low achievement because they speak a language other than English, while research demonstrates cognitive, social, and academic advantages of bilingualism. Despite the wealth of research and knowledge available, multilingual learners still encounter opportunity and achievement gaps and inequitable and unfavorable outcomes in many educational settings. This article presents reasons for how bilingual assessment can benefit multilingual learners by cultivating an educational environment that is inclusive and equitable, allowing all learners access to high academic outcomes.
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Colorín Colorado
TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: 8 Tips to Protect ELLs from Bullying in Your Classroom and School
English language learners (ELLs) and immigrant students can be easy targets for school bullies. Bullying, including cyberbullying, has become a serious issue in schools around the country, and many educators are reporting an increase in the bullying of immigrant students and ELLs. Helping to prevent the bullying of ELLs can be more challenging than protecting against general bullying, primarily because attempts to be helpful can end up causing even more discomfort to ELLs. This article offers a number of tips that educators and parents can implement at school and at home to protect ELLs from bullying.
Education Week
TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: The Best Ways to Make Content More Accessible to English Learners
In his new blog entry, Larry Ferlazzo explores the strategies that can help educators make content more comprehensible for ELs. The author invited several educators to share the three most important—and most likely to be used strategies—that general education teachers can implement to make their content more accessible to both ELs and non-ELs. The suggestions are varied and include such strategies as reducing the rate of speech, using scaffolding, displaying enthusiasm for the subject matter, displaying lesson objectives, and more.
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The 2023–24 ExC-ELL Virtual Institutes: Virtual PD That Anyone Can Attend, October 26–December 5
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 ExC-ELL Virtual Institutes consist of three modules, which are each offered multiple times throughout the year to fit your busy schedule. Attendees of each module can expect a fun and meaningful two-hour, virtual professional learning session; opportunities to interact with colleagues and practice the instructional strategies being taught; and a digital toolkit to help implement what was learned back in the classroom or school. Dates:
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Vocabulary Module: October 26 & December 6
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Reading Module: October 24 & November 14
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Writing Module: November 13
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BONUS Module: Using ChatGPT & Other AI Tools in the Classroom: December 5
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University of Colorado Denver’s PhD in Early Childhood Policy
Are you interested in earning a PhD in Early Childhood Policy? The University of Colorado Denver now offers an Early Childhood Policy PhD program. This program emphasizes that specialized attention to policy and systems is crucial to achieving quality, equity, and scale in the field. Fellowships are available for BIPOC students and those who have historically been underserved by doctoral education.
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Leadership for Welcoming Newcomer Students: 6 Steps to Take
Does your school embrace asylees, refugees, and other newcomer students? If so, there are immediate steps that you can take to create a supportive school environment. Internationals Network presents six recommended steps from school leaders. By implementing these steps, you can create a welcoming and inclusive environment for newcomer students, fostering their academic success and overall well-being.
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The Public Schools of Northborough-Southborough
Southborough, MA
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DSST Public Schools
Denver, CO
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New Podcast – Providing English Learners Meaningful Access to Core Curricular and Extracurricular Programs | |
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The newest podcast by the ED’s OELA features Maha Abdelkader, Education Program Specialist from OELA; Roger Rosenthal, an attorney with the Migrant Legal Action Program; and Lissette Colon Collins, Assistant Superintendent for Language Acquisition Funded Programs, School Improvement, and the Arts at Yonkers Public Schools. The panelists discuss the important topic of how U.S. schools can provide ELs with meaningful access to core curricular and extracurricular programs.
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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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