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Ashley Aguirre

CALTOG CALLS FOR AN EQUITABLE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS

February 17, 2021 by Ashley Aguirre

Twenty organizations including Advancement Project California, California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), Education Trust-West, Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL), and Unidos US join in calling upon state leadership to build an accountability system ELs deserve and that will serve the state’s goals of equity and quality education for all. 

 

( Visit the Accountability Brief Homepage ) 

(Read the Full Brief)

 

Long Beach, CA —  Today Californians Together introduces a new framework for accountability focused on the needs of English learner (EL) students in California. The new brief titled, The Accountability System English Learners Deserve: Framework for An Effective and Coherent Accountability System for ELs, examines the state’s current system, identifies areas of improvement, sets aspirational goals for what a structure that is transparent and honest about EL needs could achieve, and outlines steps to build a framework that supports all levels of the state’s educational system and moves toward a more equitable and assets-oriented approach. 

The framework also provides recommendations for addressing high priority gaps that require urgent action, especially in light of the COVID-19 era. Led by Laurie Olsen, Ph.D., the framework was developed by Californians Together’s coalition members and educators across the state. 

“If we don’t have an accurate representation of where our EL students stand, we don’t have a way to ensure that we’re adequately meeting their needs. Especially in a pandemic,  it will require a full commitment to help them catch up to their peers in the coming years” says Martha Hernández, Executive Director of Californians Together. 

Californians Together hopes that state leaders will use the brief as a guide in their current development of the academic growth models for Mathematics and Language Arts, determining English learner progress, and in setting higher expectations for districts and schools. Use of the framework will support and enhance the implementation of the vision set forth in the California English Learner Roadmap policy. California needs to adopt an accountability system that fosters, motivates, and uses multiple measures to inform continuous improvement for equitable student outcomes, especially for English learners. 

“Our current system makes it difficult to assess improvement accurately because it continues to mask EL outcomes on key academic indicators and set low expectations for districts to support language development,” says Hernández. “In the spirit of continuous improvement, our state should utilize the break in normal activity due to the worldwide pandemic to reassess and update policy decisions related to English learner outcomes. We owe it to our students to build a statewide system to support English learners to reach their full potential.”  

Twenty organizations including Advancement Project California, California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), the Education Trust-West, Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL), and Unidos US join Californians Together in calling upon state leadership to step up and build the accountability system English learners deserve and that will serve the state’s goals of equity and quality education for all. 

To read the full brief and for a list of all signers visit: caltog.co/accountability

 

The 5 Components Of An Effective and Coherent Accountability System For ELs

 

  1. Setting high expectations for all schools and LEAs regarding EL achievement. 
  2. Assessing and monitoring against those expectations (State Accountability and District Continuous Improvement).
  3. Ensuring action by identifying areas for improvement and promise.
  4. Engaging all levels of the system (including the state) with clear roles for the California Department of Education, the County Offices of Education, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.
  5. Supporting key drivers of success throughout, including:
  • Engages stakeholders. 
  • Provides transparency.
  • Establishes an equity imperative.
  • Focuses on meaningful continuous improvement. 
  • Provides adequate resources.  

 

About Californians Together

Californians Together is a statewide advocacy coalition of powerful organizations from all segments of the education community including teachers, administrators, board members, parents and civil rights non-profit groups. Our member organizations come together around the goal of better educating 1.1 million English Learners by improving California’s schools and promoting equitable educational policy.

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Media Contact: Ashley Aguirre ashley@californianstogether.org 

Filed Under: Home-Latest, Press Releases

New book from Californians Together Examines 70 years of English Learner History in California

February 9, 2021 by Ashley Aguirre

NEW BOOK FROM CALIFORNIANS TOGETHER EXAMINES THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH LEARNERS IN CALIFORNIA AND OFFERS IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN EDUCATION EQUITY

Now available exclusively from Californians Together in our online store.

Long Beach, CA — Californians Together announces the publication of A Legacy of Courage and Activism: Stories from the movement for educational access and equity for English Learners in California written by Dr. Laurie Olsen. Through interviews with leaders at the forefront of the movement, Olsen tells the story of what happened in the 20 years after the passage of Proposition 227 which nearly decimated bilingual education in California and how advocates overcame anti-immigrant backlash to move the state in a direction that embraces language and cultural diversity. A Legacy of Courage spans 70 years of English Learner history that gives context to that evolving landscape. Born from case studies for the English Learner Leadership & Legacy Initiative (ELLLI), the book offers up lessons for the next generation of leaders as they take up the mantle in addressing ongoing issues of education equity like access to quality bilingual programs and English language development, bilingual teacher shortages, dual language learners in early childhood education, and accountability for English learner achievement.

“The story of getting from there to here is a dramatic and important one,” says Olsen. “It’s a story of demographic change, of racist backlash and courageous movements that pushed towards inclusion and justice. That history illuminates the strategies that can be used to advance change in policies and practices to achieve a more equitable education system.”
With the passage of the ballot initiative Proposition 58 in 2016, and the subsequent adoption of the California English Learner Roadmap in 2017 as new state English Learner policy, California chartered a new course of renewed commitment to multilingualism.

“While we have a moment of opportunity with new more inclusive policies, we still don’t have the capacity, or in some cases still not the attitudes and beliefs, to deliver the schooling needed for this population of students,” adds Olsen.

Californians Together, a statewide coalition advocating for equitable education policy for the state’s 1.1 million English Learners and publisher of the book, hopes that this history will empower those currently enrolled or entering higher education to become agents of change whether they are actively working toward a career as bilingual educators, policy makers or activists.

Martha Hernández, Executive Director of Californians Together adds “There is a new generation of young people who are now working in the legislature, in school leadership, as educators, and as advocates who are themselves from communities of color, communities of immigrants, and communities who speak diverse languages that bridge across multiple cultures. We hope that this book will support them, and inspire them to tackle the challenges with the same resolve as the generation that came before.”

For Olsen, the book is also personal. As an advocate herself who has spent the last six decades researching, writing, and providing leadership development alongside those in the movement, she has witnessed firsthand their determination, insistence and hope in the face of virulent racist backlash against bilingual education and against welcoming children’s languages and cultures into California’s schools.

“This book is kind of a love note—an acknowledgement, a recognition of the incredible human beings who have done the work to stop the injuries and damage of a schooling system that has not yet embraced all of our children as equally valuable and who have done the work to create new models of what schools can and should be. So entering into the current chapters in that history, I hope readers will feel fortified, inspired, informed and strengthened in becoming actors in the struggle on the side of educational justice.”

Olsen was joined by other leaders in the movement who helped co-author chapters in their areas of expertise including: Maxine Sagapolutele, High School English and ELD Teacher, Grossmont Union High School District ; Vickie Ramos Harris, Director of Educational Equity, Advancement Project California; and JunHee Doh, Senior Policy and Research Analyst in Educational Equity at Advancement Project California.

In the course of 241 pages, the book presents five key sections:

Section 1: Movement Building

  • The Story of ELLLI: Supporting a new generation of leadership
  • The San Diego Story: Building a movement for Latino/Chicano educational equity and access

Section 2: Historical Review of Key Issues

  • Where Are The Teachers? A half century effort to address the teacher shortage for English Learners
  • For the Youngest Learners: Dual Language Learners in early childhood education

Section 3: Advocacy Campaigns

  • State Seal of Biliteracy: A ten-year advocacy campaign to reframe bilingualism from problem to asset
  • Reparable Harm: The advocacy campaign for responsiveness to the needs of long term English Learners

Section 4: The Many Role of Advocates

  • Lobbying for English Learners and Bilingual Education: The essential role of the lobbyist
  • The California County Offices of Education: Working within the system and the power of networks to move and English Learner agenda forward
  • A Nonprofit Organization Supports the Movement: California Tomorrow’s immigrant students high school and demonstration project
  • Advocacy Within the Department of Education: moving the field to meet English Learners’ needs through publication and dissemination

Section 5: Appendices

  • The Sweep of History—A California Timeline
  • Additional resources

Praise for A Legacy of Courage and Activism:

What does it mean to be an advocate for educational justice? This book provides concrete, clear, concise and powerful examples of advocating from both within the educational system and from the outside. It’s an important read for anyone interested in California’s education system. I am excited to use it with my teacher preparation students, because I have witnessed how it opens their eyes and hearts to the deep importance of advocacy for bilingual students, and to the history that has gotten us to this point.
— Allison Briceño, Associate Professor Teacher Education at San Jose State University

As a longtime educator, the case studies in this book have proven a critical contribution to my understanding of the history surrounding multilingual learners in the U.S. pushing me to wonder, ‘How did I not hear about these events before?’ The historical context and stories of advocacy are at the same time informative and motivating, with a nod to those advocates upon whose shoulders we stand.
— Alesha Moreno-Ramirez, Staff Development and Curriculum Specialist at Tulare County Office of Education

The historical struggle for multilingual and educational justice for ethnically and linguistically diverse students is documented in each of the chapters of this book on a clear and personal level. Of importance are the challenges it documents of what has transpired over the past 60 years, and the vision it gives of what awaits each of us as we continue the journey to construct democratic schools and the corresponding pedagogical practices.
— Alberto M. Ochoa, Professor Emeritus San Diego State University

A Legacy of Courage and Activism: Stories from the movement for educational access and equity for English Learners in California is available now for purchase in the Californians Together online store.

 

About Laurie Olsen
Laurie Olsen, Ph.D., was a founding Board member and currently serves as President of the board of Californians Together. She was part of the original English Learner Legacy and Leadership Initiative (ELLLI) Steering Committee, playing a large role in shaping the leadership development curriculum. Currently serving as Strategic Advisor (and formerly founding Director) to SEAL.org (Sobrato Early Academic Language), she has seen the growth and replication of SEAL’s PreK-5 model of English Learner centric joyful and rigorous education into 89 schools across 16 school districts in California. Olsen has spent the last six decades researching, writing, advocating, and providing leadership development and technical assistance on educational equity with an emphasis on immigrant and English Learner education, language access and rights. Working with hundreds of school districts, school leadership teams and county offices of education across the nation, Dr. Olsen has designed, demonstrated, evaluated and implemented powerful PreK-12th grade English Learner programs and services, which support effective school change strategies. Her acclaimed Secondary School Leadership for English Learner Success series has reached hundreds of educators throughout California. She has published dozens of books, videos and articles on English Learner education, including the award winning Made in America: Immigrants in U.S. Schools and Reparable Harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for California’s Long Term English Learners. Olsen served as Co-Chair of the California English Learner Roadmap Work Group that created the new English Learner policy for the state, and has served on California Public Schools Accountability Advisory Committee and on then State Superintendent of Instruction Tom Torlakson’s Accountability Task Force. For 23 years, Dr. Olsen directed California Tomorrow’s work in K-12 education, and served as Executive Director of the organization for ten years. She holds a Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Studies in Education from U.C. Berkeley.

About Californians Together
Californians Together is a statewide advocacy coalition of powerful organizations from all segments of the education community including teachers, administrators, board members, parents and civil rights non-profit groups. Our member organizations come together around the goal of better educating 1.1 million English Learners by improving California’s schools and promoting equitable educational policy.

About English Learner Leadership & Legacy Initiative (ELLLI)
Californians Together, in collaboration with the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), launched the English Learner Leadership & Legacy Initiative (ELLLI) in 2016 to support the development of a new generation of English Learner education leaders and advocates. English Learner (EL) advocates engaged in ELLLI are equipped to advance proactive projects (such as the current biliteracy campaign) as well as to respond effectively to anticipated policy challenges at state and local levels. In addition to the preparation of selected cohorts of new EL leaders, the project aims to make more widely available an EL leadership and legacy curriculum that can empower many other leaders at the local, regional and state levels. The project draws on the perspectives of many senior EL leaders and current advocates for ELs and uses a blend of in-person convenings and online platforms for large group training institutes, issue-based and regional network group meetings, one-on-one coaching, mentoring and project-based experiences. The English Learner Leadership and Legacy curriculum provides an advocacy framework, historical context, lessons from the past, immersion in research, mentorship, and skill development to inspire and prepare advocates to work at multiple levels (state, district, community) to establish strategic action agendas, move policy and practice, develop and leverage research, work with media, and build and mobilize coalitions championing the right to quality education for English learners.

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Media Contact: Ashley Aguirre ashley@californianstogether.org

Filed Under: Home-Latest, Press Releases, Publications

Statement Regarding Governor’s Proposed 2021-2022 State Budget

January 13, 2021 by Ashley Aguirre

CalTog-Logo-2018

Statement from Californians Together regarding Governor Newsom’s Proposed 2021-2022 State Budget

Record Investments in Public School 

During these challenging times, Californians Together is proud to see Governor Gavin Newsom committed to making record investments in our public schools. The governor has taken a step in the right direction by allocating resources to address the needs of students who have been negatively impacted by distance learning, such as English learners (ELs), resulting in learning loss by providing $2 billion for in-person instruction and by providing $4.6 billion in one-time funding for expanded learning and academic intervention grants targeted to students such as English learners.

We’re pleased that the $4.6 billion allocated to support expanded learning time calls out ELs and other vulnerable students. As districts develop intervention grants, we hope they look at the different types of ELs, such as newcomer students and Long-Term English learners, who have different needs. We also applaud the commitment to addressing social-emotional needs, supporting the teacher pipeline in high need areas, like bilingual certification and we appreciate his commitment to early childhood education, especially training and professional development with a focus on Dual Language Learners. 

The proposal drives California’s path toward expanding dual language programs and multilingualism. The investments in staff professional development call out high-need areas, which can include bilingual staff. In addition, the $100 million investment in teacher residency programs includes a focus on bilingual education while the $50 million support for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten teachers includes support for ELs/DLLs. 

We are also excited to see the continued growth of ethnic studies, which will be supported by a $5 million investment to fund professional development and instructional materials for Local Education Agencies (LEA) offering these courses.  

 

Areas of Revision

While there is much to celebrate in the governor’s budget, we also want to call out areas we hope will be revised before it's adoption this Summer.

  • It's concerning that English learners are not called out as a priority under the incentive grants for in-person instruction, which also need stronger requirements for adequate in-person instruction times. English learners, disproportionately impacted by distance learning, would benefit greatly from in-person instruction as language is learned through modeling from both teachers and peers. 

 

  • We support additional requirements for tracking attendance and engagement, but data should be reported and disaggregated by the student group to better understand the impact of this crisis on our most vulnerable students. 

 

  • Stronger language that ensures that Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) supplemental and concentration carryover funds remain as supplemental and concentration to increase or improve services for its intended students is needed. These are changes that were included in Assembly Bill 1835 last year, which the Governor vetoed and promised to fix within the budget.

 

  • In addition to the teacher preparation programs that will be receiving proposed allocations, the Bilingual Teacher Preparation Program, which is a "grow your own" teacher capacity program ends June 30. 2021 and should be funded.

We urge the state legislature to take these points into consideration and hope to see them reflected in the revisions presented in May before enacting the 2021-22 budget. 

Filed Under: Home-Latest, Legislative Updates

Californians Together congratulates Dr. Miguel Cardona on his nomination for Secretary of Education and Secretary of State Alex Padilla on his appointment to the U.S. Senate

December 23, 2020 by Ashley Aguirre

Today we celebrate and uplift two historic appointments: Miguel Cardona who will serve as Secretary of Education in the Biden-Harris Administration, and Alex Padilla, California’s next United States Senator. 

As former English learners and products of our public education system, they both bring a personal level of understanding about the inequities facing our students of color and the achievement gaps that exist between them and their white peers. 

Padilla, who as Secretary of State mandated multilingual ballots, understands the importance of biliteracy and has always been supportive of legislation that improves outcomes for English learners. 

In a press conference held this morning, Cardona stated “I, being bilingual and bicultural, am as American as apple pie and rice and beans. For me education was the great equalizer, but for too many students, your zip code and your skin color remain the best predictor of the opportunities you’ll have in your lifetime.” 

During this pandemic which has only underscored the disparities that exist among our English learner communities, it is reassuring to have leadership both on a Federal and State level who not only reflect and represent our English learners, but who are also uniquely equipped to address the challenges they face in hopes of creating a more equitable education system.

“It’s our responsibility, it’s our privilege to take this moment and to do the most American thing imaginable—to forge opportunity out of crisis, to draw on our resolve, our ingenuity and tireless optimism as a people,” said Cardona. 

We look forward to working together to build the education system our students need and deserve. 

Filed Under: Home-Latest

Joint Memo on English Learners to Biden-Harris Education Transition Team

December 11, 2020 by Ashley Aguirre

TO: Presidential Transition Education Agency Review Team 

FROM: American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, California Association for Bilingual  Education (CABE), Californians Together, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL),  Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), Lawyers for Good  Government, National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), National  Association of English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA), National  Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), Southeast Asia Resource Action  Center (SEARAC), TESOL International Association, UnidosUS 

SUBJ: Priorities and Recommendations for English Learners  

DATE: December 11, 2020 

We, the organizations signed on to this memorandum, respectfully and enthusiastically submit  the following proposed agenda to the Biden Transition Education Agency Review Team for  consideration. This document highlights our collective priority issues and recommendations on  English Learners (ELs) for the new Administration.  

For too long, the needs of the nation’s 5 million English Learners have been overlooked,  resulting in disproportionate funding and insufficient academic progress. The incoming  administration must act immediately to ensure that all students, irrespective of their home  language or immigrant background, are receiving a quality education in a learning environment  disrupted by COVID-19, and to acknowledge the ways in which the education system has failed  English Learners and build a path toward a more equitable and inclusive education system.  

It is our hope that the individual appointed to head the Office of English Language Acquisition  within the Department of Education is ready to collaborate with all stakeholders and to  champion the needs of ELs throughout the Department of Education’s larger blueprint for  education and throughout the country. 

The EL population has grown exponentially in the last decade, yet wide achievement gaps  persist, with the need for federal guidance and state support limited by an office that is under-resourced in funding and personnel, and undervalued. The role of OELA must be strengthened  and elevated within the Department. 

  1. Return administration of Title III grants to OELA. OESE has administered Title III  grants for the last few years, resulting in confusion and inefficiency for the field in having  to navigate two different offices. OELA is better positioned to provide critical technical assistance to states on the implementation of Title III.
  2. Build state capacity to improve EL programs. This includes monitoring quality of Title  III programs, e.g. course trajectories for ELs, implementation of EL accommodations,  implementation of the principles established in Castañeda v. Pickard, providing guidance  and setting expectations to increase collaboration and shared ownership among content  programs at the SEA level. 
  3. Full staffing of OELA. Personnel must be reflective of the expanded responsibilities of  the office.  
  4. Change the name of OELA. Moving away from deficit-based language and recognizing  the strengths that ELs bring to learning environments can start with renaming OELA.  Some options to consider are: Office of Bilingual Education, Office of Multilingual  Support, Office of Bilingual Education and Multilingual Support, Office of Multilingual  Education and Support. 
  5. Continue and expand grant opportunities through the National Professional  Development Program. NPD and other sources can help support innovative programs  for biliteracy development, English Learner support, biliteracy leadership, graduate  studies, and research programs. 
  6. The head of OELA should report directly to the Secretary of Education. ELs  represent 10% of students in the K-12 public education system, a population that  continues to grow at a fast rate, and speak more than 400 languages — possessing  language and cultural skills that if nurtured and supported appropriately, can be vital for  a strong domestic and global economy. This position should reflect the critical role of this  office within the leadership team of the Department. 

Despite educators’ best efforts during this crisis, it has been difficult to provide high-quality  online instruction for ELs due to lack of electronic devices, connectivity, digital curricula  specifically designed for ELs, and teacher training for online instruction.  

  1. Provide federal guidance on EL digital learning. Federal law (Title VI of the Civil  Rights Act, Lau v. Nichols, Casteñeda v. Pickard, the Equal Educational Opportunities  Act) requires accommodations and supports for ELs. ELs should be able to access the same learning as their non-EL classmates, including through digital platforms. OELA can provide concrete and solid guidance in support of the field on how to functionally  implement best practices to serve ELs through digital learning.  
  2. OELA should compile and disseminate culturally and linguistically appropriate digital resources available in practice and in the marketplace that provide equitable resources for ELs and their educators.  
  3. Ensure professional development in digital instruction for teachers of ELs in real  time. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Education found that districts were less likely to  report providing professional development for digital learning resources for instructing  ELs as compared with professional development for instructing general education  students.1

Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) was established to  ensure that federal funds support the education of English learners (ELs). Between 2009 and  2016, the EL population grew by 11.35%.2 However, when adjusting for inflation, Title III funding  has actually decreased by 9.4% since 2009.3 Title I funds are intended to provide support to all  low-income students including ELs, and Title III funds should serve to supplement Title I in  supporting ELs. The Biden plan rightly recognizes the need for significantly increased funding  and support for ELs to ensure they can participate meaningfully and equally in school.  

  1. Work with Congress to include supplemental, emergency funding of $1 billion for  Title III in COVID relief to support the unique needs of English learners during the  pandemic. Over 100 organizations have called for additional resources to meet the  challenges faced by ELs in remote, hybrid, and synchronous learning, to ensure EL do  not fall further behind.4
  2. The president-elect must follow through on his proposal to include increased  funding for the most vulnerable students in the FY 2022 budget request. This  should include tripled funding for Title I schools, and $2 billion for Title III to ensure that  funding reflects the growing number of ELs and supports dual language development  and parent engagement programs. 
  3. Provide funding for innovative approaches and strategies to be administered through a competitive process directly to schools, institutions of higher education, and organizations. Investment should support innovative and transformational inclusive solutions contributing to the academic and social success of  the diverse linguistically and cultural community of students impacted by their services.  

A sense of community must be brought back into schools, starting at the federal level. Family  and parental engagement for parents of ELs must be a focus of the new administration in order  to re-establish trust between families and schools. All families, including immigrants and their  children, deserve to feel safe and welcomed. 

  1. Work with Congress to immediately increase funding for family engagement programs, including through a COVID-19 relief package and through Title I and Title III of ESSA. A focus on family engagement is always critical to ensure the success  of English Learner students, and is especially important during COVID-19 when school  closures and distance learning have made consistent and meaningful communication  between schools and families more challenging.  
  2. Invest in EL programs and adult education programs that are congruent to one  another. Multigenerational programs that support adult literacy, cultural orientation, and digital literacy are critical to helping parents and families support their children’s learning and lift up the whole family. 
  3. Prioritize language access as a civil right across all agencies. Beyond education,  the pandemic has exacerbated the need for language access across all agencies. As a  share of the nation’s population, 21.9% percent of US residents speak a foreign  language at home, more than double the 11 percent in 1980.5

The needs of ELs must be taken into consideration when decisions are made for the general  student population, when strategic planning takes place and when districts plan academic and  extracurricular programming. States and districts must think of ELs beyond Title III funding.  They must not be an afterthought or invisible in other departments within the Department of  Education. 

  1. Establish federal policy to support inclusivity of ELs at the school and district wide level. Supporting ELs is not solely the responsibility of a Title III program or an EL  program, but a school and district-wide responsibility. 
  2. Fund teacher preparation programs and school districts that implement inclusive  teaching practices for ELs. Most teachers will experience an EL in their classroom. 3. Recognize the role that English language teachers play in improving student  outcomes and supporting ELs. English language teachers possess unique skill sets, but are not always seen as equal to their peers in general education. Efforts must be  made to elevate the critical role of English language teachers in our schools.  

The last four years have been catastrophic for the nation in fueling anti-immigrant sentiment and  racial unrest. While the Black Lives Matter movement has certainly placed racial justice front  and center, there must be an acknowledgment and awareness that racial violence and  institutional racism also intersects with the lives of immigrants. 

  1. Infuse all teacher preparation programs with racial justice and culturally  responsive coursework. All teachers, not only teachers of ELs, should receive  coursework in critical areas such as racial justice and culturally responsive practices.  These programs should intersect with language access and immigration integration. 

ELs often attend schools that have higher rates of policing and are suspended or expelled at  higher rates than their mainstream peers, especially at the high school level.  

  1. End federal support (programs and funding) of police in schools, including  through support of the Counseling not Criminalization in Schools Act. Research  shows that the presence of police in schools increases the likelihood of arrest and  contact with the criminal legal and immigration systems — consequences experienced  disproportionately by communities of color. Counseling services for ELs should be conducted by professionals that speak their language and understand their culture.
  2. Revise and reissue the 2014 school discipline guidance. The guidance that was  issued in the Obama administration and rescinded in 2018, should be updated to include  robust recommendations related to the school-to-deportation pipeline and how schools  can best support immigrant students and families without exposing them to dangerous  criminal-legal consequences.  
  3. Reaffirm the role of the Office of Civil Rights in protecting the civil rights of ELs  and immigrant students. Consistent with the Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe,  OCR has a responsibility to “uphold, protect, and enforce the constitutional rights” of  students to a free public education regardless of the citizenship or the immigration status  of students and/or their parents.  
  4. Reassert U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Sensitive Locations Policy  and reinforce that ICE and 287(g) agreements have no place in schools. 

Multilingualism is an asset and English Learners should be recognized by the administration for  the strengths they bring to all learning environments. The administration must move away from deficit-based language which negatively represents the experience of ELs and multilingual  households and adopt asset-based language and terminology. 

  1. Direct other federal agencies to follow the Department of Education’s lead in shifting away from using the term “limited English proficient.”
  2. Change federal terminology of English Learner to an asset based term. The  Department should take into account evidence-based research on using new terms such  as “emergent bilingual students.”  

ESSA encourages but does not require states to establish Native Language Assessment  programs (NLAs) that would allow ELs, such as recently arrived ELs, to take certain  standardized tests in their native language instead of English. By providing assessments in a  student’s native language, states can gain a more meaningful read of ELs’ knowledge of the  subject matter.  

  1. Enhance native language assessments as a part of accountability systems. For  example, ELs enrolled in Texas bilingual education courses, who took Spanish-language  math and science assessments, were 1.5 times as likely to meet grade level standards  than ELs taking the same assessments in English.6
  2. Incentivize states to develop assessments in more languages and expand the use of NLAs in other areas such as language arts and social studies.  
  3. Include in FY22 Budget Proposal and work with Congress to provide funding for  states to develop and adopt native language assessments. 

By being able to receive instruction in the student’s native tongue, ELs are allowed the  opportunity to grasp complex ideas in a language they are familiar with rather than being  hindered by the double obstacle of learning subject content while facing a language barrier.  

  1. Provide incentives to schools that use dual language programs for ELs to offset the additional costs it entails.
  2. Ensure that ELs have full access to these programs when available.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) support is of vital importance, particularly in the current  climate of social injustice and COVID-19. The administration must prioritize the SEL needs of  ELs and immigrant students as they continue learning virtually and transition back to in-person  classrooms. 

  1. Lift up the inclusion of and visibility of the social and emotional learning (SEL)  needs of ELs and immigrant students. The administration must recognize that for  immigrant students and English Learners, SEL support may look different and should be  tailored to their unique needs.  
  2. OELA should establish indicators and markers for SEL support to ensure that  practices are geared to the needs of ELs and are culturally and linguistically appropriate for ELs and immigrant students. 

ELs are often also impacted by homelessness or additionally categorized as immigrants,  migrants and/or students with disabilities. These students may require unique and nuanced  supports in addition to their linguistic and academic needs.  

  1. Collect and disseminate disaggregated data on students with multiple  identifications. This will help to better identify the contextual factors that contribute to  achievement gaps for the EL population. 

The undersigned organizations respectfully request a meeting with the appropriate members of  the Transition Education Agency Review Team to discuss the recommendations we have  proposed. Should you have any questions or to schedule a meeting, please contact Amalia  Chamorro at achamorro@unidosus.org and Giselle Lundy-Ponce at Glundypo@aft.org. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

1 U.S. Department of Education, Supporting English Learners through Technology: What Districts and  Teachers Say about Digital Learning Resources for English Learners Volume I: Final Report  https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/title-iii/180414.pdf 

2 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Digest of Education Statistics,”  https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/tables/dt18_204.20.asp (accessed April 10, 2020), Table 204.20.

3 UnidosUS analysis based on U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics  data. 

4 Joint Letter to Congress, July 16, 2020, http://publications.nclr.org/handle/123456789/2100

5 https://cis.org/Report/673-Million-United-States-Spoke-Foreign-Language-Home-2018

6 http://publications.unidosus.org/bitstream/handle/123456789/1990/unidosus_nativelanguageassements_ whitepaper.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

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PARA INICIAR ESTE AÑO ESCOLAR EN OTOÑO, DEBEMOS MIRAR HACIA ATRÁS

November 2, 2020 by Ashley Aguirre

Un mensaje de Martha Hernández 

La reacción estadounidense a la repentina interrupción de clases en las escuelas públicas a causa de la pandemia Covid-19 desde marzo a junio varió considerablemente a través del país. De la noche a la mañana, los alumnos tuvieron que cambiar su modo de aprendizaje cotidiano, uno cambiando de clases dentro de su escuela, a lecciones a distancia usando algún aparato tecnológico en sus hogares.

Una reciente encuesta nos ha brindado información sobre las limitaciones de aquella reacción tan repentina a esta emergencia, y revela lecciones claves para la reapertura de clases- sean virtuales, híbridas, o presenciales-este otoño.  Durante los últimos meses, Californians Together, una organización que defiende los derechos de estudiantes aprendices del inglés (también conocidos como alumnos bilingües emergentes), encuestó a más de 650* educadores pedagogos sobre la enseñanza a distancia esta pasada primavera, centrándose particularmente en cómo sirvieron a las necesidades educativas de los aprendices del inglés. Los resultados fueron alarmantes. Sólo el 17 por ciento de los encuestados afirmaron que 75 por ciento de sus alumnos aprendices del inglés pudieron participar regularmente en las clases a distancia cada semana. Sin embargo, más de la mitad de los encuestados indicaron que la gran mayoría de sus aprendices del inglés no participaron en las clases semanalmente. Esto podría deberse, al menos en parte, al hecho de que las familias de estos alumnos tienen una probabilidad desproporcionada de ser marginados por la existente brecha digital y la falta de conectividad confiable al Internet (la red). Un tercio de los encuestados verificaron que sus distritos escolares tampoco aseguraron que cada uno de los aprendices del inglés tuviera acceso al Internet el pasado semestre para poder participar en clases virtuales durante la clausura.

*N=595 de los 650 encuestados respondieron

Nuestros líderes locales y estatales deben reconocer estas desigualdades tecnológicas y remediarlas mientras se preparan para lanzar y mejorar la educación pública este año escolar. Casi la mitad de los estudiantes en el estado de California hablan un idioma en sus hogares que no es inglés. Ya sea que decidan abrir las escuelas con instrucción presencial, continúen con el aprendizaje a distancia, o elaboren alguna mezcla híbrida de estos dos métodos, más que nunca los líderes deben priorizar las necesidades de los estudiantes aprendices del inglés. Aquí presentamos 10 sugerencias de cómo las escuelas pueden asistir a los aprendices del inglés de una manera más efectiva durante este período:

 

  1. Asegurar acceso a diario de la instrucción interactiva. Esto debe provenir directamente de sus maestro/as, ya sea de manera virtual o en persona. No cabe duda de que las interacciones consistentes en vivo son particularmente críticas para los aprendices del inglés. Los estudiantes aprenden más sobre el idioma cuando participan en conversaciones con sus maestros/as y sus compañeros. Además, la interacción ayuda a construir relaciones, promueve el desarrollo social y emocional, fomenta la participación de los alumnos, y aumenta el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes.
  2. Incluir el desarrollo de relaciones como parte del plan escolar. Esta pasada primavera, las escuelas pudieron sacar más provecho del aprendizaje a distancia por el hecho de que los maestros/as ya habían establecido las relaciones personales con sus alumnos durante los dos primeros tercios del año escolar. Desafortunadamente, no tendrán esa ventaja este año escolar. Las escuelas se verán obligadas a lanzar la instrucción académica inmediatamente en el esfuerzo por compensar el tiempo perdido. Sin embargo, los estudiantes pueden aprender mucho más si los maestros y las maestras dedican más tiempo para su desarrollo social y emocional, y se enfocan en relaciones comunales de la clase desde el principio del año escolar.
  3. Mantener un currículo completo y vigoroso. Del mismo modo, las escuelas deben resistir cualquier programa de estudio que reduzca las experiencias académicas de los aprendices del inglés. Al contrario, estos alumnos necesitan acceso al currículo presentado de una manera completa y con todas las materias: matemáticas, lectoescritura, ciencias, estudios sociales, música, artes y más. Con clases y experiencias atractivas e interesantes, los estudiantes seguirán fascinados y aprenderán más. Pero, si se limitan a ejercicios diarios de matemáticas y lecturas con formato correctivo y obligado, bien pueden estancarse y no avanzar.
  4. Conservar los servicios para el desarrollo de idioma. Los líderes educativos también deben asegurarse de que los aprendices del inglés tengan acceso a los servicios de instrucción del idioma inglés requeridos bajo las leyes estatales y federales. Esta instrucción puede tomar varias formas bajo diferentes diseños de aprendizaje, pero las escuelas deben priorizar los servicios de instrucción de idioma para los aprendices del inglés tan pronto las condiciones de salud pública permitan la escolarización en persona. Es preciso que en California la instrucción para el aprendizaje a distancia también incluye el requisito para el desarrollo del inglés, específicamente a través de la instrucción sobre el idioma, tanto como integrado en todas las asignaturas académicas.
  5. Proporcionar acceso a los recursos y dispositivos. Este año, el personal escolar debe construir sus modelos de instrucción tomando en cuenta que los aprendices de inglés quedaron en gran medida fuera del aprendizaje a distancia a fines del año escolar pasado. Este personal debe hacer esfuerzos especiales para asegurar que cada niño tenga un dispositivo disponible y acceso a los medios del Internet que necesita para participar en la instrucción a distancia. Además, los aprendices del inglés deben ser los primeros en regresar a la instrucción presencial, y también a las oportunidades de aprendizaje extendidas cuando esto sea posible.
  6. Mantener lista de asistencia. Como parte de sus esfuerzos para hacer que la instrucción del nuevo año escolar sea la más equitativa posible, el personal escolar debe realizar un seguimiento meticuloso de la asistencia de los alumnos, no importa el formato de enseñanza. Esto les ayudará a identificar problemas dónde existen brechas digitales, o falta de comprensión tecnológica de parte de las familias, que pueda impedir que los aprendices del inglés accedan la instrucción. Los distritos de California están obligados a desarrollar un Plan de Asistencia de Continuidad y Aprendizaje para asegurar un seguimiento de la asistencia individual de todos los estudiantes.
  7. Involucrar y comunicarse con las familias. Por supuesto, todo lo anterior será más difícil, incluso imposible, si las escuelas no se comunican bien con las familias de los estudiantes aprendices del inglés. La comunicación eficaz con los padres de familia es sólo el primer paso necesario para que las familias se involucren de una manera significativa. Casi el 60 por ciento de los maestros y los administradores que respondieron a nuestra encuesta reconocieron el hecho de que no ofrecieron oportunidades para que las familias adquieran las estrategias necesarias para apoyar el aprendizaje a distancia en casa. Este tipo de comunicación entre el personal escolar y los padres de familia es fundamental para poder apoyar a los aprendices del inglés al iniciar este año escolar, especialmente si las escuelas lanzan un aprendizaje nuevo de formato híbrido o continúan los cursos en línea.
  8. Apoyar a los educadores con los recursos para una nueva era de enseñanza. La administración de los distritos escolares y los líderes gubernamentales deben reconocer que los educadores necesitarán herramientas técnicas, adiestramiento profesional, y tiempo suficiente para prepararse para el comienzo de este año escolar. Como respuesta en la encuesta a la pregunta sobre cuál tema es el más crítico para el desarrollo profesional en relación a los aprendices del inglés, la mayoría de los encuestados seleccionó los “Procedimientos para este año escolar”, más que ninguna otra opción. Para llenar esta necesidad, los gobernantes a niveles estatales y nacionales deben proporcionar tiempo y financiamiento para el desarrollo profesional de docentes que se enfoca en estrategias para el desarrollo lingüístico y académico de los aprendices del inglés, particularmente en modelos de aprendizaje en línea o híbridos.
  9. Darles a los educadores más tiempo. Mientras tanto, dado el conjunto único de cambios que se les pedirá a los maestros y las maestras que implementen, la administración debe darles más tiempo para planificar, prepararse y colaborar antes y durante el año escolar.
  10. Ofrecer orientación desde los niveles más altos. Los líderes federales y estatales deben proporcionar a funcionarios de centros educativos a nivel local más orientación sobre cada uno de estos elementos: el acceso diario a la instrucción virtual, un enfoque integrado y centrado del niño y su aprendizaje, apoyos continuos para el desarrollo del idioma, priorización equitativa para los estudiantes que perdieron instrucción durante el pasado semestre escolar, seguimiento sobre su asistencia a clase, el compromiso e involucramiento familiar, y los soportes para los docentes.

Nada de esto será fácil, pero tampoco es opcional. Las escuelas ya han comenzado las clases para este semestre de otoño. No importa que forma de “reapertura” tomen las escuelas, son imprescindibles lo siguiente: la planificación- bastante tiempo para la preparación de cursos, adecuados recursos educativos, y la apropiada comunicación para que los educadores (líderes y maestros/as) impartan una educación equitativa a sus educandos.

Martha Hernández es directora ejecutiva de Californians Together, una coalición de 22 organizaciones de derechos humanos, profesionales y civiles que abogan por mejorar la política y la práctica de los aprendices de inglés. 

Traducción por Anaida Colon-Muniz, Ed.D. 

 

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