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Californians Together

Championing the Success of English Learners

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Californians Together’s Response to COVID-19

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Dear Friends and Colleagues:

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, our staff will be working remotely and switching all in-person meetings to video or phone conferences effective immediately. For the time being, we’ve canceled all work-related air travel. 

All normal operations of Californians Together continue, and our transition to remote operations should be largely seamless from the perspective of our member organizations and other partners. You can contact Californians Together staff by email and phone, and we will get back to you promptly—as is our ongoing commitment. 

Californians Together Business Continuity: 

  • Business Hours: We will be operating regular business hours remotely via email and phone from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm at 562.983.1333.
  • Order Fulfillment: We will continue to fulfill online orders twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
  • Event Postponement: Californians Together will be postponing a number of in-person spring workshops and convenings. Updates on rescheduled activities in the coming months will be forthcoming. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution and recommendations by health officials to limit events.
  • Organization Meetings:  When possible and as needed to continue important work, the staff will be meeting virtually with our member organizations and partners.  

Californians Together Resources: 

  • Supporting English Learners Remote Learning: During the upcoming weeks, we plan to share resources for educators to support their EL students on our website, Facebook, or Twitter well as parent-friendly information in Spanish via our Alas y Voz campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
  • LCAP Toolkit Webinar: Don’t forget to sign up for the webinar on March 25th for our newly launched LCAP Toolkit. Toolkits are available for download or purchase.

Multilingual Resources

Thank you for your time and patience.

In Community,

Shelly Spiegel-Coleman

Executive Director

 

New Toolkit Aims to Ensure English Learner Progress is Visible

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New Toolkit Aims to Ensure English Learner Progress is Visible

Educators and advocates can use it to effectively develop school accountability plans (LCAPs)

In response to renewed calls to strengthen programs for English Learners, the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University and Californians Together have created a set of resources to support educators and community members to ensure schools’ efforts to serve English Learners (EL) are not only comprehensive but also visible. The resources respond to previous reports that English Learners’ needs were largely “masked” as demonstrated by the limited or weak evidence for EL programs, actions and services in local LCAPs (Local Control and Accountability  Plan).

The LCAP Toolkit: Using Research-Based Tools to Promote Equity for English Learners are aligned to the aspirational goals of the new English Learner Roadmap. Along with the required transparency for targeted funding, the Toolkit provides important opportunities for educators and advocates to participate effectively in LCAP development. 

The Toolkit was developed through an extensive process of analysis and reflection that included teachers, district leaders, educational researchers and EL experts. The toolkit has four sections:

  • Understanding who your ELs are and what the district data reveals
  • How to use a new resource (7 research-aligned rubrics) to comprehensively address ELs in district LCAPs
  • Examples of how a local EL expert group or task force can contribute to improving the content of the LCAP to address the needs of ELs 
  • Examples of promising practices from actual district LCAPs.

Dr. Magaly Lavadenz, one of the authors and Executive Director for the Center for Equity for English Learners, Loyola Marymount University, stated, “After 7 years of of The Local Control Funding Formula and persistent academic and opportunity gaps for English Learners this Toolkit provides the support and direction to improve the LCAP process to finally realize the promise of equity for English Learners”.

An introductory webinar on the content and use of the Toolkit is scheduled for March, 25, 2020 from 1:30 – 4:00 pm for anyone involved in the development of LCAPs.  To register click here.  

The Toolkit can be downloaded here and purchased here.

Join the Cal Tog Team!

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We're hiring w bull horn

This is a very exciting time for us.

We are thrilled to have received generous support from our funders to continue expanding our work.

We are looking for candidates who share our passion and dedication to grow high quality biliteracy and dual language/English learner programs and services from pre-school to 12th grade.

EXECUTIVE ADMIN ASSISTANT

FINANCE MANAGER 

FUND DEVELOPER

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Open Position: Executive Administrative Assistant

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Position: Executive Administrative Assistant

Long Beach, CA, Exempt, Full-Time, Regular Position

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Organizational Background:

Californians Together is a state-wide advocacy coalition with the goal of better educating 1.2 million English learners by improving California's schools and promoting equitable educational policy.

Position Summary:

Californians Together seeks a dynamic, results-oriented professional dedicated to educational equity and who is interested in supporting the mission, vision, and ongoing development of the organization. Under direct supervision from the Executive Director, the Executive Assistant performs technical and specialized administrative support and oversight to various projects and performs related work as required.   

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Provide high-level support to senior leadership: 

  • Organize and coordinate the daily calendar of the Executive Director and Deputy Director, including scheduling all appointments and facilitating logistics for meetings and travel
  • Review and prepare advocacy, research and policy documents and briefs
  • Provide support for organization projects and advocacy campaigns
  • Perform clerical functions, correspondence, arrange conference calls and scheduling and take notes during meetings
  • Provide coordination/administrative support on a wide range of initiatives being led by senior leadership
  • Track and manage preparatory and day-of activities for speaking engagements, workshops, including processing “paperwork” and working with the Communications Department to ensure presentations are prepared in advance
  • Prepare expense reports and reconcile expenses for senior leadership
  • Write email correspondence on behalf of the senior leadership
  • Anticipate needs and potential complications before they arise; proactively prevent problems
  • Assist employees with employment, leave, and benefit plan questions
  • Prepare periodic benefit reports and notify insurance carriers of additions, deletions and changes to plan participant lists
  • Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills

Qualifications:

  • This position requires a minimum of 3 years of experience in executive‐level administrative support; proven commitment to social and racial justice issues preferred 
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential job duties may be considered 
  • Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills are required. Ability to communicate with a high level of cultural fluency to engage diverse work groups, communities, and a wide range of institutional partners.  
  • Exceptional organizational skills with strong attention to details are required.  The ability to multi‐task various assignments, prioritize work, and adjust to multiple demands.  Comfort working under pressure and tight deadlines 
  • Uses good judgment and discretion in determining matters of importance and information; provides, denies or asks for information in a tactful and friendly manner
  • An intuitive ability to recognize and appropriately convey the sensitive nature of any situation and the ability to keep all matters appropriately confidential is mandatory
  • Proven ability to interact well at all levels of an organization; able to work independently and/or as part of a productive team; has the capability to take initiative and follow assigned duties through completion 
  • Experience using MS Office and G Suite. Proficiency with conference calling, online communication (Skype, Zoom, Google , etc) and webinar technologies.   

Compensation:

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Includes full health, dental and vision benefits, holidays, vacation and sick days. Office is closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

 

To Apply:

Please send cover letter, resume to:

Erika Menjivar

Office Manager

 

Advocates start 2020 off right by showing up at the State Board of Education meeting

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Group photo

On January 8, 2020,  ten well-informed advocates from across the state spoke passionately on behalf of English Learners at the California State Board of Education Meeting in Sacramento. Voicing both gratitude and authentic critique, they discussed the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) template redesign, the California Spanish Language Assessment (CSA), revisions to the California State Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and Local Education Agencies’ Comprehensive Support and Improvement Plans.

Here are some examples of the testimony.

 

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Eduardo Muñoz Muñoz, spoke as a parent representative on an English Learner Advisory Committee, to emphasize and recommend the importance of including a written response to input from DELACs for the district LCAP  in accordance with Education Code Section 52062(a)(2) or 52068.  He emphasized that even though it is in the statute, it is not happening as much as it should, and "we should not miss a single opportunity" to establish this two-way communication.

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Stephanie Sequeira, a parent from West Contra Costa Unified, and DELAC representative echoed the call for written response, saying “we, the parents of the flatlands, we know what our kids need and we want to build that partnership with our district."

Address the Needs

Ruth Barajas, former principal and educator, who spoke on behalf of Californians Together, shared appreciation of the changes made to the template that intend to address closing the achievement gaps, but requested stronger language requiring  that LEAs identify metrics for specific student groups and include expected outcomes to narrow performance gaps. She stated, "When we tell someone they “should” do something, do they do it?  They might. BUT if we say, they “shall” do something...then it tells them we expect it.." She urged the Board to use their “flexibility in authority” to change the word “should” to “shall”.

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Catalina Madrigal Rupert, a parent and a former English Learner from Los Gatos called for action: "We believe one of the basic principles of the LCFF law was to attend to the student subgroups with a history of performance gaps and provide extra resources for that purpose.” “It’s 2020", she said, "let’s move forward with a clear vision of expectations and actions!"

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Dr. Carolina Serna, professor, CABE Board Member and 3rd grade teacher in a dual programs raised the issue that 92% of LCAPs they reviewed had a rating of weak or no evidence of for EL student outcomes on academic achievement, and that the state auditor stated that only one district had a goal that was specific for the intended student subgroup." To avoid this, she called on the Board to make sure that differentiated growth targets are included in the instructions.

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Carla Herrera, SEAL Consultant and former IQC member, spoke to the limitations of the California Spanish Assessment (CSA). She stated: "There is truth to the statement that “you teach what is tested”.  If all that is tested for Spanish writing is mechanics, that sends a very narrow view of what skills a proficient writer possesses. We recommend that The California Spanish Assessment be augmented with Constructed Response (CR) Full-Write items which would set the expectation for development of authentic writing for our students.  To not augment the assessment with CR items also creates a lower standard for writing in Spanish compared to what we expect of students in English on the ELA CASPP assessment."  

More people testified on important issues and the response from several board members was encouraging.  We will continue to advocate until the LCFF and the State Accountability system support and shine a light on the needs of current English Learner and our Reclassified English Learners.