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Championing the Success of English Learners

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Two Anaheim School Districts Are Honored with the Prestigious Lynne Aoki Multiple Pathways District Recognition Award from Californians Together

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Recognized for their commitment to bilingualism and biliteracy culminating with a pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy, both Anaheim Elementary School District and Anaheim Union High School District will be presented with the award during a ceremony at this week’s California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Virtual Conference.

Long Beach, Calif. — Anaheim Elementary School District and Anaheim Union High School District have been named recipients of the 2021 Lynne Aoki Multiple Pathways District Recognition Award (LAMPDRA). Renamed this year in memory of bilingual and multicultural education advocate, Lynne Aoki, this award given by Californians Together celebrates districts that are leading the way to world-class language education in preschool through 12th grade.  

An award ceremony will take place during the California Association for  Bilingual Education’s  (CABE) 2021 Virtual Conference on Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 4:50 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall at the Californians Together Virtual Booth. 

“We are so proud to uplift these districts doing exemplary work to enable all students to attain high levels of proficiency in two or more languages. We’re especially proud that this is the first year we are presenting  the award in honor of our warrior, Lynne Aoki, who devoted her life to advocating for bilingual education and multicultural education programs for English learners and immigrant students,” said Martha Hernández, Executive Director of Californians Together.  

Both districts met multiple criteria to qualify including:

  • Establishing a State Seal of Biliteracy Program (grades 9-12) for at least two years
  • Benchmarking progress toward high levels of biliteracy by recognizing and awarding students along a continuum (grades K-8)
  • Offering well-articulated pathway programs PreK – 12th grade 
  • Providing access to language study across the district and accessible to all communities
  • Hiring qualified staff
  • Instituting a district, school and community culture for celebrating languages and cultural diversity

Anaheim Elementary School District’s (AESD) long history of valuing biliteracy and multilingualism made it a stand out, which includes the passage of multiple board resolutions in support of biliteracy, the articulation and strong partnership with Anaheim Union High School District to ensure that students have the opportunity and pathways to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy upon high school graduation, and the priority placed on hiring biliterate, diverse teachers. 

“Anaheim Elementary School District provides a high-quality education designed to reach and teach all students and to prepare them for a bright and promising future in our rapidly changing world. By being the first district to offer Dual Language Immersion at all of our 23 schools we eliminated barriers and have provided access to all our students. AESD is proud to provide a pathway that develops multiple language proficiency, fosters cultural and linguistic appreciation and cross cultural competency needed to flourish within our global community, said Dr. Christopher Downing, Superintendent of AESD. 

Of special note is the districts’ Transforming Academic and Cultural Identidad through Biliteracy (TACIB) prototype project developed to create a dual language option in mathematics and science for students entering junior high school. The district also offers the only Korean Dual Language Immersion Program in Orange County. 

The selection committee also recognized Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) for being a pioneer in the implementation of the Seal of Biliteracy before legislation was passed. The district has passed multiple board resolutions in support of biliteracy, issued a jointly written dual language vision statement with feeder elementary schools, and made it a priority to hire biliterate, diverse teachers. 

Upon learning about their selection for this award, Superintendent Michael Matsuda said “ We are proud of the 54 languages represented by our scholars and their families at Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD). We worked diligently to offer American Sign Language, Arabic, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese World Languages, as well as Spanish Dual Language Immersion and Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion (the first secondary Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion program in the United States). We are proud that yearly over 1,100 Seal of Biliteracy Awards are earned by our seniors in fifteen different languages, and hundreds of AUHSD and Orange County Department of Education Pathways to Biliteracy Awards are earned by our eighth grade scholars.”

“It is a tremendous honor for Anaheim Union High School District to be selected to receive the inaugural 2021 Lynne Aoki Multiple Pathways District Recognition Award. I was blessed with knowing Lynne for twenty years. She was a champion of advocating for multiliteracy, English learners and students of color in particular,” he added. 

Originally called the Multiple Pathways District Recognition Award, the award was renamed to honor Lynne Aoki who passed away in November of 2019. She was a founder and board member of Californians Together. 

Aoki was a third-generation Californian, who at an early age knew that she would and could not tolerate injustice. Whether it was confronting a bully or making a public stand against prejudice, she felt compelled to act. One memorable fight against injustice concluded when she accepted a posthumous diploma from UC Berkeley that had been denied to her father because he was one of many Japanese Americans interned during WWII.

She focused her professional efforts on increasing equity and excellence in education, with a particular emphasis on English language acquisition, bilingual education and multicultural education programs for English learners and immigrant students. 

Aoki  also played a leadership role in local, state, and national organizations. She was an active participant in CABE – the California Association of Bilingual Education. She also served on the Board of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) as a Regional Director.

For more information, or for interviews, please contact Ashley Aguirre at ashley@californianstogether.org 

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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. 

http://www.californianstogether.org

New Report from Californians Together Highlights the Need for School Districts to Prioritize English Learners in their Upcoming 2021-2024 Local Control and Accountability Plans

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The report offers a comprehensive review of 41 school district Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs) adopted last fall as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the need for them to prioritize English learners (ELs)—some of California’s most historically marginalized students and among the most impacted by the pandemic.

 

( VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE REPORT )

Long Beach, CA — Californians Together announces the publication of Teaching and Learning During Uncertain Times: A Review of Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans, a new report which draws upon a comprehensive review of Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs) from 41 school districts.  The report aims to inform school district decision-making as they develop their upcoming 2021–24 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), and highlights the need for them to prioritize English learners (ELs)—some of California’s most historically marginalized students and among the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“In reviewing these plans we were able to identify areas for improvement while also finding promising practices that we hope school districts will use as examples of what can be done. Districts have made progress toward digital inclusion and accessibility, but there are still many inequalities to address—these inequities will only worsen without meaningful commitments from educators and district leadership,” says Martha Hernández, Executive Director of Californians Together. 

In late June 2020, California replaced the 2020-21 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) with the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LCP) as a response to the pandemic. The purpose was to provide information about how districts planned to invest state resources to address student learning and school safety during the COVID-19 crisis in the 2020–21 school year. The plans, which were drafted with stakeholder input and locally approved by school boards, provide a unique view of how well district approaches to distance learning this year centered equity for ELs and other students. However, while conducting the study, Californians Together did not review the implementation of the activities in the plans. 

The districts included in the study were chosen to represent a wide range of communities and settings across the state. For instance, the selected districts spanned 21 counties and enrolled 27 percent of all California K–12 students, as well as 34 percent of the state’s ELs. Californians Together reviewers rated districts’ LCPs across seven focus areas.  Each of these focus areas was broken up into three to five elements: 

 

  1. Family Collaboration
  2. Continuity of Learning for Equitable Access 
  3. Assessment and Progress Monitoring for Student Achievement
  4. Educator Professional Development (PD)
  5. English Language Development (ELD) 
  6. Responsiveness to EL Profiles
  7. Social-Emotional and Mental Health Support

 

In addition, the report contains recommendations for state policy and local implementation while highlighting what could be addressed in upcoming three-year LCAPs.

 

To read the full report visit: http://caltog.co/lcp

 

 

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

CalTog Calls for An Equitable Accountability System for English Learners

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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 

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

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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

Press Release: Masking the Focus on English Learners

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State Accountability System Obscures English Learners’ Unique Needs

Study of local plans identifies key improvements to fix the system

 

Sacramento, CA – August 14, 2018 – Californians Together is releasing a new report today entitled Masking the Focus on English Learners which questions the efficacy of the state accountability system in identifying the needs of English Learners accurately. The report states that by combining data from two English Learner subgroups (current and reclassified), the system masks the distinct needs of each subgroup and diminishes the urgency to address the numerous educational needs of current English Learners thus undermining the central equity intent of the Local Control Funding Formula. The report’s strongest recommendation is that the state discontinue aggregating the two subgroups and instead report them separately for analysis and planning.

“There is great potential for California school districts to be misled by the results of the combined EL subgroup on the Dashboard.  The decision to combine this data from two student groups with distinct language and academic profiles masks and impedes districts from addressing their distinct academic needs” said researcher and co-author, Dr. Magaly Lavadenz.

The report also states that the system largely misses the mark in identifying research-based programs, actions, and services for English Learners.

Key findings presented in the report include:

  • Despite all 24 districts being rated at the two lowest levels for English Learner performance, only 6 mentioned a concern for achievement in English Language Arts and only 1 specified a concern for their overall achievement.
  • Minimal attention was paid to analysis of English Learner outcomes
  • Course access and targeted services were inconsistently provided to current English Learners
  • Minimal specific professional development was offered to teachers of English Learners.

“Obscuring current English Learner results has detrimental effects on districts’ abilities to address goals in local plans, set growth targets, focus program, and services and allocate funds for this group of students.  We call on the State Board of Education to rectify this accountability policy in order to ensure every English Learner can best be served,” said Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, Executive Director of Californians Together.

The study was conducted in collaboration with the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University and reviewed local plans for 24 school districts that serve 23% of California’s English Learners.

You can view and download the report at www.californianstogether.org

 

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2018 English Learner Advocacy Institute: Now Accepting Applications

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ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS – ENGLISH LEARNER ADVOCACY INSTITUTE

Applications are now being  now accepted for the English Learner Leadership & Legacy Initiative (ELLLI) EL Advocacy Institute in San Jose, August 3-6, 2018.

Applications accepted: until April 27th, 2018. Awards will be announced in early May.

Are you a mid-career activist and advocate for the best education for all English Learners (ELs)? Looking to learn new skills, learn about the legacy of EL advocacy in California and join a community of other EL advocates?

APPLY TODAY

Californians Together, in collaboration with CABE, invites applicants to an extraordinary, four-day professional development event for selected leaders and advocates for quality education for English Learners. This is a fully-funded event (materials, meals, lodging), with support available as needed for transportation. Applications will be competitive, as there is capacity for the award of only 50 scholarships.

The institute will be based on design and materials developed for the English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative (ELLLI). (SEE: http://www.ellli.org/). ELLLI aims to equip anew generation of EL education leaders with an historical perspective and practical skills to further advocacy and action work at the local, regional and state levels on behalf of ELs and their families. The Institute features some of the state’s top EL authorities including current
ELLLI Fellows and Mentors.

Institute Format:

You will experience a four-day institute (noon Friday through noon Monday).
Participants must commit to attending all four days.

The institute includes presentations, discussions, case studies, film and hands-on activities that will further develop your understanding of the history and current context of EL education in California. The Institute aims to provide skills in planning and implementing advocacy campaigns, and to connect advocates to a growing community of EL advocates.

WHERE: The EL Advocacy Institute will take place at the beautiful Dolce Hayes Mansion Conference Center in San Jose. Lodging is in spacious double rooms. Pool and exercise facilities are available.

WHEN: Attendance is required at all daytime and evening events from noon, Friday, August 3 through noon, Monday, August 6, 2018.

The most competitive applicants will have:

  • Five or more years experience with EL education, in Pre-K through H.S. settings, in IHEs, or in community or advocacy organizations.
  • Some prior engagement in leadership and advocacy for EL education (e.g., CABE chapter, school, district, or county level, or non-governmental organization).

WHAT PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE:

Those admitted into the institute will receive all materials, lodging (double occupancy) and meals during the institute, and will be reimbursed for flights or ground transportation up to $300 each. Attendance will be fully funded for the most qualified individuals selected from among all applicants. Those who complete the four days will become ELLLI Partners, and will join an expanding ELLLI community, along with veteran EL advocates and mentors in our efforts to impact state-wide policy and practice in fostering quality education for English Learners.

HOW TO APPLY:

Electronic Applications available: March 26, 2018 – April 27th, 2018 5:00 PM

APPLY TODAY

All applications must be submitted on-line. No paper applications can be accepted.

Application deadline: April 27th, 2018, 5:00 PM.The Sobrato Family Foundation has provided generous support for ELLLI. Additional support for has come from the Stuart Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation and scores of individual donors.

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, united around the goal of better educating the almost 1.4 million English Learners by improving California’s schools and promoting equitable educational policy.

Learn more about the English Learner Leadership & Legacy Initiative

Questions? Contact Norm Gold, ELLLI Project Director

Download the Press Release