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Two new Communities of Practice before school ends!
This session will provide school, district, and community leaders the opportunity to share best practices, resources, and lessons learned for coordinating successful DELAC and ELAC Committee Meetings in virtual settings. A space will be created for participants to engage in a small group breakout session to share local practices, ask questions, and identify needs to facilitate the active engagement of parents and families when schools are closed.
Join us for a collaborative discussion about centering English learners in school reopening planning. Currently, local school districts are pivoting to planning for the upcoming school year. During this session, examples will be shared of how educators can ensure that reopening conversations and plans are equity-focused and prioritize the needs of English learners. Attendees will learn from lessons gathered and information shared through our Communities of Practice series and educator survey and from educators engaged in reopening planning conversations in their schools and districts. Breakout sessions will also provide all attendees with an opportunity to share how they are continuing the focus on serving English learners in their own context.
Job Opening: Project Specialist – EWIG
Start date: negotiable but no later than July 1, 2020 to August 30, 2023
Background
The Budget Act of 2019, Section 84, provides for an Educator Workforce Investment Grant Program (EWIG) to support the design and delivery of professional learning opportunities designed to support system-wide implementation of the California English Learner Roadmap State Board of Education Policy: Educational Programs and Services for English Learners (EL Roadmap Policy) that align with the California Statewide System of Support. The total grant budget for this $5,000,000. The grant period is three years.
There are three main agencies leading this effort: Californians Together, SEAL (Sobrato Early Academic Language), and Loyola Marymount University’s Californians Together for Equity for English Learners (CEEL). Under Californians Together’s leadership, these three agencies have formed a Design Team to design research-based professional learning and to ensure coherence across the professional learning efforts for multiple roles and across the state. The grant includes the collaboration of 20 County Offices of Education, separated into three varying levels of engagement, and partnering with them to:
- Develop their own capacity to provide direct support to LEAs in implementing the EL Roadmap policy; and
- Co-host with the Lead Agencies (Californians Together, SEAL and LMU CEEL) professional learning opportunities for LEAs related to supporting multiple roles (e.g., school administrators, district leaders, teachers, counselors, etc.) to build capacity to implement the EL Roadmap
Position Description
The Project Manager works under the supervision of the Project Administrator and the Executive Director of Californians Together and collaborates with the EWIG Design Team and with other Californians Together staff in carrying out the duties of the position.
The Project Manager will assist in the management and administration of all aspects of the grant. The Project Manager carries out duties that include but not limited to:
- Coordinate Training (COE and Administrator Strands, Teacher Strand, IHE Strand and Other Strands) and coordinate the development of a calendar of all statewide training activities
- Plan and coordinate training events
- Develop social media, online and other communication strategies for the EL RISE Network across 20 county offices and the LEAs
- Assist with the planning and development of professional learning institutes including the provision of face to face and online professional learning to COEs and districts
- Conduct some meetings and trainings for County Offices and with County Office teams
- Provide support to the administrator in the day to day management of the grant
- Attend Design Team meetings, work with the Design Team Lead to assist in the preparation meeting agendas
- Assist Administrator with the maintenance of effective relations and communication among Executive Director, Design Team members, County Office staff, other partners, evaluator, CDE and CCEE
- Attend required EWIG meetings
- Assist Administrator with the writing of grant reports and updates
- Assist with gathering data for the evaluator
- Recruit and train consultant trainers for training events
- Edit project documents
- Provide feedback to graphic designer for publications
- Maintain complete and accurate files and records
Qualifications
- M.A., M.Ed., equivalent or higher required
- Five or more years of experience in the public-school arena, such as teaching, school and district administration, university teaching and administration, or work in state- level agencies or organization
- Three or more years of increasing responsibility in program management
- Strong background in the field of English learner and bilingual education and advocacy
- Secondary experience is a plus
Skills / Knowledge
- Expertise and knowledge of the California EL Roadmap
- Knowledge of the System of Support, the Quality Professional Learning Standards (QPLS) and communities of practice
- Prior experience in writing grant or program reports on specific projects
- Highly organized; ability to work independently as well as a member of a team.
- Proven ability to use sound independent judgment to handle and solve problems
- Excellent meeting facilitation skills
- Ability to plan and implement innovative programs.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
- Office and software: 1) Proficient in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel), (2) Virtual meeting platforms (Zoom), 3) Adobe Acrobat (editing)
- Biliteracy in English and one of the major languages spoken by English learners in California is preferred but not required
Location
Home base may be anywhere in California. Frequent travel includes meetings and convenings in Northern, Central and Southern California
Applications are now open until filled.
Please provide a cover letter highlighting your qualifications for this position, along with your résumé, a sample of a report you composed, and complete contact information (not letters) for three references who are familiar with your work to:
Martha Hernandez, Deputy Director, Californians Together
805 290-7557
Stories from the Field
Photo by Kyo Azuma
The crisis created by COVID-19 has placed a magnifying glass on opportunity gaps faced by many students across California. From access to healthy meals to meeting mental health and education technology needs, communities are depending on public schools to help weather the storm. Of particular concern to Californians Together is the impact on our state’s 1.2 million English learners, multilingual families, and refugee and immigrant students. This crisis has highlighted and amplified the equity challenge to ensure that learning plans meet the needs of English learners (ELs) and their families.
Fortunately, many districts, schools, and educators are stepping up to the challenge and implementing strategies from which we can learn. In an effort to share these practices, Californians Together has been uplifting these stories through Weekly Zooms: Communities of Practice Supporting EL Teachers and Administrators, blog posts, and newsletter articles. Through Alas y Voz, resources for families are also available in Spanish.
To further support district, school, and community leaders, we also developed the following four considerations to ensure that ELs continue to have full access to the curriculum (Supporting English Learners Through Distance Learning: Considerations for District and School Leaders). The list and examples are not exhaustive but are meant to help informally assess and guide a conversation about how distance learning is being implemented in your district, school, and community.
The list is organized into four key areas essential to supporting ELs, including to:
- Provide full access to the curriculum, ensuring that designated and integrated ELD are incorporated within distance learning plans.
- Meet technology needs, providing students with devices and no cost internet access that support learning in multiple languages.
- Proactively engage parents and guardians, disseminating information and explaining assignments for their children in students’ home languages and implementing a robust plan to reach out to families; and
- Meet the needs of the whole child, ensuring that students have access to essential resources to stay safe and healthy, such as social-emotional supports and meals.
As you review this list and reflect on the progress in your school and district, it is important to continue to celebrate and build on the positive stories from your community. There is not a “one size fits all” approach to ensure that ELs are supported by distance learning, as we know that students and communities are diverse. However, we know that progress in each of the four key areas is important and must be at the forefront of every district and school strategy.
Put together with our Weekly Zooms: Communities of Practice Supporting EL Teachers and Administrators, blog posts, and newsletter articles, you will find many examples of how leaders like yourselves have tackled some of the challenges. We encourage you to share these resources to ensure that ELs continue to be a focus with our communities.
Thank you in advance for your tireless work on behalf of students across California.
English Learner Roadmap Hub –
COVID-19 Resources for Educators
With the news of school closures until the end of the school year, we have heard that there is an increased need for you and your colleagues to connect and learn from each other, share resources and provide the emotional and professional support to meet the demands of equitable access and EL appropriate instruction through distance learning, materials or one-on-one outreach with your English Learners.
Over the course of two months (from April to May 2020), Californians Together asked over 650 teachers and administrators to provide details about their schools’ distance learning plans, focusing particularly on how they served English learners (ELs). This survey reveals the limits of that patchwork response to the emergency — and indicates key lessons for schools’ reopening this fall. See survey results.
We at Californians Together have witnessed through various hosted Zoom webinars and meetings the need for people to be connected and wanting to share and learn from each other. With that in mind, we offered various opportunities to uplift each other and at the same time make a difference for our students.
This was a collaborative discussion about centering English learners in school reopening planning. Currently, local school districts are pivoting to planning for the upcoming school year. During this session, examples were shared of how educators can ensure that reopening conversations and plans are equity-focused and prioritize the needs of English learners. Attendees will learn from lessons gathered and information shared through our Communities of Practice series and educator survey and from educators engaged in reopening planning conversations in their schools and districts. Breakout sessions also provided all attendees with an opportunity to share how they are continuing the focus on serving English learners in their own context.
Here is the video recording of the meeting.
All the resources shared during the call can be found on this page.
This session will provided school, district, and community leaders the opportunity to share best practices, resources, and lessons learned for coordinating successful DELAC and ELAC Committee Meetings in virtual settings. A space was created for participants to engage in a small group breakout session to share local practices, ask questions, and identify needs to facilitate the active engagement of parents and families when schools are closed.
Here is the video recording of the meeting.
All the resources shared during the call can be found on this page.
This session provided teachers, administrators, specialists, and support staff the opportunity to share best practices, resources and challenges and the work they are doing to support immigrant and refugee students under COVID-19 and beyond. A space was created for participants to engage in a small group breakout session to share local practices, ask questions and identify needs to support this population moving forward.
Here is the video recording of the meeting.
All the resources shared during the call can be found on this page.
This was a collaborative discussion about implementing Asian languages bilingual instruction through distance learning. Classroom teachers shared how they are able to continue their bilingual instruction through their distance learning experiences. A space was created for teachers to share in a facilitated breakout session.
Here is the video recording of the meeting.
All the resources shared during the call can be found on this page.
This was a collaborative discussion about implementing Spanish bilingual instruction through distance learning. Classroom teachers shared how they are able to continue bilingual instruction through their distance learning experiences. A space was created for teachers to share in a facilitated breakout session.
Here is the video recording of the meeting.
All the resources shared during the call can be found on this page.
Content area teachers will share how they are able to include integrated ELD through their distance learning experiences. A space will be created for secondary teachers to share by content area.
Here is the video recording of the meeting.
All the resources shared during the call can be found on this page.
This zoom meeting covered examples of teachers implementing designated ELD lessons and instruction and how they outreach to their students to engage in language development through distance learning. A space was created for secondary teachers to share by grade spans.
Resources from the call: video recording of the meeting, slide deck, a summary of resources, comments and questions shared by participants and a compilation of our wishes.
This zoom meeting covered examples of teachers implementing integrated and designated English language development through distance learning and create a space for elementary school teachers to connect and learn from each other by grade-spans.
Resources from the call: video recording, slide deck, summary of resources, comments and questions shared by participants and a compilation of our wishes.
To further support district, school, and community leaders, we also developed the following four considerations to ensure that ELs continue to have full access to the curriculum (Supporting English Learners Through Distance Learning: Considerations for District and School Leaders). The list and examples are not exhaustive but are meant to help informally assess and guide a conversation about how distance learning is being implemented in your district, school, and community.
Spanish and Korean Dual Immersion Instruction Through Distance Learning: Anaheim Elementary School District
While most districts are struggling to address the needs of English Learners through distance learning, Anaheim Elementary School District (AESD) has kept their focus on bilingualism, biliteracy and English Learners while planning for distance learning during school closures. Read more.
Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Students: Considerations for School Leaders in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
With the ending of the school year and the uncertainty about the reopening in the fall, now is the time to develop plans to address the needs of immigrant and refugee students and their families with focused and sensitive attention. Below are three guiding principles for school and district leaders to consider to ensure that immigrant and refugee students and their families receive support and equitable access to educational opportunities during this unprecedented time. Read more.
Californians Together launched the Alas y Voz campaign on social media to increase awareness about the benefits of biliteracy and bilingual programs among parents of Spanish speaking English learners to encourage them to enroll their children in bilingual programs.
However, given the rise of the COVID-19 crisis, we have changed the focus of Alas y Voz in order to share resources with parents and to support their children’s learning at home during this time. We are carefully selecting what we share so that it is accessible to parents and from reliable sources.
Our hope is that you will be able to share the resources with your parents, through your social media, your newsletters, or by including them in your websites.
You will be able to find the resources in a few ways.
We have added a section atop our Alas y Voz website that will take you to these compilations, which we will be updating regularly.
We have sent out a compilation of the first round of these resources through our Alas y Voz newsletter (in Spanish) earlier this week.
We will continue updating the resources on the Alas y Voz website.
If you come across any resources that you think we can share, please contact .
¡Gracias!
STAND AGAINST RACISM
Often when there is a national or state crisis, the best in our community come together for support and healing. But too often the worst in our communities, the state and the nation look to blame others, and bigotry and racism raise their ugly heads. During this coronavirus health crisis, members of our Asian Pacific Islander community are being assaulted, harassed and subject to demeaning and hurtful verbal attacks. The President, himself, continues to call COVID-19 the Chinese virus.
Often when there is a national or state crisis, the best in our community come together for support and healing. But too often the worst in our communities, the state and the nation look to blame others, and bigotry and racism raise their ugly heads. During this coronavirus health crisis, members of our Asian Pacific Islander community are being assaulted, harassed and subject to demeaning and hurtful verbal attacks. The President, himself, continues to call COVID-19 the Chinese virus.
Our children and their parents have enough to handle with the loss of jobs, childcare, minimal health care options and school. We, as Californians Together, stand together against this racism and bigotry and ask that each of us reach out to members and friends in the API community to share their pain and uplift their spirits. If you see or hear any incidents, speak out.
Below is a letter the API Legislative Caucus sent to the Governor about the fear and incidents in their communities and a response by Governor Newsom which he delivered at one of his press conferences asking us to be better.
Share this information with your networks as we come together with members of the API community as colleagues, friends, family and voices for respect, love and decency. We've included a downloadable graphic at the end of this email for you to share.
Letter to and Response from Governor Newsom:
On Tuesday, March 17th, our caucus issued a letter to Governor Newsom to share concerns about the discriminatory acts targeting Asian Americans due to the fears of COVID-19. We asked him to join us in condemning these acts and recommended that relevant state agencies create guidelines and share information to prevent discrimination, harassment and bullying.
On Thursday, March 19th, Governor Newsom addressed these concerns during his press conference by strongly denouncing the rise of xenophobia and hate crimes against Asian Americans. We applaud his statement and his commitment to enforcing hate crimes.
Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center:
The API Legislative Caucus joined Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action and San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Department to launch the "Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center" to collect and track incidents of anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate, violence and discrimination in California and throughout the country. These incidents will help inform future policy discussions. We encourage individuals to share their stories at www.a3pcon.org/stopaapihate
Click here or on the image below to watch this sweet girl singing.
