OELA is recruiting peer reviewers with professional expertise in English learner programs or services, including current and former pre-K–12 teachers and principals, LEA and SEA leaders, college and university educators, educational evaluators, and others with EL education and language acquisition expertise for the FY 2024 National Professional Development (NPD) grant competition.

Peer reviewers must have specific expertise in at least one of these NPD priority areas:

• Bilingual or multilingual education
• Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher education programs

If you are interested, please reach out to NPD2024@ed.gov.

OELA is excited to announce the launch of its Dual Language Webinar Series. Join for the four informative sessions this April and May, tailored for both teachers and administrators.

April Webinar: The 3 W’s of Dual Language Education for State, Local, and Site Leaders: What, Why, How

• Part 1: Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – 1:00 PM ET
• Part 2: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 – 1:00 PM ET

May Webinar: National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards: Educators for a Multilingual Multicultural America

• Part 1: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 – 2:00 PM ET
• Part 2: Thursday, May 16, 2024 – 2:00 PM ET

A podcast series hosted by ED’s OELA features Dr. Amy Heineke, Professor of Bilingual Education at Loyola University in Chicago, and Dr. Kristin Davin, Professor of World Language Education at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.

In Part III, Drs. Heineke and Davin continue to discuss the various benefits of multilingualism and focus on appropriate proficiency assessments and the promotion of the Seal of Biliteracy.

In Part IV, practitioners discuss their experiences implementing and promoting the Seal in education, covering various implementation-related topics. The guests share insights from their respective educational contexts, offering valuable perspectives on the subject.

The EL Family Toolkit helps families and educators stay connected to the latest tips, innovative tools, and practical resources for supporting ELs enrolled in U.S. schools. This FREE app from ED is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic and can be downloaded on Android and Apple devices!

Parents, families, and guardians can use the EL Family Toolkit to:

• Learn more about U.S. schools.
• Learn about their rights in U.S. public schools.
• Find out about school enrollment and attendance policies.
• Get information about programs, services, and extracurricular activities.
• Find advice and helpful questions to ask when talking to school staff.
• Find ways to support safety, health, and success of ELs.
• Browse quick tips by topic.

Teachers, other educators, and school staff can use the EL Family Toolkit to:

• Find resources to support quality educational opportunities for ELs.
• Get updates on professional development and resources from ED.
• Find tips for using the Toolkit to engage families.

Presentation topics will include General Interest, Content Area Instruction, Bilingual/ESL Pre-K through 12, Higher Ed, and more. All registrations include 1 free year of NJTESOL/NJBE membership.

English Learner Advocates in California Oppose “Science of Reading” Bill

Two California advocacy groups for ELs oppose a State bill mandating alignment of reading instruction with the “science of reading.” Assembly Bill 2222 would require schools to teach children how to read using textbooks and teacher training grounded in research, which shows that children must learn what sounds letters make and how to sound out words, in addition to vocabulary and understanding, learning how to read fluently without halting, and how to write. Californians Together and the California Association for Bilingual Education fear the bill may harm ELs by inadequately addressing multilinguals’ literacy needs, potentially undermining progress in literacy instruction.

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic: One Group Is Tackling the Problem by Helping Their Parents

OurBRIDGE for Kids, an after-school program in Charlotte, North Carolina, has seen enrollment grow from 35 students in 2014 to about 230 in 2023. To join, students only need to attend classes during the school day. In response to the pandemic, when many children stopped attending classes, ourBRIDGE expanded its efforts. Alongside the after-school program, staff and volunteers began assisting families to overcome barriers preventing children from participating in online classes or attending school in person. OurBRIDGE’s success can be attributed in part to a simple change made a few years ago: the program communicates directly with families by hiring staff and volunteers who are immigrants and speak the same languages.

Indianapolis Public Schools Plans New Approach to Teaching English Learners

At Lew Wallace School, roughly 70% of the students are classified as ELs. Its increasing number of ELs reflects a trend seen across Indianapolis Public Schools. Amid a push for equity, the district plans to reimagine how it serves ELs. The plan includes assigning each school at least one leading English as a New Language “teacher of record” who will oversee the school’s English language learner program. It also involves more incentives for staff, including a $2,000 stipend for lead teachers and reimbursement for some English as a New Language teachers who also train to become certified to teach English language arts.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Five Strategies to Welcome Newcomers into Your Classroom

MLs are the fastest-growing demographic in Grades K–12, currently constituting 10.3% of the national student body and predicted to reach 25% of public school students by 2025. Among them are newcomers, students recently arrived in the United States. These students bring rich and unique experiences but also have diverse linguistic, academic, and social-emotional needs. This article presents five ways to welcome newcomers into classrooms, along with links to helpful resources after each strategy.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Ensuring African American Students’ Access to Multilingual Learning

The growing research on the benefits of dual-language immersion for ELs is leading many policymakers to prioritize linguistic diversity in multilingual schools. Equitable access to dual-language immersion is often discussed in terms of linguistic diversity, but access to multilingual programming also intersects with other racial and socioeconomic power structures. In particular, African American students appear to be disproportionately excluded from these programs. This article discusses how Global Preparatory Academy in Indianapolis intentionally includes race, ethnicity, and culture in its model’s design to provide equitable access to multilingual learning for African American students.

OCDE Project GLAD® and the AIM4S³™ Math Summer Institute: Unlock the power of teaching and learning at the OCDE Project GLAD® and the AIM4S³™ Math Summer Institute from June 11–12, 2024. These sessions will empower you to enhance your grasp of these powerful frameworks; engage in student-centered instructional strategies for key content areas such as math, language arts, social studies, and science; and deepen your understanding of integrating content and language to support ELs and academic language learners in your classroom.

Cultivating the Pedagogy of Translanguaging: The Translanguaging Institute will bring together a diverse group of educators who serve emergent bilingual students and families from June 13–14, 2024. The institute will unite educators from across New Mexico and the United States

This summer, CARLA will offer 14 institutes (online and in-person) from June 24 to August 2 on a wide range of topics, including Critical Approaches to Heritage Language Education, Practical Program Evaluation for Heritage Language Programs, Teaching for Proficiency in Dual Language Immersion, Introduction to Dual Language Immersion, and more!

For educators serving young multilingual learners, reading books in a child’s home language can advance key language and literacy skills. This quick guide supports early childhood educators in selecting, evaluating, and using books in the home languages of young multilingual learners.

Being bilingual is a superpower! Knowing more than one language has both short- and long-term benefits, which can start in early childhood. This infographic for early childhood educators shares research on the advantages of young children being bilingual and biliterate and includes supplemental resources on language development and early learning.

WIDA University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Education Northwest

Remote

The State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) is an award given by SEAs to acknowledge high school students who have studied and achieved proficiency in two or more languages by their graduation. South Dakota implemented the SSB in January 2024, making it the final State to do so. Explore OELA’s updated SSB infographic to learn more about this recent update.

Subscribe to NCELA Nexus

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Send your alerts, upcoming events, resources, and job postings to AskNCELA

by Monday, March 25, 2024, for inclusion in the next edition of Nexus.

A podcast series hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) OELA features Dr. Amy Heineke, Professor of Bilingual Education at Loyola University in Chicago, and Dr. Kristin Davin, Professor of World Language Education at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.

In Part I of the podcast, the panelists discuss the importance of multilingualism, introduce the 5-P Framework for implementation of the Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL), and concentrate on defining purpose and crafting programs that foster the implementation of the SoBL.

In Part II, practitioners from Illinois, Washington State, and Massachusetts share their insights and experiences of promoting multilingualism and implementing the SoBL in their educational contexts.

ED recently released the Family Engagement Learning Series briefs. These briefs summarize a six-part webinar series of conversations designed to Raise the Bar for family engagement practices between school and home.

The learning series, produced in partnership with Carnegie Corporation of New York and Overdeck Family Foundation, provides an overview of evidence, highlights bright spots in the field, and shares resources and evidence-based strategies to support student success with education leaders and practitioners.

Please submit all questions and comments to ERICRequests@ed.gov by March 11, 2024.

Presentation topics will include General Interest, Content Area Instruction, Bilingual/ESL Pre-K through 12, Higher Ed, and more. All registrations include 1 free year of NJTESOL/NJBE membership.

Increase in Homelessness Rates Sharpest Among Students of Color and High-Need Students

A recent data analysis from the Public Policy Institute of California confirmed that the number of K–12 students experiencing homelessness during the 2022–23 school year has again reached pre-pandemic levels. Some school staffers have noted that the increase in student homelessness rates in recent years may look more egregious than during pandemic-era remote learning largely because staff rely on in-person interactions to identify students who might need housing support. Regardless, the data clearly noted that the sharpest increases in homelessness were among Native American, Black, EL, and migrant students.

Trumbull Schools Say National Geographic Program a ‘Game Changer’ for English Learners

The Trumbull School District attributes its increased English language proficiency scores among elementary students in EL classes to the recently adopted National Geographic Look program. The pilot implementation during the 2022–23 school year resulted in over 41% of the students scoring intermediate, almost 32% scoring proficient, and over 3% scoring above proficient on Language Assessment Scale tests, marking an improvement from previous years. Both students and teachers find the program is user-friendly and aids learning experiences.

NEW RESOURCES: Fostering Inclusion for Black Immigrant Students at HBCUs

The number of Black immigrant-origin students in higher education is growing, with over 329,000 first-generation Black immigrant students and 416,000 second-generation Black immigrant students accounting for 28% of all Black students in higher education. However, those with undocumented status are experiencing a decline in enrollment. Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) are uniquely positioned to welcome and retain Black immigrants, including undocumented students, by fostering a sense of belonging among student populations traditionally underserved in postsecondary education.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Framing Authentic Development in Spanish

As the number of MLs continues to rise in the United States, many schools are turning to bilingual education. In response to the growth of bilingual education programs and to advance Federal initiatives for MLs, organizations are focusing on authentic education products and services that embrace linguistic diversity and prepare MLs for college and career success. WIDA recently released the Marco de los Estándares del Desarrollo Auténtico del Lenguaje Español (Marco DALE), a Spanish language development standards framework for teaching and learning Spanish in the United States and with implications for bilingual, heritage, and world language programs, regardless of the language of instruction.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: An Unorthodox Plan to Pay Students to Write Curriculum Is Raising Achievement

To create greater student engagement and achievement, Kate Maxlow, the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the Hampton City Schools on Virginia’s eastern coast, began to overhaul the district’s curricula in 2016 to address lagging student achievement in the district, where about half of the roughly 20,000 students are economically disadvantaged. Currently, Hampton City’s curricula are designed with significant student input, featuring classrooms full of activities students hate to miss out on, partly because they created them themselves. While including students in the curriculum creation process isn’t typical, Hampton’s work could serve as a model for other districts looking to improve school culture and student outcomes.

OCDE Project GLAD® and the AIM4S³™ Math Summer Institute: Unlock the power of teaching and learning at the OCDE Project GLAD® and the AIM4S³™ Math Summer Institute from June 11–12, 2024. These sessions will empower you to enhance your grasp of these powerful frameworks; engage in student-centered instructional strategies for key content areas such as math, language arts, social studies, and science; and deepen your understanding of integrating content and language to support ELs and academic language learners in your classroom.

Cultivating the Pedagogy of Translanguaging: The Translanguaging Institute will bring together a diverse group of educators who serve emergent bilingual students and families from June 13–14, 2024. The institute will unite educators from across New Mexico and the United States

This summer, CARLA will offer 14 institutes (online and in-person) from June 24 to August 2 on a wide range of topics, including Critical Approaches to Heritage Language Education, Practical Program Evaluation for Heritage Language Programs, Teaching for Proficiency in Dual Language Immersion, Introduction to Dual Language Immersion, and more!

For educators serving young multilingual learners, reading books in a child’s home language can advance key language and literacy skills. This quick guide supports early childhood educators in selecting, evaluating, and using books in the home languages of young multilingual learners.

Being bilingual is a superpower! Knowing more than one language has both short- and long-term benefits, which can start in early childhood. This infographic for early childhood educators shares research on the advantages of young children being bilingual and biliterate and includes supplemental resources on language development and early learning.

Teach & Learn in Spain is a graduate program designed for native or near-native English speakers. Through the program, students earn a Master’s Degree while gaining experience in a school in the Madrid region as a language assistant. The application period will be open from January 10, 2024, to March 20, 2024. The program begins on September 1, 2024, and concludes on July 1, 2025. For further inquiries, please contact Angela Sauciuc, Director of Programs and Teacher Training, at angela.sauciuc@institutofranklin.

Heartland Area Education Agency (AEA)

Iowa (Primary Location: TBD)

Framingham State University

Framingham, MA

The Office of Civil Rights at ED has consolidated its EL resources, making them all accessible on a new page. This updated site hosts a variety of valuable resources, including Dear Colleague Letters, Fact Sheets, Case Resolutions, and more. Explore the information provided to help support ELs in your community.

Subscribe to NCELA Nexus

Did you receive the Nexus from a colleague? You can subscribe here.

Submit Your News

Do you have news to share with the Nexus community?

Send your alerts, upcoming events, resources, and job postings to AskNCELA

by Monday, March 11, 2024, for inclusion in the next edition of Nexus.