Dual language education is a powerful tool for fostering multilingualism and providing equitable access to high-quality instruction for English and multilingual learners (MLs). As part of its commitment to nurture all students’ multilingualism, OELA is hosting a series of webinars focused on dual language education. The first two webinars are designed to deepen administrators’ understanding of what dual language education is, why it is beneficial for all students, and how to support its implementation in an educational context.

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

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

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

OELA participated at the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) 53rd Annual International Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona closed with remarks to 3,000 multilingual educators, highlighting the return of the Title III program to OELA after 15 years, the Notice of Inviting Applications (NIA) for the National Professional Development (NPD) grant program to increase the number of bilingual and multilingual educators, the seal of biliteracy in 50 states, and the work OELA is doing to raise the bar for multilingualism.

In addition, Montserrat Garibay, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, and Beatriz Ceja, Deputy Assistant Secretary, represented OELA during the NABE Conference by:

• Participating in 11 engagements and presentations of #RaisingTheBar for multilingualism
• Connecting with bilingual leaders and committed stakeholders across the country
• Sharing information about the NIA for the NPD “Grow Your Own” grant to increase the number of bilingual and multilingual educators supporting English learners
• Sharing infographics, fact sheets, the Newcomer and English Learner Toolkits, and upcoming webinars at the OELA booth
• Connecting with NPD grantees

OELA has published a new discretionary report. This document highlights information from the 2016, 2017, and 2021 grantee cohorts of the NPD Program, comprising 142 grantees in the 2021-22 project year.

The data captures the grantees’ program performance results based on three Government Performance and Results Act measures for the 2016, 2017, and 2021 cohorts. The report also presents descriptions and graphs illustrating grantee program types, project features, and reported program outcomes, progress, and challenges.

Did you know that OELA has a resource containing statistics on ELs with disabilities, including autism? Check out the English Learners with Disabilities (ELSWD) infographic to access informative, State-specific data. Additionally, explore the resources offered by your State educational agency for ELSWD and discover its recommendations for serving and supporting students covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B.

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

“Sparking Change, Integration, and Deep Connections,” renews our call to action and commitment to learning alongside leaders and experts from our changing communities. This professional development opportunity is an excellent chance for bilingual educators, counselors, and school district leaders who aim to create welcoming communities for newcomers to learn from each other.

Smoothing the Path for Immigrants to Finish Their College Degrees

Latinos are the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States, but data show they are less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to have earned a college diploma. A new bilingual college program at Davenport University will offer 12 online undergraduate and graduate programs in an entirely bilingual and bicultural format. With alternating weekly instruction in Spanish and English and support services in both languages, the program addresses the lower college completion rates among Latinos in the United States. Accepted students receive $9,200 in scholarships annually to enhance financial accessibility.

Newcomer Students Share Stories of Learning English in an Increasingly Crowded System

The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth (CBFY) is a Canadian organization designed to support immigrant and refugee youth. Much of the foundation’s work involves helping schools and teachers to navigate the influx of new students as they learn English. The CBFY interviews newcomer students as they join Calgary’s school system. These interviews indicate where students are in their learning process and help the foundation connect families with resources such as mentorships and in-school programs for young newcomers. Newcomers are often faced with entering a new school system and learning a new language, all while navigating an unfamiliar environment. This article shares their stories of hopes, hardships, and successes.

Latino-Led Charter Schools Attract Philadelphia Families With Tight-Knit Communities and Spanish

The Latino population in Philadelphia has nearly tripled since 2000, reaching around 16% of the city’s residents in 2020. Many Latino families opt for charter schools run by Latino-led nonprofits, citing their ability to address gaps left by the school district. These schools offer greater cultural representation, language accessibility, and stronger community bonds compared to traditional public schools. While most Hispanic students attend district schools, they make up 18% of charter school enrollment. The school district acknowledges these disparities and is actively hiring more Spanish-speaking bilingual counseling assistants and teachers to address them.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Apps Are Helping Teachers Communicate With Families that Don’t Speak English

ReachWell is an app that allows teachers to text in English and parents to receive the messages in their own language. ReachWell and similar translation apps have become more common, and for some teachers, they’ve become crucial as educators work to communicate with the rising number of families that speak languages other than English. The apps often allow communications between parents and teachers to feel personal. In addition to seeing text from teachers in their native language on ReachWell, parents can respond in their native language and teachers see the replies in English.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: How School Librarians Can Support ELLs

In November 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the “Being Bilingual Is a Superpower” initiative to “promote multilingual education and bolster high-quality language programs and a diverse multilingual educator workforce across the country.” While this sounds promising, it’s necessary to recognize that every stakeholder in education needs to play a role for this initiative to succeed, and librarians are an integral part of this plan. This article offers eight ways librarians can support multilingualism in schools and bolster literacy rates of ELs.

Listen to the ASSETS podcast to hear Montserrat Garibay, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for OELA, discuss the challenges encountered by ELs in the U.S. education system. She also provides insights into the collaborative efforts between OELA and ED to address these challenges.

Diversifying the teacher workforce is a high priority for the States and districts that the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) partner with and for education systems nationwide. This infographic provides a snapshot of resources available from the RELs and Comprehensive Centers that discuss examples of ways to implement strategies for supporting teacher diversity.

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 MLs, 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 MLs.

Danville Public Schools

Danville, Virginia

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools

San Bernardino, California

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!

Subscribe to NCELA Nexus

Did you receive the Nexus from a colleague? You can subscribe via the form on our website.

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, April 8, 2024, for inclusion in the next edition of Nexus.