August 10th, 2021 | Parents
In the Latino community, when one person does something, it's a reflection of everybody. My grandfather cut sugarcane in Aguada, Puerto Rico, and became a foreman. He gave it all up to live in poverty on the fourth floor of a housing project in Connecticut. He raised his kids in a land where he didn't know the language so they could have a better life. Two generations later, I get to serve as secretary of education because of his sacrifice. All the hard work of those who came before allowed me to be where I am, so it's special. It's a family affair.
I don't look at those things as deficits. They enriched my life to the point where I have a good place to start in connecting to the folks I'm serving. Many of our students come into school with similar experiences, especially when it comes to identity. Figuring out how to show pride in who you are when the cultural norms at home are different from the ones at school. It really takes courage to be comfortable being a little bit different when you just want to fit in.
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August 13th, 2021 | New America
For societies to achieve their full potential in the digital age, citizens must be able to use digital public infrastructure to engage with their governments and communities. Despite mounting evidence that inclusive and accessible design can reap large-scale benefits, not all platforms and tools are created with accessibility in mind.
Samantha Mack, who currently serves as the State of Alaska’s Elections Language Assistance Compliance Manager, has been grappling with the challenge of producing accessible election materials for all Alaskans. She helps the state convene translation panels, composed of at least two speakers of each language who translate materials to Alaskan Native languages and dialects, and then backtranslate them to English to check accuracy. These panels have created a glossary of election-specific terminology for Alaskan Native languages.
Like Samantha Mack, Cecilia Muñoz emphasized the importance of community outreach for understanding complex challenges such as variation in local and regional dialects or level of literacy in the dominant language. “It's essential for policymakers to reflect on and be drawn from the communities that we're trying to serve,” Cecilia explained. In order to address the need to communicate with and deliver services to different linguistic communities, practitioners must approach the challenges of inclusive design with a greater sense of humility and purpose.
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POLICY CLIPS
EDUCATION CLIPS
INDUSTRY CLIPS
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August 16th, 2021 | Preaching to Acquire
Join Kaitlin as she chats with Esmeralda Mora, the president of the Language Learner Literature Advisory Board. You can read more and access their reviews at wearelllab.org!
The mission of the Language Learner Literature Advisory Board (LLLAB) is to provide well rounded feedback about Classroom Library material as it pertains to race, ethnicity, cultures, social class, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, religion, family structure, neurodiversity, abilities, and experiences.
The board is composed of a group of diverse members that are well advanced in their field and can provide trustworthy information to help dismantle social inequalities and support teachers and authors in developing and curating culturally-sustaining reading material.
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In 2021-2022, Georgia TESOL will be celebrating 40 years of supporting TESOL professionals through learning, advocacy, and providing a rich community. We strive to support teachers and students and to recognize the excellent, passionate work being done across the state.
Nominate a teacher, student, community member, and/or yourself to represent the state of Georgia for 2021-2022 for our Teacher of the Year, Student of the Year and Service awards by visiting our awards page. Applications due August 30 and September 15.
It is our goal to get 40 nominations – one for each of the 40 years we’ve been an organization committed to the growth of multilingual learners!
GATESOL also offers an array of grants ranging from $1,000 - $2,000 for project ideas, conference travel and immersive experiences. Please explore our grants page for ideas.
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PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES |
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Date: October 2, 2021
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Manuela Wagner
Manuela Wagner holds a Ph.D. in English Studies with a specialization in linguistics from Graz University, Austria. Her research focuses on the integration of Intercultural Competence and Intercultural Citizenship (Byram, 1997, 2008) in (language) education and across the curriculum from elementary school through post-secondary education. She is particularly interested in the interplay of theory and practice and has been part of and helped create communities of practice to implement theories of Intercultural Competence and Citizenship as well as related theoretical frameworks (theories of criticality, intercultural communication, social justice, intellectual humility) in practice.
#RIFLA2021 features the following strands:
HL = Heritage Language
IC=Intercultural Competence
TP = Teaching for Proficiency
Tech = Technology-assisted Language Learning
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Date: August 28, 2021
GaDOE World Languages is now accepting proposals for this year’s upcoming Virtual Georgia Dual Language Immersion Institute. This year’s online GADII will feature a full day of web-based learning and networking opportunities for DLI teachers from across the nation to participate in, including a virtual keynote and opening ceremony!
Mark your calendars! No entrance fee and no registration fee! Our virtual conference is completely free to all interested attendees.
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FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES |
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Notice ID: W912QM21Q0056
Agency: DEPT OF DEFENSE
Office: 0410 AQ HQ CONTRACT
Location: PAN
Response Date: August 20, 2021
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Notice ID: 611630
Agency: STATE, DEPARTMENT OF
Office: US EMBASSY RABAT
Location: 10100 MAR
Response Date: September 17, 2021
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JNCL-NCLIS Significant Contributors
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JNCL-NCLIS is grateful for the support from our partners. |
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“Ensuring that Americans have the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language.”
Joint National Committee for Languages
National Council for Languages and International Studies
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 19th, 2021 ISSUE
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Disclaimer: The articles and news sources included in NewsBrief are not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by JNCL-NCLIS. The views and opinions expressed in the articles in this NewsBrief are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.
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