Save the Date: Enhancing Language Instruction in Early Childhood Education Webinar |
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Young dual language learners (children aged 3-7 who speak a language other than English at home) are the fastest growing population of children in the United States. The beginning of preschool through the end of first grade is a critical time for young children to begin developing content knowledge, language and literacy, and social and emotional learning skills.
To better meet the instructional needs of young dual language learners (DLLs), early childhood educators need practical and effective instructional approaches that promote multilingualism and enhance foundational literacy skill development. The NCELA Teaching Practice Brief: Integrating Language into Early Childhood Education highlights current research findings and evidence-based instructional practices for teaching DLLs in early childhood settings.
Join presenters from OELA and WestEd on July 8 at 2:30 pm ET to learn more about four practices from the brief educators can enact to enhance the teaching of DLLs.
Presenters:
- Dr. Supreet Anand, OELA
- Dr. Pamela Spycher, WestEd
A certificate of completion will be available to registered attendees who participate in at least 90 percent of the webinar time. Be sure to join us on July 8 for this important discussion!
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Call for Peer Reviewers: National Professional Development (NPD) Grant |
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OELA is seeking individuals to serve as peer reviewers for the FY 2021 NPD Program grant competition. The Department is interested in peer reviewers with professional expertise in EL 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.
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Child Trends Research: Building a Bridge Between Languages |
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A program called “Bridge of Stories” is helping to build kids’ language skills in both English and their native language. About 22 percent of school children in the United States speak a language other than English at home and may require additional supports in reading and vocabulary development in English.
Trina Spencer, Ph.D., BCBA-D, an intervention scientist with the University of South Florida, found that preschoolers placed in a Spanish-English intervention group had better vocabulary and storytelling skills in both languages than those who did not receive the bilingual storytelling intervention. Dr. Spencer notes that parents not proficient in English can use oral storytelling in their native language to enhance their child’s language skills. For example, parents can use complex words and long sentences in their stories and then ask their kids to retell it in their own words.
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June 23 and July 14
Webinar/Panel Discussion
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Internationals Network invites you to join them for two events that will explore the needs of multilingual learners and immigrant youth and discuss the findings from research across their national network as schools return to in-person learning. On June 23, join an interactive webinar that will review findings from their report, Re-Engaging Multilingual Learners (MLL) Post-Pandemic: Lessons from Internationals Network for Public Schools, that shares perspectives on the pandemic’s impact and highlights innovations from network schools.
On July 14, join a National Panel with District MLL Leaders to address considerations and recommendations specific to the needs of MLLs during school reopening.
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June 24–26
Virtual Conference
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Join a community of Indigenous educators and researchers to share proven strategies and practical resources that participants can immediately use to welcome students to their classrooms and to promote student success in 2021. The theme is “Culturally Sustaining Practices for Teaching Indigenous Students.” |
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July 14–16
Virtual Conference
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Attend keynotes and sessions led by SIOP® authors, guest keynote speaker Dr. Ayanna Cooper, and phenomenal K–12 educators from across the U.S. Learn best practices to foster academic language development and make learning relevant and comprehensible for language learners. |
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July 26–29
Virtual Conference
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This Summit is a virtual statewide Washington Association of Educational Service Districts Opportunity and is for ALL school staff regardless of job role. The event will discuss preparing for the 2021–22 school year with a focus on equitable practices and meeting the needs of diverse populations through creating, connecting, collaborating, and orchestrating change together. Proposals to present at the Summit are due by June 15.
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October 14
Hybrid Conference
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Registration is now open for this one-day virtual event that is open to members of the WIDA Consortium, international educators, and higher education faculty and staff. Registration includes access to live sessions, presentation handouts and materials, interactive breakout group opportunities, and all recorded content through the end of 2021. The keynote speaker will be Viet Thanh Nguyen, a professor at the University of Southern California. |
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November 10–13
Hybrid Conference
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La Cosecha 2021 will be a hybrid event, comprising both a virtual and an in-person conference. Virtual registration is open now, and in-person registration is expected to open in July. La Cosecha Conference offers you the unique opportunity to share best practices and resources, current theory and practice, build networks, and fuel community efforts to build a better future for our children as we “harvest” the best of our multilingual and multicultural communities. |
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UC San Diego News Center
In recognizing that family ties are critical to the success of Latinx/Chicanx students, UC San Diego has partnered with the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) to launch a pilot program designed to eliminate barriers to college success by educating parents about the pathway to college. According to President and CEO of PIQE Gloria Corral, “The PIQE and UC San Diego pilot program values and integrates family and culture to develop trust and increase engagement throughout the entire pre-college experience, transition to college, and matriculation.”
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Post Independent
When learning English as a second language, it is not uncommon for students to lose some proficiency in their home language. But ELs in the Roaring Fork School District in Colorado are encouraged to develop both English and their home languages through the district’s Seal of Biliteracy program. This year, 15 students (eight more than last year’s seniors) graduated with the biliteracy seal on their high school diplomas. These students saw the benefit of being bilingual and biliterate for their postsecondary education and career plans.
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The Education Trust
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides school districts with an unprecedented opportunity to support ELs after nearly a year and a half of interrupted education due to the pandemic which disproportionately impacted ELs. The Education Trust asks that school districts also consider using ARP funding to address ELs’ long-standing, inequitable outcomes (e.g., lower graduation rates) as well as immediate recovery measures. The article highlights actions school district leaders should consider taking that would positively affect the education of ELs now and in the future. These recommended strategies are further explained in Education Trust’s recently published Action Guide.
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Language Magazine
Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a research-based approach that makes meaningful connections between what students learn in school and their cultures, languages, and life experiences. CRT can serve as a foundation upon which school districts build an “ecosystem for equity.” The authors identify three steps that school leaders and teachers can take to initiate CRT in their district or enhance their current efforts. These steps are: work to uncover unconscious bias (of the school staff), develop guiding principles, and put your guiding principles into action. The article explains these steps, provides examples, and includes links to additional CRT resources.
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National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
This study compares standards for proficient performances set by states in reading and mathematics for grades four and eight using states’ performances in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. The results show most state standards for proficient performance for both grades and subjects mapped at or above the NAEP Basic achievement level, and state standards for proficiency have mapped at a higher NAEP achievement level over time. The report, the eighth in the series, used student achievement results from state and NAEP assessments administered in 2019.
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Migration Policy Institute
This report describes a framework for developing comprehensive DLL identification and tracking processes across early childhood systems, and for sharing information with the K-12 system.
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Migration Policy Institute
This report examines federal, state, and local policies, procedures, or guidance for identifying DLLs that currently exist. It also discusses the obstacles toward identifying DLLs. The authors suggest that the identification and classification of ELs in K-12 may hold lessons for developing policies and procedures for DLLs in early childhood programs.
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The White House Initiative on Hispanic Prosperity is accepting nominations for Latino educators! #LatinosTeach recognizes Hispanic teachers who have dedicated themselves to serving their community through teaching.
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Registration is now open for the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) Summer Institutes, which are targeted at elementary through postsecondary foreign/world language educators and language teacher educators. All the institutes will be taught online in either an asynchronous or synchronous format.
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Take part in an engaging facilitated online professional learning community and earn a certificate for 12 hours of professional development upon successful course completion. All SupportEd online courses are asynchronous, go-at-your-own pace with intermediary deadlines. Most courses are based on books by Drs. Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder. Courses include:
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This program is designed to help early-career language educators succeed in their current assignments and learn the skills to be successful in the long term. Mentors and mentees will be matched by language, level, interest, and location as best as possible. Three mentor programs are available: the traditional program for in-person educators, the distance-language-educator program for those who teach online, and a hybrid program for those currently teaching in-person and remotely.
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Instruction Partners
Multiple States
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KIPP Texas Public Schools
Houston, TX
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Submit Remote Learning Resources
OELA knows how important it is that districts and schools have access to resources that recognize the unique learning profiles and needs of ELs in order to facilitate their education during unplanned school closures.
We’re looking for resources that schools can use to improve distance learning and the support of ELs and their families during school closures. Do you have a resource to share? To submit for consideration, please complete the Remote Learning Resources Submission Form.
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Subscribe to NCELA Nexus
Did you receive the Nexus from a colleague? You can subscribe here. |
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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 Tuesday, June 18 for inclusion in the next edition of Nexus.
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National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)
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Disclaimer: NCELA Nexus is intended to share information that can be of use to educators, parents, learners, leaders, and other stakeholders in their efforts to ensure that every student, including ELs, is provided with the highest quality education and expanded opportunities to succeed. The information and materials presented on NCELA Nexus do not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by NCELA, the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), or the U.S. Department of Education.
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