Proposed Priorities for the National Professional Development Program | |
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month | |
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Join OELA in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month! Learn more about Hispanic multilingual learners (MLs) and ways to ensure their educational success through OELA’s resources below.
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Director’s Meeting 2023 Highlights | |
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OELA promotes opportunities for biliteracy and multiliteracy for all students and improves educational outcomes and career opportunities for MLs by increasing family engagement and supporting a well-qualified teaching workforce. An essential component of OELA’s support is the administration of the NPD grants. A new infographic showcases important themes that emerged when the NPD grantees came together to share their work at this year’s Director’s Meeting. It also includes highlights from OELA and the following sessions:
- Developing Teacher Expertise for Sustainability
- Encouraging and Sustaining English Learner Family Engagement
- Authentic Assessment of Bilingual Student Learning in STEM
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The Education Sector’s Role in Supporting Digital Equity Act Programs | |
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As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Digital Equity Act programs, led by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, all states are developing digital equity plans throughout 2023. As emphasized by the U.S. Department of Education’s call to action, the education sector can be a critical partner to states in connecting learners furthest from opportunities to affordable, reliable high-speed internet and technology tools. As states release draft digital equity plans over the next several months, education leaders can submit feedback and/or share the public comment opportunity with their networks. State digital equity plans available for public comment will be continuously updated on this page.
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As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become more prevalent in classrooms across the country, teachers need to know how they might use AI to support the learning and academic success of the growing population of MLs. In this webinar, experts will discuss actual use cases for AI to support MLs, along with explaining the pros and cons of the technology. | |
Join SupportEd on October 2 at 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. ET for this webinar exploring research-based strategies for SLIFE programming and instruction. Shannon Smith, ML Technical Assistance Specialist at SupportEd, conducts ongoing district consultations with districts in Maine and Massachusetts on SLIFE programming. Shannon will share valuable strategies, lessons learned, and tools to bolster your SLIFE program. Dr. Carol Salva, guest presenter, award-winning educator, host of Boosting Achievement: The ESL Podcast and author of Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education, will share her expertise on effective instruction based on her work with SLIFE. | |
Join the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and Vista for Empowering Multilingual Learners, a free three-part webinar series for dual language and English language educators. The first episode, Empowering Multilingual Learners with Digital Learning Resources will be hosted by CAL's Manager of Professional Development Content, Maria Cieslak.
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This workshop series includes four sessions: Experiencing Instruction Through the Eyes of a Multilingual Learner; Building Schema for MLLs; Amplifying Instruction for MLLs; and Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction for MLLs. | |
The 10th Annual Community-Based Heritage Language Schools Conference will be hybrid, held both on-site at American University and online. Explore the conference website to see the full conference schedule, learn about the plenary speakers, and register. Registration for on-site participation covers refreshments, lunch, and a reception. In addition, on-site participants can get together for a meet and greet at a local restaurant on Friday evening. Plenary speakers include: Shuhan Wang, PhD, Telling the Stories of Community-Based Language Schools in the United States; Felix Kronenberg, PhD, Supporting Sustainable Less Commonly Taught Community-Based Language Programs; and Kristin Davin, PhD, Motivating Students to Continue Language Development with the Seal of Biliteracy. | |
The WIDA Annual Conference is the premier event for educators of pre-K–12 MLs, giving educators from around the globe the opportunity to share best practices and discover innovative classroom strategies. The in-person conference is sold out, but registration for the virtual track is still available. | |
Join peers from around the country at the 2023 Families Learning Conference to be held in Omaha, NE. This conference is for passionate people looking for innovative learning strategies and resources to support families in reaching their academic and economic goals. Attendees will gain practices and ideas to create equitable and relevant family learning experiences; exposure to a national network of family-facing professionals, researchers, policymakers, and funders; and inspiration and renewed energy for their work. | |
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October 26–28
CATESOL State Conference
Conference
| Join CATESOL this October at the College of Alameda (located near Oakland) to “break new ground” at the first CATESOL State Conference to be hosted at an academic institution. Connect with colleagues from all over California and complete multiple hours of professional development at plenaries, workshops, educational materials expositions, and networking sessions. | |
La Cosecha 2023 will take place in Albuquerque, NM, under the theme Honoring Our Story: Reclaiming Our Past Through Empowerment and Action. The conference is focused on providing instructional and programmatic supports to best serve ELs and emerging bilingual students. La Cosecha 2023 will feature over 270 professional presentations and workshops for supporting two-way and one-way immersion, developmental bilingual, and heritage/tribal language immersion programs and bring together educators, parents, researchers, and practitioners from across the U.S. Questions? Contact Leslie@dlenm.org. | |
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Chalkbeat
Career-focused Graduation Pathway for English Learners Takes Root in Perry Township
The new graduation pathway in Perry Township, IN, provides students who enrolled in U.S. schools in seventh grade or later a way to meet graduation requirements through classes on business math and personal financial responsibility, as well as internships and mock interviews. It is also meant to help students develop their English proficiency through speech and English as a New Language classes. This pathway is part of a growing emphasis in Indiana and nationwide on preparing students for jobs without the necessity of a 2- or 4-year degree. At Perry schools, which educate around 4,600 EL students, the pathway also gives students another way to meet Indiana’s graduation requirements and local hiring needs.
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TESOL
When Multilingual Learners Refuse to Speak Their Home Language
The United States is a country that gives precedence to learning English, so a lot of young MLs regard speaking English more highly than speaking in the home language. Many MLs may not want or may be unable to speak their home language. This can be a gradual process, and most parents do not realize their children are losing their ability to speak their home language until it is gone. School policy and teacher support are important in imparting to MLs that retention of their home language is a benefit. Parents can also support the importance of maintaining the home language. This article provides several suggestions for how to achieve this.
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Institute of Education Sciences
NEW RESOURCE: English Learners and Students with Disabilities in Rural Public Schools
In fall 2019, ELs made up 4% of total public school district enrollment in rural areas compared with 7% of enrollment in towns, 10% of enrollment in suburban areas, and 15% of enrollment in cities. In the same year, students with disabilities made up 15% of total public school district enrollment in rural areas and towns and 14% of enrollment in suburban areas and cities. This resource provides information on EL and students with disabilities enrollment in public schools of various sizes in rural, urban, and suburban locales.
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Colorín Colorado
NEW RESOURCE: The Substitute Teacher Shortage: Impacts on ELLs and ELL Educators
The substitute teacher shortage that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant but rarely discussed impact on ELs and their educators. Last fall, Colorín Colorado launched an anonymous survey about this topic. This article provides background on the issue of teacher shortages; reports educators’ reflections on how the substitute teacher shortage impacts ELs; provides some examples of how educators deal with this issue; and features system-wide approaches implemented by some districts to support their students and educators.
EdSource
TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: How English Learners Can Benefit from College Classes in High School
When students are classified as ELs, they must take English language development classes to improve their language skills in addition to English language arts and all other academic classes. At Mountain Empire High School, located in a rural San Diego County, ELs enroll in English as a second language classes through the local community college. They earn college credit while learning English. Researchers and advocates say that dual enrollment—taking college courses during high school—can increase rates of graduation, college enrollment, and college success. Yet students who are still learning English in high school often face barriers to dual enrollment courses. Only 10% of ELs had taken at least one community college class while in high school compared with 18% of all students.
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Edutopia
TIPS FOR EDUCATORS: Scaffolding for Experienced English Learners
In higher grades, multilingual students need to develop a grasp of academic English. If teachers provide appropriate scaffolds, experienced multilinguals are capable of learning new content in English in grade-level content classes. As experienced multilinguals reach higher levels of English proficiency, their English development needs become less obvious, but the academic language demands continue to increase. This article provides suggestions and classroom examples on how teachers can scaffold academic language for advanced ELs in a secondary context.
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Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL): Professional Learning, Fall 2023 Schedule
CEEL offers programs of study for teachers and educational leaders working with second language learners. Registrations are now open for their certificate programs and fall institutes, including:
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Certificate Programs: Leadership for Equity in EL Education; Teaching Academic Spanish in Grades Pre-K–12; TK/ECE Professional Practicum Academy; TK/ECE Certificate Program
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Fall 2023 Institutes: Journalism for ELs; Observation Protocol for Academic Literacy (OPAL); Formative Assessment for Multilingual/English Learners Institute
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The 2023–24 ExC-ELL Virtual Institutes: Virtual PD That Anyone Can Attend, October 26–December 5
Would you like to learn how to boost your students’ vocabulary development, academic language, reading comprehension, and writing skills across all content areas? Have you always wanted to learn the research-based ExC-ELL Model but haven’t been able to find an institute near you? Are you looking for ways to continue to hone your craft as an educator and/or earn professional learning credits? The ExC-ELL Virtual Institutes consist of three modules, which are each offered multiple times throughout the year to fit your busy schedule. Attendees of each module can expect a fun and meaningful 2-hour virtual professional learning session; opportunities to interact with colleagues and practice the instructional strategies you are learning; and a digital toolkit to help you take what you learn back into your classroom or school. Dates:
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Vocabulary Module: October 26 & December 6
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Reading Module: October 24 & November 14
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Writing Module: November 13
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BONUS Module: Using ChatGPT in the Classroom: December 5
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U.S. Department of State
Worldwide
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Paterson Public Schools
Paterson, NJ
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Coming Soon: Raise the Bar Webinar in Spanish | |
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This October, join OELA and a stellar lineup of speakers for an insightful discussion in Spanish on the U.S. Department of Education’s Raise the Bar initiative! The webinar will explore ways to empower ELs and all students through multilingualism. Details and registration link coming soon!
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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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