Serving English Language Learner Ell Families

Educators and administrators can move their school toward a comprehensive and culturally responsive approach to serving English language learners and their families by incorporating the best practices outlined in this guide. The guide also includes a Teacher Leadership Spotlight for each section to help explain steps teachers can take outside the classroom to ensure ELL students and their families enjoy welcoming, equitable experiences at school. There are many ways that educators and administrators can connect with families of English language learners (ELLs) and keep that communication strong. This communication can be challenging to figure out, but it many cases, it can make a tremendous difference in students' learning. Here are some tips for schools, many of which are based on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's essential that schools have accurate contact information for families.

Understanding why families' contact information might change, how they prefer to update that information, and how the school can make it easier for them to do so can go a long way in helping... Start by looking for families' contact information and checking to see if information on file is still accurate. This may be challenging if families' housing and economic situations are unstable. Families who use prepaid cell phones may also change phone numbers regularly. If you don't have updated contact information for families, consider trying to pass on a message through: Multilingual families can be powerful partners on behalf of their children.

Yet what these partnerships look like will be unique to each school setting and community — and may require some thinking outside of the box. This section includes some key tips and recommended resources from our sister site, Colorín Colorado. When you want to connect with the families of English language learners (ELLs), there are lots of strategies you can try. It may take some time to figure out what works, but those ideas will serve you now and in the future. Here are 10 ideas from our friends at Colorín Colorado to help you get started, as well as key questions to guide you. An important first step is to learn more about your families.

You can start by reaching out to staff who work closely with families, such as family liaisons, ESL or bilingual teachers, and paraprofessionals. You can also look for local community organizations that work with the families in your school. These groups often have important insights, resources, and ideas — and they may be able to provide volunteers and skilled interpreters. You can also talk with families directly; however, it is important not to overwhelm families with too many questions at once, especially if they are hesitant to share any personal information. For examples, many Indigenous families from Latin America are very cautious about sharing their Indigenous languages and cultures in school settings at first. Go slowly; it may take time to build trust.

On the other hand, you may find some families who are eager to share information and ready to help. Educators talk about the strategies they use to build connections with English learners’ families. Topics: English Learners, Family and Stakeholder Engagement The number of English learners (ELs) in U.S. public schools has slowly increased over the years, according to the most recent data available from the National Center for Education Statistics, from 4.6 million students (9.4 percent) in 2011 to 5.3 million (10.6... And the overwhelming majority (93.1 percent) received English language instruction.

But even with a rich diversity of languages spoken in school communities, many school leaders are not prepared to communicate and collaborate with EL families. In this edition of What Works, Principal magazine asked several educators with expertise in engaging English learners how to reach out to family members to collaboratively advance students’ academic performance, social integration, and emotional... Here are some of their best ideas. What languages are spoken in your school community?Our students represent 157 countries and 186 languages. English Language Learners (ELLs) may have a wide variety of needs and special circumstances that libraries can address positively. For children, learning two (or more) languages increases the complexity of language and literacy development.

Also, social factors and family circumstances may impact ELL children’s literacy development. These include the parents’/caregivers’ literacy level in English and in the home language, knowledge of and attitudes toward library and school, legal status, sense of isolation or inclusion, support network, access to resources, income... An evaluation of ECRR, funded by an IMLS grant, found promising results about the impact that implementing ECRR has had on the ongoing literacy behaviors of ELL families. For more about this research, PLA and ALSC have posted two articles, “Libraries Emerging As Leaders in Parent Engagement” and “Libraries at the Ready,” by researchers Donna Celano and Susan B. Neuman. Information for librarians serving ELL families Reading Rockets: English Language LearnersArticles, videos, tip sheets, and research reports for families and professionals.

Spanish ResourcesInformation on early literacy for Spanish-speaking families from Saroj Ghoting. This page is available in English and Spanish. 8 Strategies for Preschool ELLs' Language and Literacy DevelopmentFrom Colorín Colorado, this article for preschool classroom teachers can also inform library storytimes and other preschool programs. Resources to share with ELL families Colorín Colorado: For FamiliesA project of WETA Public Media, Colorín Colorado provides bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of ELLs. Helping Your Child Learn in Two LanguagesThis tip sheet from the Illinois Early Learning Project encourages families to make their home language the foundation for literacy. International Children’s Digital LibraryFounded in 2002, the ICDL makes freely available hundreds of children's books from around the world.

The collection helps families have access to the books of their language and culture, as well as the majority culture, regardless of where they live. The books in the collection help children to understand the world around them and the global society in which they live. This printable guide, written for Colorín Colorado by Dr. Debbie Zacarian, provides a detailed introduction to federal laws regarding ELLs and their relationship to state and local policies, including information about ELL identification under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Note: This guide has been updated with a second edition. The first edition is available for reference, but we strongly encourage educators and administrators to review the updated edition when looking for policy guidance.

Whenever we ask veteran educators of English language learners (ELLs) the secret to their success, the answer is almost always the same: Build relationships with students and their families. Relationships establish trust and improve communication. They help us better understand students’ strengths and needs, which is especially important for ELLs. If you’re new to working with English language learners, you may wonder how to partner with families who come from other countries and speak different languages. Understood is partnering with Colorín Colorado, the nation’s leading website providing research-based resources for educators and families of English language learners Here are six ideas to help you get started.

As you read, look for one or two small steps that you might try with families this year. Imagine what it’s like for immigrant families to enter your school or classroom. Do families see something familiar to them, like signs in their language or objects from their culture? Are books available in their home language? Small gestures can go a long way toward saying, “You are welcome here. We want your child to thrive.”

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