English Language Learners- A Simple Teacher with Simple Ideas

Using Technology to Help Our ELL Parents Become More Involved           One key component often left out of the English Language Learners education is the involvement with the students’ families. Technology is one way to accomplish this. Technology allows for translation services and copies of forms and their child’s progress in the parents language. All of these can be easily and readily accessed by the parent on a carefully created website. The problem I foresee and have seen in my own district is the funding and ability to create a site that can effectively include all of this. The new STARR report card and website created by a district in Texas is a glimmer of hope for all districts trying to more effectively and clearly communicate with the parents of ELLs.           It just makes sense to give parents communication in their own language. I know this is the law, but too many districts are not providing this information then question why parent involvement is so low! I ca

Preach It! This recent letter to the editor encompasses many of the blogs I have written about… inequity of English Language Learners (ELLs), dual language programs, and common sense! The writer comes right out and states the problem- racial disparity in many areas specifically in the advanced learner program (AL) as it directly affects the ESL student population, their future and education. The stakes are high. 65% of the student population are ELLS, yet only the other 35% of the population are truly qualified for AL. You are leaving out the majority. Both the MAP and Cogat, needed for entrance into AL are designed for a monolingual student when 65% of the student population is bilingual.   Kristen Marie Scott, teacher at Nuestro Mundo Community School, states the overwhelming obvious truths. After reading these next two quotes by her in her letter to the editor, one might want to say out loud, “Preach It!” “No standardized measure in Spanish has been ad