The Latino Family Literacy Project provides workshops and webinars for school teachers and school staff for Parent Involvement. Staff will learn how to provide a culturally relevant model for parent involvement, family reading and vocabulary development.

The following is a list of useful resources and programs for ELL students living in New Mexico.

State of New Mexico Informational Resources:

• New Mexico Public Education Department: http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/index.html
• ELL Support Page: http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/Bilingual_index.html
• WIDA English Language Development Standards: https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx
• WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) is an organization comprised of a number of different states throughout the country dedicated to raising the standards of bilingual education policies and monitoring the progress and development of ELL’s in the United States.
• New Mexico State Board Learning Standards Assessments: http://ped.state.nm.us/AssessmentAccountability/AssessmentEvaluation/index.html
• Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/t3sis/NewMexico.php
• New Mexico English Proficiency Assessment Standards: http://ped.state.nm.us/AssessmentAccountability/AssessmentEvaluation/index.html

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• The New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education – The NMABE is an advocacy organization dedicated to promoting bilingual education for grades K-12 throughout the state. They focus on professional development, linguistic diversity, and increased resources for bilingual programs as well as research application and dissemination: http://nmabe.net/
• New Mexico Education Association – The New Mexico affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers which works to advocate for and establish a standard of success and excellence in public schools within the United States: http://www.nea.org/home/49832.htm
• Lectura Books – Publishers of award-winning English and Spanish language development books for infants to teenagers, including the 2014 Moonbeam Award Winner for Best Children’s Book, (Spanish) Boy Zorro and the Bully.
• Lectura Books Professional Development Workshops – Training workshops designed to assist teachers, aides, and parental coordinators with implementing aspects of the Latino Family Literacy Project, which meets compliance with Title I and Title III Parent involvement initiatives: https://www.latinoliteracy.com/workshops/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English, taught using a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/

If you liked this blog, visit out our Facebook and Twitter page. We frequently post updated and relevant information related to ELLs.

The post ELL Student Resources and Support in New Mexico appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Teaching is universally a rewarding but challenging job. For ELL teachers, a unique set of challenges present themselves.

Students with Diverse Abilities and Needs

A current ELL classroom in the U.S. can contain students of varying countries of origin, English speaking and writing abilities, and cultural identities. An ELL teacher has to assess, get to know, teach, and support all of these students, often on a tight schedule. In the Colorín Colorado article, Oral Language Development and ELLs: 5 Challenges and Solutions, Lindsey Moses Guccione shares the importance of differentiation as a powerful tool for ELL teachers taking on this challenge, “Differentiation is the key to effective instruction for all students. Students of varying proficiency levels can learn the same content when the teacher provides a wide range of learning opportunities for students with different academic and linguistic needs.”

Lack of Resources and Training

The number of ELL students in the U.S. has been growing rapidly; however, schools and teachers are simply underprepared. The Migration Policy Institute states that over the last 30 years nearly 30 million immigrants have settled in the U.S., many of them bringing families and children. In order to provide differentiated instruction to their students, ELL teachers, and indeed all classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators working with ELLs, need greater access to high quality, research based ELL instruction professional development and assessment tools. “Lessons Learned: New Teachers Talk About Their Jobs, Challenges, and Long-Range Plans” is a report from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality and Public Agenda that surveyed new teachers dealing with students of increasingly diverse backgrounds and abilities. This report finds that new teachers, particularly in less affluent areas, felt under-supported in dealing with student diversity, and that “teacher preparation programs and new teacher support systems need to be reexamined and updated for the 21^st century.”

Poor Communication Systems

Parent and community involvement and parent-school cooperation has been repeatedly proven to benefit student academic success, and this is true for ELL students as well. A National Education Association (NEA) policy brief shares that in a 2004 study, California teachers reported having a serious issue with “poor communication among students, teachers, parents, and the community.” Because ELL teachers are often dealing with families from multiple cultural backgrounds and languages of origin, successful and meaningful communication can be particularly challenging, though not impossible. School systems can provide translators, opportunities for teachers and families to meet, and structures that support collaboration for improved communication between ELL teachers, the greater school community, their students, and the students’ families.

Helping ELL teachers to face these challenges has to be a concerted community endeavor. In their article, “Challenges confronting teachers of English language learners,” Thi Diem Hang Khonga and Eisuke Saitobwhile say that while strong ELL teacher education programs will help ELL teachers face these challenges, “concerted efforts by educators, local and central administrators, academics, local communities, and lawmakers are necessary” as well.

Seeing the increase of students from many diverse backgrounds underscores the need for multicultural books. Multicultural books allow students of different backgrounds to be able to relate to the story and be more inclined to read and retain the information.

Lectura books provides award-winning multicultural books. Their books are a great tool for students of different backgrounds. The multicultural stories help to engage not only the students but their parents as well. This encourages more reading and speaking of English at home. Visit Lectura Books YouTube page to see some of their most popular book titles.

The Latino Family Literacy Project are experts in working with Spanish speaking parents and can train your staff to work specifically with parents of diverse backgrounds at your school. The company offers both online webinar training and in person workshops.

Stay updated with the latest information about ELLs and follow our Facebook and Twitter pages. We post new information every day.

The post What Issues do Teachers of ELLs Face? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

The following is a list of useful resources and programs for ELL students living in Virginia.

State of Virginia Informational Resources:

• Virginia Department of Education: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/
• ELL Support Page: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/esl/index.shtml
• WIDA English Language Development Standards: https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx
• WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) is an organization comprised of a number of various states designed to establish and implement bilingual education policies, in addition to the regular monitoring of progress and development of ELL’s in the United States.
• Virginia Proficiency Learning Standards Proficiency Examination Program: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/test_administration/index.shtml
•  Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/t3sis/Virginia.php

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• Virginia State Education Association – Regional affiliate of the National Education Association, the biggest education lobby in the United States, tasked with promoting legislation to support teachers and educators and make new funding resources available to the education profession: http://www.nea.org/home/49818.htm
• Virginia Parent Information Resource Center – PEATC (Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center) – A federal program designed for promoting successful teaching partnerships between parents, teachers, and school administrations to improve the educational structure for children in grades K-12 from all backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and/or disabilities: http://www.nationalpirc.org/directory/VA.html
• Lectura Books Professional Development Workshops – Training workshops designed to assist educators and school administrations with implementing aspects of the Latino Family Literacy Project, which meets compliance with Title I and Title III Parent involvement initiatives: https://www.latinoliteracy.com/workshops/
• Latino Family Literacy Project School and District Staff Development Workshops – Teaching workshops designed for helping parents and teachers alike to help Spanish-speaking children learn English to build their literacy and vocabulary skills, while instructing school districts how to work with Spanish-speaking families in order for their children to excel academically: https://www.lecturabooks.com/professional-development/
• https://www.lecturabooks.com/product/house-literacy-elementary-collection” target=”_blank”>The House of Literacy Book Set – Available in Pre-School and Elementary levels, these collections contain of books are designed to help parents of ELLs read to their children in Spanish while providing an opportunity towards improving English language vocabulary skills. These sets encourage parental involvement in the English Language education of their children: https://www.lecturabooks.com/product/house-of-literacy-preschool-collection/

If you liked this blog, visit out our Facebook and Twitter page. We frequently post updated and relevant information related to ELLs.

References

https://www.lecturabooks.com/product/house-literacy-elementary-collection/

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/top-languages-spoken-english-language-learners-nationally-and-state

The post English Learner Programs and Resources in Virginia appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

State of Florida Informational Resources:

• Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/default.asp
• ELL Support Page: http://www.fldoe.org/aala/
• English Language Development Standards: https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx
• Florida ELL Database Handbook: http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7587/urlt/0064430-1314-ell-databaseprogramhandbook.pdf
• Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/t3sis/Florida.php
• Florida English Proficiency Assessment Standards: https://www.wida.us/assessment/ACCESS/

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• Central Florida TESOL – One of two Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages(TESOL) organizations in the state, dedicated to the advocacy and development of policies supporting equal opportunities for English Language Learners: http://www.centralfloridatesol.org/
• Sunshine State TESOL – The second advocacy group supporting educators in the development and implementation of language policy: http://sstesol.org/
• Florida Education Association – The Florida affiliate of the nationwide American Federation of Teachers which works to establish a standard for success and excellence for public schools throughout the state: https://feaweb.org/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English that uses a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project – A program that teaches parents how to read with their children, through developing routine reading habits that promote learning of English vocabulary together as a family outside the classroom. https://www.lecturabooks.com/parent-programs/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project Webinar Training: https://www.latinoliteracy.com/webinars/

If your school could benefit from ELL resources, Lectura Books offers award-winning bilingual books that can be used as a great teaching tool for English leaners.

If you liked this blog, visit out our Facebook and Twitter page. We frequently post updated and relevant information related to ELLs.

References

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/top-languages-spoken-english-language-learners-nationally-and-state

The post Helpful Resources for English Learners in Florida appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

The over 5 million ELLs in the U.S. live in every state. The Migration Policy Institute also states that one out of four children in California is an ELL student, and that California holds the highest number of ELL students out of any state, at 1.5 million. Other states with high ELL concentrations include Texas, New York, Arizona, Florida, and Illinois. States in the Midwest and Southeast have seen exponential growth in their ELL populations in the past ten years, including Indiana, South Carolina, Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky. While it has been and continues to be most common for ELLs to attend urban school systems, rural and suburban areas are serving more and more ELL students. According to Colorín Colorado, “Growth of immigrant populations can be tied to any number of factors. In the Midwest, for example, industries such as meat-processing plants have served as a catalyst for rapid increases in local communities.”

The ELL population growth trends are easily viewable in this Education Week Report, which shows a helpful map of where ELLs live with percentages for each state. It also shows that ELLs who speak Spanish as their native or home language make up 76.5 percent of the U.S. ELL population, with Arabic and Chinese next, both at 2.2 percent. It can take a student, on average, five to seven years to learn academic English. This rapidly growing ELL population calls for researched, creative, compassionate, and thorough responses from our nations’ educational curriculum and culture.

The Latino Family Literacy Project provides proven, cost-effective parent involvement programs and Webinar training for teachers to provide meaningful programs for English Learners.

The post Where are All the English Learners? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

You can view a list of NYC’s bilingual and ELL programs on the NYC DOE site.

One of the main challenges to the program has been finding teachers who are bilingual themselves, licensed, and qualified to teach bilingual classes. With the increased need for teachers, there is an increased need for salary funding, which the $1 million allocated for the new ELL programs in the state may not cover sufficiently. The New York Times shares that Milady Baez of the NYC Education Department says the city is planning to open more bilingual programs and spend $40 million in the next school year to do so. In order to bring on more teachers, both the city and state are working to recruit language teachers and help new teachers to become licensed. Unfortunately, current teachers who switch to English language specialist positions lose seniority within the teacher’s union, and this challenge is also in the midst of being addressed. The New York City’s English Language Learners Demographics Report, based on 2013-14 SY ELL Data, shows that “43.3% (or 423,189) of all NYCDOE students report speaking a language other than English at home.” This statistic highlights the importance of these rigorous English language instruction reforms in New York, and of overcoming the impediments to their fulfillment.

Lectura Books provides dual language books for teachers and parents to provide meaningful learning tools for English Learners at any grade level.

The post What are the New Rules for ELLs in NYC Schools? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

State of Washington Informational Resources:

• State of Washington Office of the Superintendent: http://www.k12.wa.us/
• State of Washington Migrant and Bilingual Education Office: http://www.k12.wa.us/Migrantbilingual/default.aspx
• ELL Assessment and Testing: http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/MSP.aspx
• Washington English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards: http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/ELD.aspx
• Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/t3sis/Washington.php

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• Washington State Parent Information Resource Center – This site provides parents with resources, training and education for families of at-risk children, and statewide information distribution: http://www.nationalpirc.org/directory/WA.html
• Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program (TBIP) – A component of Washington’s Basic Education Act, the TBIP is designed for developing language proficiency standards and resources for ELLs : http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/BilingualProgram.aspx
• Washington Association for the Education of Speakers of Other Languages (WAESOL) – State of Washington organization of educational professionals to promote and implement ESL instruction and research policies for ELLs in grades K-12 in the public school system: http://waesol.org/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project Professional Development Workshops: Both in-person and online workshops that comply with Title I and III Parent Involvement initiatives. Trains teachers and school staff to implement English proficiency programs for ELL families: https://www.lecturabooks.com/workshops/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English that uses a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/
• The House of Literacy Book Sets – Available in Pre-School and Elementary levels, these collections contain a set of six books each, designed to help parents of ELLs read to their children in Spanish while providing an outlet through which to practice and improve English vocabulary as well. These sets encourage parental involvement in the English Language education of their children: https://www.lecturabooks.com/product/house-of-literacy-preschool-collection/ or https://www.lecturabooks.com/product/house-literacy-elementary-collection/

If your school could benefit from an ELL program, Lectura Books offers award-winning bilingual books that can be used as a great teaching tool for English Leaners.

If you liked this blog, check out our Facebook and Twitter page to stay updated. We frequently post relevant information related to ELLs.

References

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/top-languages-spoken-english-language-learners-nationally-and-state

The post Links and Resources for English Language Learners in Washington appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Reading aloud also provides children with the ability to learn throughout the story. A child reading on his or her own may continue through the text without absorbing or comprehending what is on the page, which only serves to defeat the purpose. When the teacher reads aloud to the class, comments and explanations can be offered for difficult words or ideas right there on the spot. Through this method, the instructor may also encourage questions and group discussion about what has just been read aloud for a deeper understanding of the material.

Books are, in essence, a visual medium so employing additional visual aids either from the pages of the book itself or from outside resources can also foster a stronger, more effective learning experience. Using various media to dissect words, phrases, and concepts from the book, as it is being read aloud, makes for a more enjoyable way of gaining the knowledge that these students are seeking.

Lectura Books has exceptional bilingual children’s books that will encourage reading aloud. The bold illustrations feature many multicultural experiences that will engage the readers. The Latino Family Literacy Project is an award-winning curriculum for Parent Involvement and is published by Lectura Books. Teachers will learn a whole new framework for understanding how to work with Latino immigrant parents and will be provided with curriculum that is easy-to-follow and engaging to parents. Come join us for breakfast at a workshop, or join us right from your desktop on a live webinar workshop!

The post Reading Aloud to English Learners appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

For Latinos and other Hispanic immigrants, the concerns over incarceration, addiction, and economy are also exacerbated by another component that threatens the well-being of the family infrastructure – deportation. Immigration status has lead to a rise in the number of grandparents over the age of 55 who are left caring for their grandchildren due to their biological parents being sent out of the country. But these situations present the added potential obstacle of raising grandchildren without any tangible legal rights. Many grandparents are also undocumented, and they don’t attempt any sort of legal recourse toward custody because they are afraid it will put them in the cross-hairs of the federal government. So these relationships can be tenuous at best, putting at-risk children in more peril of being separated from their families in times of domestic crisis.

Family is the most important thing in our lives, especially to children who are too young to comprehend anything other than being with the people they love and with whom they’ve forged a bond. A stable home is the foundation for success in school. For children living with grandparents, they are already facing an uphill climb, not because their grandparents don’t love them, but because so many of these households have endured hardship to place the grandparents in these roles.

The Latino Family Literacy Project is not only a great program for parents but also for grandparents who are custodial parents.

The post Growing Family Trend: Grandparents Raising Children appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.