Engaging English Learners and Families through Distance Learning

Family and community engagement is an essential part of student success. With COVID-19 related school closures and the transition to distance learning, many schools are working to sustain engagement with English learner (EL) families and communities, and to ensure two-way communication to build school and community capacity.

In this podcast Maha Abdelkader, an Education Program Specialist from the Office of English Language Acquisition, speaks with Gabriela Uro from Council of Great City Schools and with Shelly Spiegel-Coleman from Californians Together about best practices and examples for continuous EL family and community engagement in the current remote environment.

• Engaging English Learners and Families through Distance Learning Podcast (Listen on Soundcloud)
• Engaging English Learners and Families through Distance Learning Transcript (Coming soon!)

Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field – Part 1

An important topic in English learner (EL) education is how ELs who are students with interrupted formal education, or SIFE, often face many serious challenges when attending school in the United States. Their educators also often encounter difficulties in meeting SIFE’s needs. Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field is a two-part discussion hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA).

In part one, Francisco Lopez, an Education Program Specialist from OELA, speaks with Dr. Margarita Calderon, professor Emerita at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Calderon describes her research on ELs who are SIFE and provides information to educators on research-based best practices for supporting this population of students.

• Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field – Part 1 Podcast (Listen on SoundCloud)
• Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field – Part 1 Podcast Transcript

Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field – Part 2

An important topic in English learner (EL) education is how ELs who are students with interrupted formal education, or SIFE, often face many serious challenges when attending school in the United States. Their educators also often encounter difficulties in meeting SIFE’s needs. Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field is a two-part discussion hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA).

In part two, Francisco Lopez, an Education Program Specialist from OELA, talks with Teresa Vignaroli, an English Learners Supervisor from Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, about practical considerations and the day-to-day programming involved with serving ELs who are SIFE.

• Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field – Part 2 Podcast (Listen on SoundCloud)
• Supporting ELs with Interrupted Formal Education: Research and Practices from the Field – Part 2 Podcast Transcript

Integrating Language While Teaching STEM (Science)

The NCELA Teaching Practice Brief Effective instructional practices, examples, and practice shifts for science and engineering teachers highlights promising practices related to science and engineering instruction for educators and other staff who support English learners (ELs) and their families. This brief draws upon recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2018 report titled English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives.

The podcast, featuring Elizabeth Judd, an Education Program Specialist at OELA and Martha Castellón Palacios, Senior Program Associate at WestEd, further explores the five key practices presented in the brief.

• NCELA Teaching Practice Brief – Effective instructional practices, examples, and practice shifts for science and engineering teachers
• Science Teaching Brief Podcast (Listen on SoundCloud)
• Science Teaching Brief Podcast Transcript

Integrating Language into Early Childhood Education

This teaching brief draws upon recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures. The brief highlights some promising instructional practices that are relevant and important for teachers of young children ages 3-7 who are identified as dual language learners or English learners.

The podcast, featuring Celeste McLaughlin, NAM Team Lead and Grants Management Coordinator at OELA and Dr. Pamela Spycher, Senior Research Associate at WestEd, explores the four key practices presented in the brief: Embracing an assets orientation, promoting multilingual development, providing frequent interaction with complex texts, and teaching foundational literacy skills.

• NCELA Teaching Practice Brief – Effective instructional practices, examples, and practice shifts for early childhood education teachers
• Early Childhood Teaching Brief Podcast (Listen on SoundCloud)
• Early Childhood Teaching Brief Podcast Transcript

Integrating Language While Teaching STEM (Math)

• NCELA Teaching Practice Brief – Effective instructional practices, examples, and practice shifts for math teachers
• Math Teaching Brief Podcast

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