Introduction
Content developed by Molly Faulkner-Bond, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, WestEd and Jennifer Himmel, Project Director, National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA), Manhattan Strategy Group
Students classified as English Learners are about to face another unprecedented school year. They are among the student groups most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic—touched by the digital divide, hindered by reduced opportunities to engage in core content, and isolated from support services they depend upon. Yet these resilient students can rebound with the right support and assistance from the schools they depend on.
The National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC) is here to help. This asynchronous learning experience is designed to help charter schools reflect upon how they are transitioning EL students back to in-person learning. Combined with English Learners in Charter Schools: Part 1 in this series, this resource offers expert advice and ground-level guidance to help ELs flourish academically through rigorous in-person instruction, supportive learning environments, and ongoing family engagement. It concludes with two podcasts that share tips and ideas from schools experiencing notable academic gains with the EL students.
The two podcast episodes feature staff members from Uplift Education and Family Life Academy Charter Schools discussing their EL programs—from how they support their teachers to how they engage with EL families. You’ll leave these podcasts feeling inspired with great ideas on new ways to serve ELs in your school. The podcasts are facilitated by Stephanie Jones, supervisor of the U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (CMO Grants) and CSP Grants to Charter School Developers for the Opening of New Charter Schools and for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (Developer Grants).
Module #1: Transitioning Back to In-Person Learning
Module #2: Setting Up Processes and Systems to Serve ELs in Charter Schools
Module #3: Family Engagement: From Recruitment to Ongoing Engagement
Podcast: Interview with Uplift Education’s Stephanie Aughinbaugh, Senior Director of Academic Support
Podcast: Interview with Family Life Academy Charter School’s Andrea Chen, Curriculum Specialist
We’d love to know what you think of this learning module. Please share your feedback via our survey, including your thoughts on additional resources to help you better serve English Learners in your community.
Module #1: Transitioning Back to In-Person Learning
At the end of this learning module, you should understand:
- Lessons learned from serving students classified as ELs throughout the pandemic
- Ways to translate new practices to in-person instruction
- Methods to assess and transition students upon their return to in-person instruction
- Ideas on how to help EL students and families adjust to in-person learning
Additional Resources:
Leading for School Improvement: A School Leader’s Post-COVID Checklist to Close Opportunity Gaps for ELs (Webinar Recording)
NCELA: English Learners in Secondary Schools: Trajectories, Transition Points, and Promising Practices (Webinar Recording)
NCELA: Teacher Collaboration: Aligning Content and Language Instruction (Webinar Recording)
NCELA: Back to School – Aligning Structural and Instructional Practices to Promote English Learner Success During the 2020–21 School Year (Webinar Recording)
NCELA: Teacher Resources
NCELA: EL Family Toolkit
NCELA: English Learner Toolkit
REL Pacific/Institute of Education Sciences: Five Steps to Structuring Data-Informed Conversations and Action in Education
REL Pacific/Institute of Education Sciences: Including Voices in Education
WIDA: Collaboration: Working Together to Serve Multilingual Learners
Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium: Reopening Schools During COVID-19
Learning for Justice: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus
WestEd: Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 through Summer Learning and Enrichment
CDC: How Do I Set Up My Classroom? A Quick Guide for Teachers
Annenberg Institute: Supports for Students Who are English Learners
Annenberg Institute: Supports for Students Who are English Learners
U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Handbook: Volume 1 - Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools
U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Handbook: Volume 2 - Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs
Module #2: Setting Up Processes and Systems to Serve ELs in Charter Schools
At the end of this learning module, you should understand:
- How to conduct the EL student intake process
- How to take action on EL student intake data
- Ideas to help your school better serve its EL student population
Additional Resources
Council of Chief State School Officers: Reprising the Home Language Survey: Summary of a National Working Session on Policies, Practices, and Tools for Identifying Potential English Learners
National Center for Research on Gifted Education: 15 Tips for Identifying Gifted EL Students
Institute of Education Sciences: Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School
Council of the Great City Schools: English Language Learner Resources
Center City Public Charter School: Examples of English Learner Plans
NCSRC: How Charter Schools Can Leverage Community Assets through Partnerships
Module #3: Family Engagement: From Recruitment to Ongoing Engagement
At the end of this learning module, you should understand:
- The importance of engaging with EL student families
- Concrete ideas to implement within your own schools
- A process for creating and sustaining meaningful engagement with EL families
Additional Resources
NCSRC: Planning for Family Engagement in the Charter School Life Cycle: A Toolkit for School Leaders
NCSRC: How Charter Schools Can Leverage Community Assets Through Partnerships
NCELA: Chapter 10 of the English Learner Toolkit
Institute on Community Integration: Working with Language Interpreters: Information for Principals
Colorín Colorado: Making Your First ELL Home Visit: A Guide for Classroom Teachers
Back to Top
Podcast #1: Interview with Uplift Education’s Stephanie Aughinbaugh, Senior Director of Academic Support
For more information about Uplift Education, visit the school’s website.
Podcast #2: Interview with Family Life Academy Charter School’s Andrea Chen, Curriculum Specialist
For more information about Family Life Academy Charter School (FLACSA), visit the school’s website.
Acknowledgements
NCSRC would like to thank Molly Faulkner-Bond, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, WestEd, and Jennifer Himmel, Project Director, National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA), Manhattan Strategy Group, for lending their expertise and knowledge to this project. We also extend our gratitude to Alicia Passante, ESL Program Manager, Center City Public Charter Schools, and Maria Paredes, Ed.D., Senior Engagement Manager, WestEd, for their thoughtful review of this learning module as experts in serving students classified as English Learners. Finally, our deepest thanks to Stephanie Aughinbaugh, Senior Director of Academic Support, Uplift Education, Andrea Chen, Curriculum Specialist, Family Life Academy Charter School, and their teams at Uplift Education and FLACS for generously giving their time to this project, and for their tremendous work supporting English Learners in their communities.