How might school closures result in a shift toward quality rather than quantity when educating our English learners and how can we sustain that effort moving forward? Why should empathy-building and perspective-taking be first and foremost when designing learning experiences for vulnerable student populations? How might we elevate the role of the EL Specialist while also bringing content teachers on board to serve English learners and their families?

We discuss these questions and more on this edition of our Reimagining EL Education series, featuring Sarah Ottow, Founder and Director of Confianza. Sarah has over twenty years of experience in teaching, training, and coaching for English language learner success. As a professional development specialist, her work focuses on improving cultural understanding, communication, and collaboration. She enjoys working in public and private schools, non-profit organizations, and corporations across the US and internationally, teaching learners from pre-K to adults. Sarah founded Confianza in 2015. 

Sarah is also the author of The Language Lens for Content Classrooms: A Guide for K-12 Educators of English and Academic Language Learners published by Learning Sciences International. You can find a variety of useful articles and blog posts on Confianza's blog.

For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit our Ellevation Distance Learning website.

On this episode of our Reimagining EL Education series, we reconnect with our friend Conor Willams of The Century Foundation to talk about finding a path toward a better future for English learners as a result of this crisis. While he acknowledges that no one has all the answers, Conor provides some powerful insight about the importance of taking a whole child approach to distance and brick and mortar education, the challenge of linguistic isolation as a result of social distancing, the value of strong social relationships, and more. 

In response to the many questions he was fielding from educators, advocates, and other stakeholders, Conor started an EL Virtual Learning online community of practice for educators, administrators, researchers, and policymakers to share ideas and best practices for supporting English Learners at a moment when many schools are closing.  If you are interested in joining the forum, please contact Conor via email at [email protected]. You can also follow him on Twitter at @conorpwilliams and find much of his work in The 74 Million. 

For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit the Ellevation Distance Learning website.

On this edition of our Reimagining EL Education series, we talk with Lori Villanueva, Superintendent of Coalinga-Huron Unified School District in California's Central Valley. 

She and her staff created an inspirational music video to share with students and families during school closures. The video has had a resounding effect on boosting morale, making connections, and keeping the lines of communication open in the school community. We also discuss what the future of EL education might look like in the face of learning loss, budget constraints, and technology challenges. Superintendent Villanueva points to strengthening partnerships with families and meeting students where they are as key elements of success moving forward. 

For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit our Ellevation Distance Learning website. 

On this edition of our Look for the Helpers series, we bring in Daniela Anello, Head of School at DC Public Charter School. Daniela talks about how her school is maintaining communication with the community they serve during the pandemic.  She also highlights why it is so important to embrace vulnerability and learn from mistakes during this time. Finally, she describes why the tenets of transparency, trust, and community are so important as we move through this crisis and beyond.

You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series. If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with the ELL Community, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.

On this edition of our Look for the Helpers series, we speak with Teri Fisch, an EL Specialist in Homer, Illinois. Teri talks with us about her plans to provide more visual interactions with her students via Zoom and other tools. We also discuss what the future may hold for EL educators, students, and families in her district and beyond as we move past this school closures. Finally, Teri highlights some of the positives she is observing - especially when it comes to independent student writing.  

You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series. If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with the ELL Community, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.

On this edition of our Look for the Helpers series, we speak with Ruben Diaz, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Parlier Unified School District, a rural community in the Central Valley of California. Parlier is an agricultural community with a high percentage of English learners. During our conversation, Ruben talks about why his district has taken a 2 tier approach to roll out distance learning, beginning with reading and writing before going to speaking and listening. We also highlight how Parlier created an efficient drive-through device pick up system, complete with translated agreement contracts and bar codes to scan letters and devices. Finally, we discuss how this disruption may cause positive changes in education moving forward.

You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series. If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with the ELL Community, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.

On this edition of our Look for the Helpers series, we bring in Sara Hamerla, Administrator of English Language Learners at Waltham Pubic Schools, just outside Boston, Massachusetts. During our conversation, we talk about how we might overcome challenges around keeping students engaged in conversations in a distance learning environment, how we might avoid the possibility of an extended summer slide for English learners, why this might be a good time for PD, and more.

You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series. If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with the ELL Community, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.

On this edition of our Look for the Helpers series, we speak with Richele Dunavent, an ELL Specialist in Henderson County, North Carolina. Henderson County is a rural district with a high population of English learners speaking a wide variety of languages. We discuss how Richele’s school is providing WiFi access, devices, and instructional materials to their English learners with an eye toward equity. We also highlight some positive developments, like how this crisis has resulted in increased communication with families and school- based teams.

You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series. If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with the ELL Community, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.  

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.

On this edition of our "Look for the Helpers" series, we speak with Hugo Cancel, a paraprofessional at Spring Lake Elementary School in Florida. Recognizing that paper-based packets that were being sent home during school closures were a good start, but not quite adequate to help students improve listening comprehension skills, Hugo began recording lessons and uploading them to YouTube. He has begun sending the videos directly to families with a private link so they can access the instructional materials they need. Hugo lives in the community he serves, and his passion for family and community engagement fuels the learning opportunities he is creating for his students during this crisis.

Hugo was also profiled for his outstanding work in the Orange observer "Influencer of the Week" series. You can find that article here.

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.

If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with fellow educators, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.  You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series.

On this edition of our "Look for the Helpers" series, we catch up with Juan Arroyo, a middle school bilingual math teacher in Union City, New Jersey. We talk about how Mr. Arroyo and others are working to provide equitable learning opportunities to all students, regardless of their language and socioeconomic status. We also highlight tools and strategies to engage students in blended and online learning activities that will continue to be useful, even when schools re-open.

For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning. 

If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with fellow educators, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.  You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series.