The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition has updated the English Language Learner Family Toolkit for teachers and families to use for guidance in meaningful family engagement.
Free toolkit– Available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic, and accessible as a mobile app for Android and iPhone – It covers a wide range of topics, from helping families understand the documents they need to enroll English language learners in schools to advising teachers on how to explain the importance of parent-teacher conferences and overcoming On language barriers that may prevent this type of participation. It’s called the EL Family Toolkit app in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and it’s developed by Manhattan Strategy Group.
“The research is very clear,” Melissa Castillo, a senior advisor at OELA, said in a webinar this month announcing the launch of the toolkit. “When our families and caregivers are more involved in their children’s education, we see that there are increases in positive academic outcomes as well as language outcomes.”
Here are some ideas about what the toolkit covers and why its resources are important.
How the toolkit can help teachers
Although intended as a resource for families and caregivers of the growing number of English language learners, OELA officials also view the toolkit as a guide for teachers working with these students.
Educators in this case are not limited to those who have specialized training in teaching English language learners.
“When we think about teachers, we think about everyone and anyone at the school site, at the district level, at the state level, and that really has a direct impact on the education of our students,” Castillo said. “So these are our teachers, these are our administrators, these are our paraprofessionals. These are our cafeteria workers, our parent liaisons, our supervisors, etc.
Officials at the OELA webinar emphasized the idea of shared responsibility regarding family engagement for English language learners. It’s a concept that researchers are investigating when it comes to teaching since not all general education teachers are adequately trained To better support English language learners. However, they can collaborate and co-teach with teachers of English language learners.
In the case of family involvement, OELA officials said families must know what their rights are and how the American education system works to be able to advocate for and participate in their children’s education. Likewise, teachers must understand the barriers families may face and how to address them whether they are rooted in language or cultural differences.
Each of the six independent chapters or sections of the toolkit provides suggested questions that families and caregivers of English learners should ask school staff. Teachers should be prepared to help answer them.
For example, one chapter of the toolkit explains to families how different assessments work and their purpose. Teachers are then also encouraged to think of ways to clearly explain assessment practices and purposes, recognizing that some families may not be familiar with how US assessments work, said Beatrice Ceja, OELA deputy assistant secretary.
Another chapter explains to families that their children can participate in extracurricular activities such as sports and student clubs and that there may be costs associated with participation. Teachers should help explain what their schools offer.
Why is guidance in the toolkit so important?
The toolkit will not only serve families and teachers. Organizations that support immigrants and English language learners, such as refugee resettlement agencies or local nonprofits, can also use it, Seaga said. For example, one chapter explains the differences between public charter schools and magnet schools. This is information these agencies can provide families as they decide where their children will go to school.
The toolkit generally covers information about enrolling in U.S. schools, services for students such as special education and bilingual programming, finding extracurricular activities for students, student health and safety at school, and helping students succeed in school, including informing families about opportunities. For advanced level courses and gifted and talented programs.
When enrolling new students in the United States with low English proficiency, researchers have found it helpful for state education agencies to provide guidance to districts. The Family Toolkit serves as another resource.
“The essential first step is to inform our families that the kit is available,” Castillo said.