When At-Deportation-Rish Students Feel Like Giving Up

For many immigrant high school students, fear and uncertainty about their future can lead to disengagement from school, relationships, and goals. When students believe that their immigration status determines their entire future, they may check out emotionally and academically.

💬 “What’s the point? I won’t be able to go to college anyway.”
💬 “I’m going to get deported. Why even try?”
💬 “My family’s case is hopeless. Nothing matters anymore.”
💬 “Can ICE come to our school?”
💬 “What will happen if my family is detained? How will I find them if we’re separated?”
💬 “What if my parents lose their jobs because they’re afraid to go to work?”

These thoughts stem from deep anxiety, exhaustion, and uncertainty. When students feel powerless, withdrawing can seem like the only option.

How Schools Can Help Students Reconnect & Reclaim Hope

Students need real, tangible reasons to stay engaged, but they also need validation, support, and a sense of control over their own lives. Educators and mentors can help by focusing on small, meaningful steps rather than overwhelming, long-term goals. In high school, we’re past tiptoeing around the uncomfortable truths that face many students’ families. The fuzzy-warm semi-sheltering elementary approach isn’t going to cut it. Our students know what’s going on. And they’re searching for genuine answers and comfort…from you, you superhero connection-builder of a teacher. For better or worse, you are the one. Students continue to show up because they feel safe with you. And that’s something! (Now, don’t forget the self care, please. The secondary trauma load is real.)

1. Validate Feelings Without Offering False Hope

Instead of dismissing their concerns or saying “Everything will be fine,” try:

• “I hear you. It makes sense that this feels overwhelming.”

• “You’re not alone in this, and I care about you.”

• “We may not have all the answers, but we can figure out next steps together.”

📌 Why It Works: Students need stability and connection more than empty reassurances. Acknowledging their reality builds trust.

2. Shift Focus to Small, Achievable Goals

Big future plans (college, careers, legal status changes) may feel impossible, but small wins create momentum:

• “What’s one thing you can control today?” (e.g., finishing an assignment, attending one class)

• “What’s something that interests you outside of school?” (e.g., music, sports, art—help them reconnect with joy)

• “Let’s focus on what’s possible right now.” (e.g., scholarships, trade programs, alternative pathways)

📌 Why It Works: Feeling in control of small choices can help students regain confidence in their ability to shape their own future.

3. Share Real-Life Examples of Resilience

Students need proof that people in similar situations have found success:

• Guest speakers: DACA recipients, undocumented college graduates, young entrepreneurs. (Need recommendations for AMAZING speakers in our community? Reach out!)

• Stories of resilience: Students who navigated legal uncertainty but still built fulfilling lives.

• Pathway alternatives: Trade schools, certification programs, work opportunities beyond traditional college routes.

📌 Why It Works: Seeing someone who overcame similar struggles offers tangible hope.

4. Build Purpose & Connection Beyond Legal Status

Students need to feel that they matter, regardless of their documentation status:

• Create peer support groups where students can share experiences and feel less alone.

• Encourage leadership, volunteering, or creative projects—help students discover their strengths.

• Offer mentorship programs where students connect with trusted adults.

📌 Why It Works: When students see they are more than their legal status, they start envisioning a future beyond their current fears.

5. Offer Scripts & Responses to Common Student Concerns…Then Direct to the School-Based Point Person for Specific Tools, Resources, and Community Connections

Students may ask difficult questions. Here’s how educators can respond:

💬 Student: “Can ICE come to our school?”

🔹 Response: “Schools are considered safe spaces, and immigration officers are not allowed to enter without special legal permissions. Our district follows strict privacy laws to protect students.”

💬 Student: “What will happen if my family is detained? How will I find them if we’re separated?”

🔹 Response: “That’s a really tough thing to think about, and I want you to know you’re not alone. There are organizations that can help families in these situations. Would you like me to connect you with resources?”

💬 Student: “What if my parents lose their jobs because they’re afraid to go to work?”

🔹 Response: “That’s a difficult reality, but there are community groups that offer assistance with food, housing, and even legal support for work-related concerns. Let’s look into what’s available together.”

💬 Student: “I don’t care about school. I won’t be here much longer anyway.”

🔹 Response: “I hear you. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that you deserve options. I want to help you find what feels right for you. Can we start with just one step?”

💬 Student: “It’s over for me. My family’s case is hopeless.”

🔹 Response: “That’s a lot to carry. You don’t have to figure this all out today. But I know you matter, your dreams matter, and I’ll stand with you to explore what’s possible.”

💬 Student: “I can’t go to college. What’s the point?”

🔹 Response: “College isn’t the only path, and you have more options than you may realize. Have you ever thought about [trade programs, scholarships, entrepreneurship]? I’d love to help you explore what’s out there.”

📌 Why It Works: These responses validate students’ concerns while offering realistic, practical next steps.

Final Thought: Connection First, Solutions Second

Students who feel disconnected don’t need immediate solutions—they need presence, patience, and someone who sees them beyond their legal status. When schools create trust, small victories, and a sense of belonging, students are more likely to re-engage with their future.

📢 What Schools Can Do Today:
✔ Share sample scripts and strategies with teachers- or create your own that reflect the culture and realities at your school site.
✔ Create safe spaces for students to express concerns.
✔ Bring in community mentors and success stories to inspire hope.
✔ Provide mental health support and culturally responsive counseling.

When students believe they are more than their immigration status, they can start seeing a future worth fighting for.

How Immigration Fears Impact School Attendance (And What Schools Can Do)

The Growing Concern: Immigration Fears & Student Absences

Across the country, school districts are reporting an increase in student absenteeism linked to immigration-related fears. Families who fear detention or deportation may keep their children home, leading to missed learning opportunities, lower academic performance, and decreased trust in schools. In some areas, attendance drops have been directly linked to heightened immigration enforcement activity.

For educators and administrators, this presents a serious challenge: How do we ensure that fear does not become a barrier to education?

Why Are Families Keeping Children Home?

Immigrant families cite several key reasons for school absences:
✅ Fear of ICE Enforcement – Families worry about arrests at or near schools.
✅ Misinformation & Rumors – Social media and word-of-mouth can spread fear, even when no immediate threat exists.
✅ Concerns About School Data Sharing – Some families worry that schools might disclose student or family information.
✅ Emotional Distress & Anxiety – Children who experience fear and uncertainty may struggle to focus and may prefer staying home.

Best Practices: How Schools Can Support Attendance & Reduce Fear

1. Reinforce Schools as Safe Spaces

• Issue public statements confirming that all students have the right to attend school (Plyler v. Doe, 1982) and that district staff are committed (and legally bound) to ensure data privacy for all students and families (FERPA)

• Clarify that ICE is not permitted on school grounds without a judicial warrant.

• Display multilingual “Safe Zone” signs reassuring families of school policies.

• Ensure that appropriate chains-of-command are in place should immigration law enforcement approach the school (e.g. agents wait in a designated area and share documentation with the site administrator, administrator processes the presented document through district legal to determine validity of judicial warrant and next course of action). If a plan of action is in place, communicate this fact with families.

• Work with families to ensure that student files are up-to-date, including additional trusted contacts of care for children.

• Invite families to connect with school/district cultural and community liaisons to share family preparedness plans, which may include, among other details, information about a child’s medications and mental/physical health needs.

• Partner with local community, advocacy, and legal organizations to build and participate in a wrap-around network of supports for immigrant families. 

2. Strengthen Communication & Transparency

• Provide real-time updates in multiple languages to dispel rumors and misinformation.

• Train school staff, especially front office personnel, on how to respond to family concerns with clarity and empathy.

• Utilize trusted communication channels like WhatsApp, cultural liaisons, and parent networks.

3. Offer Flexible Learning Solutions

• Allow excused absences for students impacted by immigration-related concerns.

• Provide secure online learning options or asynchronous assignments for students unable to attend in person.

• Partner with local libraries, community centers, and cultural organizations to create alternative learning spaces.

4. Reduce Visible Law Enforcement Presence at Schools

• Ensure that students and families recognize the difference between School Resource Officers (SROs) and immigration law enforcement officers.

• Minimize police vehicle presence at school entrances, which may create additional anxiety for families.

• Advocate for district policies that prevent cooperation with immigration enforcement without legal authorization.

5. Provide Emotional & Mental Health Support

• Train counselors and social workers in trauma-informed care for students affected by immigration fears.

• Establish peer-led support groups where immigrant students can share experiences in a safe space.

• Connect families with community mental health services that understand immigration-related anxiety.

Taking Action: Schools Can Make a Difference

When schools take proactive steps to support immigrant families, attendance rates improve, student well-being increases, and trust within the community strengthens. By combining clear communication, legal protections, mental health resources, and alternative learning options, schools can ensure that fear never stands in the way of a child’s education.

What can your school do today? Share this information with your staff, update your policies, and commit to making every student feel safe and welcome.

#schools #education #immigration #outofstatus #safeschools #learningforall #ferpa #rights #administration

Schools as Safe Zones: What Families Need to Know

Understanding the Right to Education

All children in the United States—regardless of immigration status—have the right to a free public education. This protection was established under the landmark Supreme Court ruling Plyler v. Doe (1982), ensuring that undocumented children cannot be denied access to public schooling.

What this means for families:

• Schools cannot ask for proof of citizenship or immigration status for enrollment.

• Students cannot be barred from school or reported to immigration authorities based on status.

• Schools must provide access to programs, including free/reduced lunch and English language services, without discrimination.

Why Schools Are Protected Spaces

Schools have historically been considered sensitive locations by federal immigration authorities, meaning enforcement actions (such as arrests or questioning) should not take place in or around school grounds. We often hear this in context with the 4th Amendment, which provides protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. School locations include:

• School buildings and classrooms

• School bus stops and routes

• School-related events, such as parent-teacher conferences or after-school programs

While policies have changed under the new administration, many districts and schools have pushed back, ensuring that some 4th Amendment protections remain in place. Namely, a district or school may refuse entry and/or student contact if immigration agents fail to provide a signed judicial warrant.  

Communicating with School Staff About Safety Concerns

Many families worry about sharing information with schools, especially when immigration enforcement increases. It’s important to understand:

• Student records are protected under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) – schools cannot share personal student information with federal agencies without consent or a legal order.

• Families should identify trusted school contacts—such as a counselor, bilingual liaison, or administrator—who can answer questions confidentially.

• Schools should have protocols in place to protect students in case of law enforcement inquiries. Families can ask administrators about these procedures.

What Families Can Do If They Feel Unsafe

If a family has concerns about their safety while sending their child to school, they can take the following steps:

1. Know your rights – Organizations such as the ACLU and NILC offer multilingual resources on legal protections. We offer them here on our website and in-office as well!

2. Connect with advocacy groups – Many community organizations provide legal assistance and school support services. DiversifiED can also help you connect to the right resources.

3. Stay informed – Changes in immigration policy can affect school protections, so staying connected to local immigrant advocacy networks is essential.

4. Develop a family preparedness plan – Identify emergency contacts and ensure children know what to do if a parent is detained.

Actionable Resource: School Safety Checklist for Families

To help families navigate concerns, we’ve created a School Safety Checklist that includes: 

✔ How to communicate with school staff about safety concerns
✔ Questions to ask about school policies and privacy protections
✔ Key contacts in case of an emergency
✔ Information on legal rights related to school enrollment

[Download the School Safety Checklist Here] 

By understanding their rights and taking proactive steps, families can ensure that schools remain safe, supportive places for their children’s education, no matter their immigration status.

Las escuelas como zonas seguras: lo que las familias necesitan saber

Comprender el derecho a la educación

Todos los niños en los Estados Unidos—independientemente de su estatus migratorio—tienen derecho a una educación pública gratuita. Esta protección se estableció en virtud del histórico fallo de la Corte Suprema Plyler contra Doe (1982), garantizando que a los niños indocumentados no se les pueda negar el acceso a la educación pública.

Qué significa esto para las familias:

• Las escuelas no pueden solicitar prueba de ciudadanía o estatus migratorio para la inscripción.

• A los estudiantes no se les puede excluir de la escuela ni reportarlos a las autoridades de inmigración según su estatus.

• Las escuelas deben brindar acceso a programas, incluidos almuerzos gratuitos o a precio reducido y servicios de idioma inglés, sin discriminación.

Por qué las escuelas son espacios protegidos

Históricamente las escuelas han sido consideradas ubicaciones sensibles por autoridades federales de inmigración, lo que significa que las acciones de cumplimiento (como arrestos o interrogatorios) no deben llevarse a cabo dentro o alrededor de los terrenos escolares. A menudo escuchamos esto en el contexto de la Cuarta Enmienda, que brinda protección contra registros e incautaciones irrazonables. Las ubicaciones de las escuelas incluyen:

• Edificios escolares y aulas.

• Paradas y rutas de autobús escolar

• Eventos relacionados con la escuela, como conferencias de padres y maestros o programas extraescolares

Si bien las políticas han cambiado bajo la nueva administración, muchos distritos y escuelas han retrocedido, asegurando que algunas protecciones de la Cuarta Enmienda sigan vigentes. Es decir, un distrito o escuela puede negar la entrada y/o el contacto con los estudiantes si los agentes de inmigración no presentan una orden judicial firmada.  

Comunicarse con el personal de la escuela sobre inquietudes de seguridad

Muchas familias se preocupan por compartir información con las escuelas, especialmente cuando aumentan las medidas de inmigración. Es importante entender:

• Los registros de los estudiantes están protegidos bajo FERPA (Ley de Privacidad y Derechos Educativos de la Familia) – las escuelas no pueden compartir información personal de los estudiantes con agencias federales sin consentimiento o una orden legal.

• Las familias deberían identificar contactos escolares de confianza—como un consejero, un enlace bilingüe o un administrador—que pueda responder preguntas de forma confidencial.

• Las escuelas deberían tener protocolos establecidos para proteger a los estudiantes en caso de investigaciones policiales. Las familias pueden preguntar a los administradores sobre estos procedimientos.

Qué pueden hacer las familias si se sienten inseguras

Si una familia tiene preocupaciones sobre su seguridad mientras envía a su hijo a la escuela, puede tomar las siguientes medidas:

1. Conoce tus derechos – Organizaciones como ACLU y NILC ofrecen recursos multilingües sobre protecciones legales. ¡Los ofrecemos aquí en nuestro sitio web y también en la oficina!

2. Conéctese con grupos de defensa – Muchas organizaciones comunitarias brindan asistencia legal y servicios de apoyo escolar. DiversifiED también puede ayudarle a conectarse con los recursos adecuados.

3. Mantente informado – Los cambios en la política de inmigración pueden afectar la protección de las escuelas, por lo que mantenerse conectado con las redes locales de defensa de los inmigrantes es esencial.

4. Desarrollar un plan de preparación familiar – Identifique contactos de emergencia y asegúrese de que los niños sepan qué hacer si uno de sus padres es detenido.

Recurso procesable: Lista de verificación de seguridad escolar para familias

Para ayudar a las familias a resolver sus inquietudes, hemos creado un Lista de verificación de seguridad escolar que incluye: 

✔ Cómo comunicarse con el personal de la escuela sobre inquietudes de seguridad
✔ Preguntas para hacer sobre las políticas escolares y las protecciones de privacidad
✔ Contactos clave en caso de una emergencia
✔ Información sobre derechos legales relacionados con la matrícula escolar

[Descargue la lista de verificación de seguridad escolar aquí] 

Al comprender sus derechos y tomar medidas proactivas, las familias pueden garantizar que las escuelas sigan siendo lugares seguros y de apoyo para la educación de sus hijos, sin importar su estatus migratorio.

Mass Deportation Threats and Immigration Anxiety in the Classroom: An Overview

Context: What’s Happening?

A growing cloud of fear and anxiety is hanging over the heads of many immigrant communities across the United States right now. With a president-elect making promises to enact mass deportations, nullify birthright citizenship, and invoke the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (the same authority that was used to justify the internment of 120,000 Japanese-Americans during WWII), the alarm bells are ringing far beyond undocumented factions of newcomers and causing unease amongst longtime residents and even some naturalized US citizens who may find themselves facing uncertainty and discrimination as well. 

While not all campaign promises end up being actualized, the mere threat of deportation and detention can have devastating impacts on children’s day-to-day lives. Some even carry the uncertainty that attending school will somehow reveal or draw attention to their family’s immigration status. 

With a moral obligation to serve the local families and legal deference to state and government oversight, educators often find themselves caught in the crosshairs between abstract political policy and the real-life consequences of shifting national ideologies. However, teachers and school personnel who are well-informed on the civil landscape and its impact on their students and classrooms are more empowered and capable of creating supportive, reassuring environments even in times of heightened stress. For this reason, we’ve created an abbreviated overview and compilation of resources for what educators need to know about supporting students and families through the promises of mass deportation. 

Understanding Immigration Uncertainty

Losing a Family Member to Deportation or Detention-

Unsurprisingly, the loss of a family member to detention or deportation can be absolutely devastating to a family.  Children who experience this type of loss are at an increased risk of physical and mental health concerns such as:

• loss of appetite

• sleep disorders and nightmares

• social withdrawal

• clinginess

• crying

• anger and aggression

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• separation anxiety 

• and more. 

Families are also more likely to experience financial and/or housing instability after the detention or deportation of a family member and children may subsequently demonstrate a decline in academic performance. 

The Stress of the Threat-

Deportation-related stress does not only impact those who have experienced the deportation or detention of a family member and does not solely affect the undocumented community. “Research suggests that children who are aware of the threat of deportation or who have undocumented parents have higher levels of fear and anxiety, as well as disrupted sleeping and eating” (3). Living with the threat of deportation can also lead to interrupted education such as missing school or changing schools and is often reflected in a decreased academic performance. 

In the News Now-

As of 2024, an estimated 4.7 million households in the United States are defined as “mixed immigration status,” meaning that at least one resident in the home is of undocumented status and at least one resident is either a citizen or noncitizen resident. 

In addition to living with the risk of losing a family member to immigration enforcement, legal residents’ and citizens' right to stay stateside was recently threatened when the president elect made the statement, "The only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back." While there has been no clear plan for how the upcoming administration would go about deporting U.S. citizens, it raises concern for those in mixed status families around the country and continues to feed the atmosphere of instability and anxiety. 

Basic Protections and the Role of Schools

Constitutional Protections

Because many parts of the US Constitution opt to use the term “people” or “person” instead of “citizen,” it is determined that US Constitutional rights apply to anyone physically on U.S. soil, citizen or not. This means that legally, undocumented immigrants should be protected against unreasonable searches and seizures (4th Amendment), be granted the right to due process (5th Amendment), and have the right to legal representation in criminal prosecution (6th Amendment). 

You can read more about how these rights work in practice here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-constitutional-rights-do-undocumented-immigrants-have 

Plyer vs. Doe

While there is no constitutional “right to an education,” the 1981 case of Plyler vs. Doe deemed that all children on US soil, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a free, public education. This is granted by the 14th Amendment which deems no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Additionally, as a result of this ruling, schools may NOT: 

1. Treat a student differently to determine residency.

2. Engage in any practices to "chill" the right of access to school.

3. Require students or parents to disclose or document their immigration status.

4. Make inquiries of students or parents that may expose their undocumented status.

5. Require social security numbers from all students, as this may expose undocumented status. (Adults without social security numbers who are applying for a free lunch and/or breakfast program on behalf of a student simply indicate on the application that they do not have a social security number (4).

ICE at School

The Department of Homeland Security has deemed schools, as well as marked school bus stops and education related activities and events to be, “sensitive locations,” meaning that immigration enforcement actions are discouraged from taking place in these spaces and only allowed to do so in limited circumstances. If ICE does come to the school asking for access to student records or for students themselves, they are required to have a valid court order or subpoena in compliance with FERPA or immigration laws or regulations.  

In this event, school administration should ask the ICE personnel to identify the legal basis of their request. Unless there is a legally mandated basis (such as a crime) for their actions, they should not be permitted access to such student information. Additionally, a school district’s attorney may review the subpoena in order to determine if it is sufficient to warrant FERPA exceptions and to ensure that the school complies with ICE’s subpoena to the extent as is required by law.  

If you need a reminder, FERPA protections are granted by a federal law that requires school districts to maintain the confidentiality of “all personally identifiable information in education records related to students.” This includes everything from emails, students files, personnel information, and federal standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT (although the tests' optional data, such as race, gender and SSN, is often sold to private education companies).  Additionally, School Resource Officers (SROs) are not required to report undocumented students. In fact, it’s important to note that the state of Colorado prohibits local police officers from arresting or detaining a person due to a civil immigration detainer. Immigration enforcement must be done by federal officers (2). 

While there are some limited exceptions to FERPA protections, they generally do not apply unless a student has engaged in dangerous or violent activity. You can read more about the protections and limitations of FERPA here: https://www.copaa.org/page/ICE_in_School 

Creating Safety in the Classroom*

As educators, we want to feel prepared and empowered when navigating situations that could potentially impact our students and create anxiety in our communities while cautious not to catastrophize or project our own fear into the mix. There are many small changes we can make immediately to show support for undocumented or mixed status families such as:

• Making printed, multilingual resources easily available for students to discretely take home

• Identifying yourself as a supporter through visible posters, tee-shirts, bookmarks, and stickers. 

• Being intentional with your language. Avoid terms like “alien” or “illegal immigration.”

• Additionally, you can lead compassionate group discussions around immigration by watching and sharing stories, videos, and creative works by undocumented such as: immigrantsrising.org/stories and thingsillneversay.org. 

While these supports can be beneficial to all students, remember to keep an eye out for students who may be particularly vulnerable to threats of immigration enforcement. Students needing additional support and attention may be displaying signs of emotional distress and instability.

In younger children, be on the lookout for:

• Fussiness or tantrums: Young children can become overwhelmed by complex feelings such as loss and fear. A tantrum is a sign that they need you to help them calm down.  

• Themes of sadness and loss in drawings, writings, or forms of play.

Older children may display anger and sadness through:

• Poor school performance, or decreased motivation

• Social withdrawal and/or increased peer conflict

• Increased absenteeism and school avoidance 

• Increased physical complaints: stomach aches, headaches, etc.

If you notice a student experiencing these behaviors, be proactive in offering them aid and assistance. Of course, trust takes time and not all students will feel comfortable coming to you for support and that’s okay. If they do, remember to listen attentively without judgement and make it clear that you are on their team. Try to answer questions clearly and simply; if you don’t know the answer to a question, make a plan to find the answers together. 

Remember: Students cannot learn if they don’t feel safe, so don’t be afraid to carve out time for these important discussions. 

*NOTE: Be sure to familiarize yourself with your district’s guidelines and regulations around what rhetoric is allowed in the classroom. As political pressures increase, some districts are enacting strict policies to discourage dialogue between staff and students. Protect yourself from administrative retribution by following district direction, you are most helpful to your students when you are able to be there with them. 

Works Cited

1. Capps, Randy, et al. Implications of Immigration Enforcement Activities for the Well- Being of Children in Immigrant Families a Review of the Literature. 2015.

2. CIRC Communications. “Colorado’s Teller County Sheriff’s Contract with ICE Is Ruled Unlawful — Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.” Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, 3 July 2024, coloradoimmigrant.org/colorados-teller-county-sheriffs-agreement-with-ice-is-ruled-unlawful-in-recent-court-of-appeals-decision/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

3. Edwards, Lisa, and Jacki Black. Stress Related to Immigration Status in Students: A Brief Guide for Schools the Context of Immigration Stress.

4. “Immigrant Student’s Rights to Attend Public Schools | OSPI.” Ospi.k12.Wa.us, ospi.k12.wa.us/policy-funding/equity-and-civil-rights/immigrant-students-rights-attend-public-schools.

5. Lotz, Avery. “Trump Suggests Deporting Families with Mixed Immigration Status.” Axios, 8 Dec. 2024, www.axios.com/2024/12/08/trump-immigration-deportation-us-citizens.

6. “Resource Library: Rights of Teachers & Undocumented Students - Informed Immigrant.” Informed Immigrant, 2024, www.informedimmigrant.com/resources/undocumented-students/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

7. Will ICE Agents Come to My School? Will ICE Agents Stop Me in School Spaces or at School Events? Can ICE Take Me off of School Grounds? What Should I Do If an ICE Agent Approaches Me at School?

Diverse Books Review Series- Wishes + Wherever I Go

A very special thanks to I’m Your Neighbor Books for making these texts available for review.

Looking for ways to incorporate diverse books into your library or classroom programming?

Visit https://imyourneighborbooks.org/ for valuable tools, resources, projects, and book searches.

While you’re there, be sure to check out The Welcoming Library, a pop-up community conversation on immigration.

Title: Wishes

by Mu’o’n Thi Van & Victo Ngai

Empathy is a pillar of social-emotional learning.  And it’s more important now than at any other time in our collective history.  Wishes, by Mu’o’on Thi Van is an experience in empathy and human connectedness from its first page to its last.

This powerful early reader grabs you in its first moments.  Victor Ngai’s beautifully rich illustrations wrap the text in a blanket of emotional imagery. 

The night wished it was quieter. The bag wished it was deeper.   

The story illuminates the realities of human migration as it takes readers along a path of goodbyes, uncertainties, and ultimately, hope.  The writing takes on the lens of various elements along the journey- the path that wished it was shorter, the boat that wished it was bigger, the heart that wished it was stronger.  

Incredibly, Mu’o’on Thi Van makes tough content digestible for young readers, but that also leaves space for open-ended questions, critical text connections, and constructive upper-grade conversations. 

I can simultaneously imagine this book as a first-grade read-aloud, as part of a second-grade lesson on personification, as the bones for a fourth-grade art study, as a middle school drama reconstruction, and as the foundation for a high school essay.  And I’m definitely purchasing a copy for our children’s bookshelf at home. 

Through its meticulously detailed artwork and profoundly simple text, Wishes is a very natural practice in empathy.  It unassumingly invites readers to exercise muscles of understanding, connection, and inclusivity.  For many young folks, I expect that it will also light a fire of curiosity, if not deliberate activism.  

If you’re searching for a text that dives into the refugee experience while maintaining a lens on the human story, Wishes should be a first pick.

Title: Wherever I Go

by Mary Wagley Copp & Munir D. Mohammed

Wherever I Go is the anthem of young Abia, a queen by all accounts. Abia’s entire youth has occurred within the Shimelba refugee camp.  However, this fact has nothing on the girl’s spirit. 

Wherever I Go shines a light on what life in a refugee camp can be like.  But despite glimpses of daily hardships- pumping and carrying water, of waiting in long lines for rice and oil, of caring for younger siblings- this isn’t a story of defeat.  Indeed, Copp and Mohammed offer up characters full of dignity, strength, bravery, and optimism. 

Munir Mohammed is a perfect fit for this book. His vibrantly colored full-page illustrations make me feel like I’m sitting across the mat from Abia’s parents myself, like Abia’s father, in particular, is someone I’ve known already. Simply stunning. 

Eventually, the family prepares for their turn to come up for resettlement. And when we go, we’ll leave our belongings here- for others. That’s what Papa says. “Everything,” he adds. Mama says we’ll have our stories, though, wherever we go.

The book closes with Abia settled into her new life, somewhere on the other side of the ocean. At this point, however, the reader knows that with a spirit as tenacious as Abia’s, this queen’s story is far from over. 

Copp and Mohammed invite readers to consider the main character’s pre and post-resettlement identity and do so in a way that is culturally affirmative. This lens highlights those threads that link both worlds- family, hope, perseverance, and the idea of home.

If you’re considering having students consider their own stories and what they take with them wherever they go, I can’t imagine a better starting point. 

TIII Back-to-School Series: Visual Orientation Handbook

I absolutely love this idea of a visual orientation handbook, shared with me by Silvia Tamminen, coordinator at the Aurora Public Schools (APS) Welcome Center in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado.  

The Aurora Public Schools (APS) Welcome Center supports one of the most diverse student populations in the country.  This demographic includes a large number of folks resettled refugee status.  The district is now home to students from all over the world, with especially robust cultural representation from Bhutan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Myanmar, Côte d’ Ivoire, and Eritrea.   

Families with school-aged children who are new to the district and also new to the English language are directly referred to the APS Welcome Center.  Staff guide Newcomer families through the processes of student registration and school orientation.  

Sylvia Timmenem heads this effort.  She’s a human rights professional with a concentration on refugee and migration issues.  Her knowledge of policy and practice is evident. But she’s also approachable and down-to-earth, with a bold, welcoming smile.  As I glance through her workspace, I notice elements of her Fin culture.

“Immigration is something I share with our clients,” she tells me.  But she’s also quick to point out that while there are some parallels, her path to America was smoother than many of those she sees in her day-to-day work. Sylvia is deeply aware of the privilege that comes with choice, with a previous knowledge of the English language, and even her appearance. Nonetheless, she does have an understanding of just how complex and overwhelming the immgration process can be. This awareness adds an additional layer of humanity to her interactions. 

Sylivia came on board with the APS Welcome Center program in its inaugural season.  She and her team built the organization from the bones up.  The visual orientation handbook is among the group’s creative, solution-seeking efforts.

The handbook is a non-consumable resource with a permanent home in Sylvia’s office.  It is composed of full-page photos and illustrations, slid into sheet protectors and organized into a three-ring binder.  Each image is captioned with a simple explanation, which is (or can be) easily translated into a preferred language. Sylvia or another APS staff member reads the book alongside incoming families (and a translator, if requested).  Page by page, the tool lays out the expectations for a typical school day.  

For example, one picture shows a group of students sitting on the ground listening to a read-aloud.  The caption reads, “Sometimes, students sit on the carpet during the school day.”

This was an important inclusion, Sylvia assured me.  “Many times our parents cannot believe that their child would sit on the floor to learn anything.  In some of their own countries, that would be very strange and maybe make a parent very angry.” She points out that often these seemingly “everyday” aspects of the school day can be overlooked. But in the context of welcoming families from culturally diverse backgrounds, taking the time to explicitly detail various aspects of the school experience can go a long way.

Here are some other situations included in the APS visual orientation handbook: 

• Kids receiving lunch on a tray (many recently arrived learners would have gone home for lunch or packed their own meal)  

• Young adults putting their supplies in lockers (this may be a first-time experience for many)

• Students arriving for school at or before the scheduled time (concepts of time and urgency around timeliness varies greatly from one culture and context to another)

• Photos of co-ed teaching staff (learners and their families may have culturally influenced expectations about the appearance of those in teacher and leadership roles). 

There are plenty more great ideas. Check them out in the Aurora Welcome Center’s comprehensive list below!

Could you duplicate this resource at your site?  As long as you have a camera and a few hours to spare, of course! (Just be sure to send out a thank you to the APS Welcome Center for the idea. Find them here: http://welcomecenter.aurorak12.org)  

This version was created by staff. But other great options might include:

• Inviting former Newcomers to take this on as a project (a modernized “buddy” system)

• Creating a digital and/or interactive version of the handbook

• Engaging teacher teams in creating grade-level welcoming handbooks

And here are a few examples of what that might look like in actuality!

(Adapted with permission from Aurora Welcome Center: Refugee, Immigrant and Community Integration. Photos copyright @DiversifiED Consulting)

TIII Series: The Home Language Survey- Ensuring Compliance and Success

The Home Language Survey (HLS), also called a Heritage Language Survey or Home Language Questionnaire (HLQ),  is used in the initial process of identifying a student’s potential eligibility for English language support services.   A heritage language survey usually takes the form of a brief questionnaire, which may be administered in English print, preferred language print, orally, or through a translator.  The purpose of the survey is to establish an understanding of a student’s language-learning background.                    

Student Example: Khaled’s family has just arrived to register him for school.  The family meets with an enrollment specialist at the school.  When completing the survey, Khaled’s mother indicates that they are from Somalia.  She also notes that Somali is the language spoken in the home.  However, Khaled’s first language (and only instructional language) is Swahili, as the family relocated to the refugee camp in Kenya just before Khaled’s birth.  Khaled’s exposure to the English language, at least according to the Heritage Language Survey, is limited. These results suggest that Khaled may be eligible to receive English-supportive learning services. 

Home/heritage Language Surveys can be extremely useful in identifying potential new-to-English learners. However, keep in mind that these, like other student assessments, are only an indicative tool. They cannot be used as an exclusive measure for language services enrollment. (And they certainly don’t capture the cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge diverse student groups bring to the table).

Next, Khaled will be screened for multilingual programming eligibility (ELL services). 

If and when an HLS confirms that a student is new to English, he or she will be considered for language learning services.  The enrollment specialist (often the multilingual department head, multilingual coach, Student Assessment Liaison, or other trained personnel) carefully analyzes the data. 

Specific testing may vary from state to state or from district to district.  Most schools employ WIDA ACCESS, ELPA, Woodcock-Munoz or a similar state/district approved measure.  Regardless of the testing instrument, timeliness is key to compliance, but more importantly, as part of our commitment to meeting the learning needs of the child. 

It is critical to note that the Heritage Language Surveys (or any other form of registration questioning) is limited in its capacity.  That is, no information obtained through school enrollment can be used to evaluate, comment or report on legal immigration status. Federal law strictly protects the rights of all children who are present in the U.S. to attend public school; and it conversely restricts school personnel from any inquiry or interference in legal immigration issues.  

I always suggest that schools walk through a HLS “Think Tank” , whether they are starting from scratch to build a questionnaire or have an existing process in place. Here are some of those Think Tank prompts: 

• What is the schools’ defined purpose for the Heritage Language Survey?  (In other words, how and why is the survey meaningful to students and parents?)

• Where on campus will the survey be completed? 

• How is a sense of welcoming and belonging achieved during this process?

• Is the assessment culturally responsive? how do we know?

• Who at your school will administer the Heritage Language Survey? What is their level of training/expertise to do so?

• Who at your school will evaluate the HLS responses? What is their level of training/expertise to do so?

• In which languages are print copies of the HLS made available? 

• In which languages can the HLS be verbally translated/communicated?

• Is the language concise and clear?

• Are families informed that information is confidential and cannot be used for any outside purpose (including immigration status)?

• If a student is highlighted as potentially eligible for English Support Services services, what is the next-step process?

• How is Emergent Multilingual (EM) testing and placement information recorded and stored?

• How often are student HLS documents revisited/ re-requested?

Finally, let’s explore an HLS example.  You’ll find that the first page can be used as a ready-to-roll version, or as a baseline for creating a site-specific version.  The template is exactly as we have described, with essential questions for determining potential language services eligibility.  That’s it.  That’s all you need.

However, you may find it useful to collect additional data.  In that case, the additional pages of the survey will provide ideas with regard to collecting additional data and insights about the student and his or her family.  Additional data collection is optional for the school, depending on your school’s needs and program goals. It is ideal to have as much information about a student’s specific background and needs at the time of enrollment.  The HLS addendum serves this purpose.  

Note that if you do choose to ask for additional data, caretakers are not obligated to provide it.  If families choose to exercise their right to withhold data, this decision cannot affect child enrollment in any way. In any case, consistency is key.  Make it a goal to have 100% incoming family participation in completing the questionnaire. 

Title III Back-to School with Multilinguals: Intro to Series

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing.”

These are the words of American engineer and statistician W. Edwards Deming. I often carry them with me into my work as an educational practitioner. 

When it comes to enrolling potential multilingual learners (and determining who might qualify for English-specific support services), a clear process is critical. After all, clarity and consistency create calm. Not to mention, they help ensure that we’re achieving legal compliance. 

Intake protocol will vary by district, and sometimes by school, too.  Your procedures should make sense for your organization.  It is also imperative that they take into careful account national, state and district expectations for student enrollment, registration and ELL placement. But the nuts-and-bolts of these procedures are non-negotiable. They’re clearly outlined by the federal government and further detailed by the Office of Civil Rights.   

Each time I work with schools in creating these documents, we begin by examining current intake procedures. I generally start with the one big open-ended curiosity: What does the enrollment process for potential multilinguals look like? 

Responses are solicited from various stakeholders: front office staff, ELD leads, classroom teachers, and principals. More often than not, most folks have a whole lot of trouble describing this process. 

Think for a moment on your organization (we’re not calling ya’ll out here, just pointing out opportunities for better serving kids!). Who can clearly map out this process? Can team members answer, for example:

• Who are the first school personnel that potential students and their family members see when they walk in the door?  

• Exactly how is registration handled?  

• What about secondary processes for probable ELLs?  

• How consistent are these procedures?  

• Who is aware that they exist?  

• Where is registration information stored? 

• What types of translation services are available to families?

• Who checks (and re-checks) files for accuracy? 

Asking questions and evaluating responses alongside school administrators always reveals a few surprises- and a lot of loopholes.  In this space, we have room and perspective to analyze what works and what doesn’t, what to keep and what to toss (outside of compliance-regulated components, of course).  We are also able to determine critical missing links (communication and clarity usually take the top spots), and get to work filling those holes in purposeful, directed ways.  The focus is on simplicity- creating a process that can be easily explained by any key stakeholder at the school. 

We’ll begin with a look at the Home Language Survey (HLS).  Continue on to our next article to learn more!

Teaching through Ramadan: Supporting our Muslim Students

Ramadan Mubarak! رمضان كريم

We’re in the season of Ramadan, which this year lasts from April 12 to May 12.  (Updated 2024 dates: Sun, Mar 10 – Tue, Apr 9). This is the time of the year when many Muslims fast (or abstain from food and drink) from sunrise to sunset. It’s a time of both daily sacrifice and celebration. The holiday culminates in Eid, a several-day festival of food, gifts, and togetherness. 

What is the Purpose of Ramadan?

Ramadan is a Muslim holiday. Islam, directly translated, means “peace”.  Ramadan, which occurs during the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is a reflection of this. It is a period of introspection, prayer, self-improvement, and community. 

Muslims believe that activities like fasting and zakat (charity and generosity) encourage self-discipline, gratitude, and empathy. Practicing these are qualities during Ramadan (and throughout the year) is said to strengthen one’s spiritual connection to God, or Allah (SWT). It is believed that the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) during the last ten days of Ramadan. 

Who takes part in Ramadan?

Most Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan, but not all participate in fasting.  Those who are very young, elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding, menstruating, or have health conditions, might not fast.  Some who do not fast during Ramadan may choose to recover missed days later in the year. 

What does a day of Ramadan look like? 

Suhoor begins a typical day during the month of Ramadan. This meal takes place before dawn, usually between 2-4 am, and is followed by morning prayers, or Fajr. If a person is fasting, they will probably return to sleep. Fasting has now begun, so the person will try to refrain from food or water until the Maghrib prayer at sunset. 

Then, family and friends gather for Iftar.  This is a celebratory meal that usually begins with the eating of dates to break the fast, followed by traditional dishes (and often in abundance!). Some families stay up late into the evenings celebrating, socializing, praying, or reading from the Qur’an. 

Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan.  Morning prayer is followed by two or three days of communal celebration.  During the time of Eid, families may decorate their homes with lanterns or lights, host elaborate meals, give and receive gifts, or attend street festivals dedicated to the occasion.  It is an occasion of joy, gratitude, togetherness, eating, and giving.

How can I acknowledge and support my Ramadan-observing students?

1. Self-educate. Muslim students should not be expected to teach others about their faith, practices, or traditions.  Do not assume that a Muslim student wishes to share about these experiences or explain a decision to (or not to) fast. By taking the time to learn more about the month of Ramadan and the folks who take part in it, we can identify points of connection and better anticipate students’ needs. 

2. Avoid assumptions. Keep in mind that Islam, like any religion, is widely interpreted and experienced.  Muslim families and individuals may enjoy varied traditions- including the degree to which they practice aspects of their deen, or faith.  Talking to students or families privately about how to best support them can increase feelings of comfort and belonging. 

3. Consider scheduling. Fasting from food and water can be tough on students. It can impact energy levels, concentration, and mood.  Many students will wake in the hour before sunrise to eat and pray, so sleeping may be interrupted, too.

   When planning for participation-heavy content, cooperative engagement, and deep-level thinking, try aiming for the morning, when energy and concentration are likely to be higher.  Nagla Badir, writing for Teaching While Muslim, recommends having online assignments due late at night, so that students can complete them after they’ve had a chance to have dinner.  This is also an opportunity to think carefully about the timing of calendar events like a band performance or prom, which can share time spaces with Iftar or Eid.

   Badir also shares this calendar, where you can look up prayer times for students in your area!

4. Create safe spaces. For many observers, the period of Ramadan is a time of increased prayer, which occurs during specific windows of the day. Students who may have originated from countries or communities with high Muslim populations would have this time built into their school day. Of course, this is not often the case in U.S. schools, where many of the staff may not even be aware of this need. Having a space set aside (or two spaces, one for males and one for females) can help ensure that these students are seen and valued at school.

   Muslim students who, for health or personal reasons, are not fasting during Ramadan may also benefit from a separate space during eating times. These individuals may face uncomfortable pressure or questioning as to why they are not fasting; having a safe location to go to can ease this stress.

5. Boost Socio-Emotional Learning. Ramadan is a time of family, friends, and community.  Often, our observing students are physically distant from family members and/or feel that their holiday isn’t shared with others in the school or locality.  This may be especially true for our Recent Arriver newcomers. 

   At school (whether in person or remote) we can be intentional about incorporating opportunities to learn and practice SEL skills- especially those that include elements of self-awareness, grounding, and collaboration.  This important step can help diminish feelings of isolation and support students’ mental and emotional well-being during the period of Ramadan and beyond.  

6. Engage through children’s books.  Muslim and Muslim-American literature can be incredibly powerful in facilitating “door and window” experiences for Muslim students in the classroom.  There’s an added benefit, too- books can engage non-Muslim students in ways that invite connection, empathy, and tolerance. We’ll visit some of these titles in an upcoming post. In the meantime, start here, at I’m Your Neighbor Books (I’d recommend sticking around to check out this super valuable sight!). 

Where can I learn more?

Great question! Here are some of my favorite sites. Have more to add? Please do share them below!

• Teaching While Muslim  https://www.teachingwhilemuslim.org/

• Hijabi Librarians  https://hijabilibrarians.com/

• ING- Ramadan Information Sheet  https://ing.org/ramadan-information-sheet/

• Learning For Justice: https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/teaching-about-ramadan-and-eid

• Muslim Students Association National https://www.msanational.org/resources

With increased awareness- and with some tools in our toolboxes, we can be better prepared to support our Muslim students throughout this beautiful month and beyond, Inshallah!

Ramadan Mubarak, friends. Wishing you all you, peace, and abundance! لويز اليعفوري

Crossing Cultural Thresholds- Engaging EL Caretakers in the Trauma-Aware Conversation

Let’s look to tools and strategies that facilitate re-directive capacities and champion long-term moves toward resiliency.  We’ll spend a bit of extra time focused on our Recent Arriver Emergent Lingual (RAEL) students.   In this space, we’ll highlight EL parents and families as critical stakeholders in students’ trauma restoration processes.

Trauma-informed pedagogy relies upon, in part, the explicit teaching and modeling of regulatory and prosocial behaviors.  Eventually, these strategies can be holistically embedded into children’s everyday school (and life) experiences.  In the context of RAEL populations, this also means bridging cultural norms and expectations around mental wellbeing.  As learning places, this requires a concentrated shift toward integrating diverse cultural value systems into our trauma-sensitive practice.  

The National Council for Behavioral Health names two dimensions of sustainability in trauma-informed programming: 

1. Making changes, gains, and accomplishments stick 

2. Keeping the momentum moving forward for continuous quality improvement.

So, how can we best support these two dimensions?  A sustainable path toward resilience requires us, as practitioners, to monitor students’ success and adapt our instructional cues as needed.  Fortunately, we already recognize this as a best practices approach across all grade levels, content areas and language domains.  We are experts at checking in on our students and personalizing the learning experience based upon individual strengths and needs.  The same tenets apply to the processes of transition shock, including trauma.    

Shifts are required in the broader educational landscape, too.  Sustainability requires honest conversations about our organization’s infrastructure, including leadership, policies, and procedures as they ignite or diffuse underlying transition shock.  It demands moving away from punitive practices and toward restorative solution seeking.  Sustainability relies upon the collection and analysis of data in order to determine if our trauma-informed programming is effective and equitable.  It means that all team members are equipped with tools for understanding and addressing student trauma, and that educators are widely supported in recognizing and managing the secondary stress that may arise through our work with trauma-impacted youth. 

Essentially, we are charged with ensuring that the strategies we introduce are good fits for individual students. A good fit means that they are not re-triggering and are both culturally responsive and language adaptive.  A good fit means that learners are empowered to experiment with mitigation strategies in their toolboxes, to fail forward in a safe space, to reevaluate without self-admonishment, and to try again.

Involving Caretakers as Critical Stakeholders

If we are to truly address transition shock (including trauma) in our learning spaces, then we must also become active in engineering webs of support around our students- in this case, we’re speaking specifically about our RAELs.  Here, we’ll concentrate on arguably the most critical stakeholder group of all- the parents and caretakers of our Emergent Linguals.  

In communicating with culturally and linguistically dynamic caretaker groups about transition shock, it’s important to first identify our guiding principles.  How do we cross cultural thresholds to build authentic partnerships?

1. As with our students, safety and trust are paramount.  Cultivate these properties as we would in the classroom- practice welcoming, routine, predictability, and transparency.

2. Be cognizant of biases around mental health and trauma. Name observed behaviors and avoid labeling. 

3. Reduce isolation by connecting families to appropriate resources, as well as to families with socio-cultural commonalities. 

4. Strive to meet with parents in person and, if needed, arrange for a trained translator wherever possible.  Avoid using children as conversational brokers. 

5. Talk to parents about the link between students’ school performance and socio-mental health.  Use direct and clear language.

6. Remember that mental health terms may be unfamiliar, unmeaningful, or untranslatable for Recent Arriver parents. Translate these terms ahead of time if possible, and provide visual cues where appropriate. 

7. Honor socio-cultural perspectives when advocating for student care. 

8. Champion wrap-around supports and refer students for advanced care in a timely manner. 

Sustainability is enhanced when students’ home and cultural values show up in the school space. Highlighting the voices of our RAELs’ caretakers can simultaneously bolster our culturally responsive efforts and temper student anxiety.   Meanwhile, opening doors to culturally responsive communication around trauma-sensitive topics builds trust and enables a collaborative approach to long-term restoration.

Resources for AntiRacist Education

There is so much grief.  Heartbreak over the fact that this conversation is still necessary.  That black and brown folx are still under occupation. That education is still censored to fit the mold of a racist status quo. That we still have so much work to do.

This is the tragic legacy of education. We wait to pursue authentic change until the ish hits the fan.  We’re a reactive institution, not a proactive one. In fact, we’ve taken a reactive approach across other uncomfortable and inconvenient paths, too (think: Emergent Lingual education, immigrant parent engagement, trauma-informed practice).   Haven’t we learned anything?

Here. Now. We have an opportunity to alter the course, to right the ship, to challenge the dialogue, to get really uncomfortable… and then push through it.

White folx: This can’t happen unless we’re ready to get real with our role in the problem.  To do this, we have to systematically untangle the narratives of privilege and racism that are embedded in every facet of our lives.  

We have to create authentic urgency around the need to disrupt inequity and assume ownership of our explicit and implicit participation in racism. Because no matter how we cut it, we are inactive enablers at best, and outright inciters at worst.

As someone who makes a living facilitating tough conversations around race, bias, racism, and culturally responsive practice, I’ve enjoyed a good jump start on evaluating my own deeply embedded biases, privilege, and contributions to a racist society.  

All that’s clear is that I- and we- still have so far to grow.  Still, here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Understand the language of cultural identity. Race, ethnicity, nationality, heritage, and culture and not interchangeable concepts. Looking for clarity and an implementable classroom exercise? Here’s a start point.

2. Sit in your bias. Recognize it. Call it out.  Be brave enough to confront it.  Develop tools to defeat it. Know that change is hard and remember that a solid tribe can help you push through it.  Repeat. Ready for a wake-up? Read this guy (more resources available on his website @ https://www.mrtomrad.com/). Ready to call out your own privilege and bias? Here’s an entry-level tool.

3. Become the student. Especially when we’re talking about our own students. What is another person’s truth? Do we authentically HEAR and validate it as truth?  What is their story? The (non-white washed) story of their ancestors? What is the role of voice (not our own) in our teaching practice?

4. Re-read the story. What parts of the #BLM and antiracist narrative do we (white folx) selectively hear? As educators, what parts of our students’ stories are we ignorant to and/or explicitly or implicitly reject?

5. Educators: If we are truly trauma-informed, where does race-based trauma fit into our framework for student care, if at all?  The two can no longer live in separate boxes. They’ve always been bound, even as we’ve fought to silence the traumas of racism.  The game’s over.

6. Let’s be honest.  We’ll do anything to avoid talking about race in schools. The system is created so that we actually fear the professional repercussions of engaging students in race-based dialogue. And many of us simply fear messing it up.  But avoiding the discussion is engaging in the problem.  We HAVE to talk about it. We HAVE to model transparency in our own socio-emotional growth. Start here.

7. Create unapologetic space for the language of antiracism. It must live in and be critically evaluated within the context of authentic daily experience. Yes, we WILL make mistakes.  But we have to start somewhere, and it has to be now.

8. Dissect your curriculum, including socio-emotional frameworks. Often, even our best efforts to combat trauma and injustice are blatantly whitewashed. But we’ve got to get out of the trees in order to see the forest. Need clarity? Check out this article (or others) from Dena Simmons.

9. Join or create a race-based caucus /affinity group (just be sure you have some clear guidance in this practice). Not sure what this is? Read this article and continue the journey with this reading.

10. On leaders approaching the topic: “Use words that explicitly name racial violence. Do not soften the intensity of systemic racism with broad language about diversity, equity, and inclusion. If the statement does not include words such as “racism,” “racist,” “white supremacy,” or “anti-Blackness,” it is insufficient and therefore should be revised.” https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/06/02/6-considerations-school-leaders-statement-george-floyd-.html

11. Put your money/power/vote where your mouth is.  Seek out causes, people, & businesses that accelerate #BLM progress. Support relentlessly. (Most states have a minority-owned business directory available online).

A few favorite follows for educators: @teachtolerance,  @embracerace, @zarettahammond,  @MrTomRad, @DenaSimmons.

Mitigating Student Trauma in the Virtual Classroom

The most common question on deck these days: How do I go about minimizing student trauma in the virtual setting?

Of course, this is a loaded question. So let’s start by laying a foundation.  Here are the most practical ways to get started (or to boost your existing trauma-informed practice).

1. Reframe the conversation: Mitigating trauma isn't about fixing broken things. It's about restoring power. The distinction is critical. This power belongs to our students, and they’ve owned it all along. Sometimes it gets interrupted. We can see ourselves as technicians, trained to employ tools that can help to get the power-up and running again. The next step: turn those Power Restoration tools over to our students.

2. Get Brainy: Don't underestimate the power that comes from understanding the human brain. Set aside the time. Open the conversation. Invite students to become observers of their own thinking (metacognition). Practice non-judgmental recognition of fight-flight-freeze-submit responses. Experiment with trauma minimizing strategies in a safe space to discover 'just right' fits.

   Resources: 

   Elementary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_dxnYhdyuY

   Upper Grades Parts of the Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CpRY9-M

   Upper Grades Fight-Flight-Freeze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpolpKTWrp4

   Elementary Journal: What Survival Looks Like for Me (Inner World Work):  http://www.innerworldwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/What-survival-looks-like...-for-me-3.pdf

   Upper Grades Journal: What Survival Looks Like In Secondary School (Inner World Work): http://www.innerworldwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Survival-In-Secondary-School.pdf

3. Practice Predictability: YOU show up day after day. Remember that this seemingly simple act goes a long way in minimizing the impacts of trauma for our students. The consistency of your presence and the routine you strive for in daily learning is critical. Preemptively signal upcoming changes, where possible. Predictability fosters trust. Trust lends itself to safety. And when students feel safe, they are able to learn.

4. Host a Restore Your Power Space: Create a space or folder in whatever virtual platform you're using. House Power Restoration tools here and encourage students to visit, even when school's not in session. Digital black-out or magnetic poetry, drawing/sketchnoting tools, guided bilateral movements, and SEL-based calming strategies are all good fits here. Looking for more resources and strategies? Explore our blog and stay tuned for our upcoming book on this topic with ASCD (due early 2021).

   Resources: 

   Mitigating Transition Shock in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Settings. Louise El Yaafouri (DiversifiED Consulting) and Saddleback Education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9KxIFECSF8

   Edutopia: Strategies for Easing Transition Shock by Louise El Yaafouri (DiversifiED Consulting)  https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategies-easing-transition-shock

   Art Therapy ideas: https://diversifi-ed.com/explore/2018/10/1/art-therapy-for-trauma-in-the-classroom

   Recommended at-home resource: http://www.innerworldwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/What-Survival-Looks-Like-At-Home-Quick-Printout.pdf

What Is Sheltered Instruction?

Effective Recent Arriver programming is structured with the principles of sheltered instruction in mind.  These techniques are not tethered to an exclusive program or curriculum.  Rather, they are tools for teaching and learning that can be applied to and incorporated into any existing program to explicitly promote language development.  All sheltering strategies are centered around the primary goal of increasing Emergent Multiinguals’ access to (and demonstrated mastery of) essential knowledge- without compromising the integrity of the content lesson.   

Strategies that are associated with this pedagogy foster academically focused student talk, intra and interdependent problem-solving skills, effective collaboration, and healthy cross-cultural communication skill development.  These practices benefit Recent Arriver and traditional students alike and can be modified to support learners across a range of language, grade, and skill levels.

Where Did the Term Sheltered Instruction Come From?

Sheltered instruction is a manifestation of the Comprehension Hypothesis for language learning.  The Comprehension Hypothesis is rooted in the idea that “we acquire language when we understand messages containing aspects of language that we have not acquired, but are developmentally ready to acquire.” (Krashen, 2013).  That is, language learning best occurs in natural settings, drawing holistically from what we hear and read.  It develops via exposure to comprehensible input, or bite-sized digestible pieces of language understanding.

This is in direct contrast to the skill-building theory, which presses for direct, rote learning of grammar, vocabulary and spelling knowledge.  Briefly, skill-building strategies are conscious measures, while comprehension-based learning is subconscious and indirect. Research overwhelmingly indicates that language learning is enhanced and accelerated when Comprehension Hypothesis methods are applied.    In fact, evidence shows that, 

“Students in beginning-level second language classes based on the Comprehension Hypothesis consistently outperform students in classes based on skill-building tests of communication, and do at least as well as, and often slightly better than, students in skills-based classes on tests of grammar.” (Krashen, 2003)

Sheltered instruction is directly representative of Comprehension Hypothesis ideals.  Its primary goal is to provide language learners with a comprehensible input through the implementation of specific instructional tools and practices.  Sheltered instruction is critical in the context of Newcomer instruction in that it focuses on content over language.  

When students are exposed to content knowledge in comprehensible ways, appropriate language output is a holistic byproduct.  Additionally, anxiety and pressure to learn the new language may be significantly diffused in sheltered subject matter settings.  In fact, “Students in sheltered subject matter classes acquire as much language or more language than students in traditional [ESL-direct] classes and also learn impressive amounts of subject matter”. (Krashen, 2013, 1991; Dupuy, 2000)

So, what does sheltered instruction look like in the classroom?

Sheltered, or scaffolded, instructional practices engage emergent bilinguals and multilinguals in the rigorous content investigation.  It can encompass a wide range of instructional techniques, each aimed at guiding and directing language learners toward proficiency, within an environment that endorses safety and facilitated risk-taking.

At the crux of impactful scaffolded instruction are effective content language learning objectives, which can be incorporated into every subject, each day.  These cornerstones provide a powerful sense of directionality for both the educator and the learner and fuel a focused sense of productivity.

Basic elements of sheltered instruction include:

• appropriate pacing;

• modified speech;

• routine and predictability;

• use of visuals, realia, and manipulatives;

• explicitly introduced body language, gestures, and facial cues;

• sentence stems;

• relevant language supportive technology;

• modeling;

• traditional or interactive word walls;

• interactive notebooking;

• multiple modes of assessment/means of demonstrating understanding;

• graphic organizers (such as Frayer models, Venn Diagrams or word-mapping);

• co-operative talk structures, such as inside-outside circles, fishbowls, numbered heads (download your cheat sheet here); 

• SIOP lesson planning, or “Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol” (Echevarria & Short), is frequently implemented as part of sheltered-instruction instruction.

When we integrate sheltering techniques into existing curricula and classroom protocol, we invite emergent bilingual and multilingual students to engage with intention and purpose, in ways that highlight existing funds of knowledge. We also support team building and interpersonal skills, which lend themselves to healthy integration. Perhaps most importantly, sheltering strategies can be overlapped with other pedagogies, such as culturally responsive teaching and learning, leading to especially dynamic socio-academic student outcomes.

For detailed information on Sheltered Instruction techniques, see The Newcomer Student: An Educator’s Guide to Aid Transition, Chapters 6-8

Download your Co-Operative Learning Cheat Sheet HERE.

5 Tenets of Teacher Self-Care (and the mistakes that helped me discover them)

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Here it is: we are not superhuman. 

Educators, as an occupational whole, tend to submerge this truth.  We ignore it, push it away, and look the other direction even as it sinks down into the recesses of our thinking.

And so, we educators require frequent reminders of our vulnerability- and more than that, encouragement that our humanness is a spectacular mark of endurance, bravery, and triumph.  After all, we’re living the process: trekking the course, failing forward, making small (and giant) moves toward success.  Heck, we’re shaping spectacular generations of tiny humans and young adults. 

Isn’t that enough?

One might think.  We might think.  So, how are we such experts at forgetting our own freaking fabulousness?

Ladies and gents, it’s time to turn a page, to support one another, and to make it a movement.  We owe ourselves some delicious self-appreciation.  We need to be reminded that perfectionism is not our ally in teaching.  In fact, sometimes a bit of disaster or delay or detour is its own kind of perfect.  Sometimes, these are healthy indicators that authentic learning is taking place.

We didn’t sign up for a competition of Pintrest-y brilliance or TPT worthiness.  We signed up to grow young people into decent, well-rounded adult human beings.  How can we possibly expect that process to be neat and tidy?  Anyone have completely a drama-free kiddo out there?  ‘Cause I’ve never known one. In any event, why would we want a totally systematic, predictable standard for education? Sounds pretty dull (and not particularly effective).

On this rant about perfection: what is it exactly that we’re aiming for?  Who are the chosen few who get to decide what that is or what that looks like?  Show me a perfect textbook, a perfect curriculum, a perfect approach- and I’ll show you fifteen people ready to argue against it. So again, where are we going with this whole ‘be the best’ race?  

The best is us, teachers. Right now, as we are and as we are growing to be.  And damn it, we’re not the kind of perfect that rubrics were made for.

So we’ve got to give ourselves some grace.  We’ve got to let the sweat run down our cheeks without being embarrassed about it.  This business that we’re in requires effort.  A ridiculous amount of it.  Sometimes it overwhelms us. And that’s ok.  (I know I’m not the only one to fight back- or fail to fight back- some super sneaky tears in the classroom.)

When we follow the good advice of putting our own oxygen masks on first, our students are the beneficiaries.  

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Let’s start simply, by embedding these simple practices into our daily craft:

1. Do unto yourself as you do unto others. 

How are we inclined to talk to our students- with sarcasm and criticism or with kindness and encouragement?  How do we view our students- from a deficit lens or an asset lens? How do we define our students’ success- by a narrowly prescribed definition or according to gains along a personalized growth trajectory?

Yeah, we know the response.  We’re educators, right?  So, let’s turn it around on ourselves. Imagine: What if we talked to, reacted to, and supported ourselves in the same manner that we do our students? 

This is harder than it sounds. We’ve trained ourselves into becoming hypercritical of our teacher-self-worth. 

Stop.

What did you survive today?  What went incredibly right?  How has your craft improved over the last year, month, or week?  Whose morning did you turn around with a hug, smile, or kind word?  Who did you potentially spare from a not-so-great decision? 

Take a few moments to celebrate you.  Check yourself in your self-talk. Would you say this to your student? Reframe, rephrase, and fill up your cup.  You’ve earned every last bit of it.

2. Embrace collectivism.

Like it or not, folks, we’re in this together.  My favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now.”

Sisters and brothers of our craft, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.  So, seek out people that you want to be on this ride with.  Who makes you excited about your role and the work that you’re doing?  Who’s your venting ear?  Who’s the cheerleader? The joker? The advice-giver?  The walking ELD standards encyclopedia? The mentee under your wing?

Find and foster these relationships.  You don’t have to be besties outside of school.  Shoot, you don’t even have to have each other’s phone numbers (although that’s fun, too).

Then, put yourselves on the same team.  You’re all going for one goal- student success.  Everybody on the team has a role, which is to meet students where they are from his or her unique vantage point and with his or her unique set of tools.  Each person is necessary to the others in the aim of achieving the goal.

In this context, competition is irrelevant. Not only this, but it can also compromise the team’s ability to reach the goal.  Leaning exclusively on neatly-packaged curricula also loses its meaning. We are the tools we need to reach and teach our learners.  The textbooks and Google slides and lesson plans and Zoom sessions aren’t the master plan- they are supplementary materials.

Learn about your teammates’ strengths.  Instead of aiming to outdo their efforts (guilty as charged), learn to leverage these assets in building consistency and getting through to kids.  Ask for a shared sub day and spend an hour in one another’s classrooms if you’re able.  Allow a few minutes within team planning time to just be present in cultivating relationships.  You might look outside of the building, too.  Twitter is a great place to expand your professional learning network and maybe even discover a few new members of your clan. 

Also, don’t be an ass.  Your tribe doesn’t need it, and neither do you. 

3. Set down the assessments (just for a minute).

Here are a few bright spots in my teaching career: I consistently had the lowest standardized testing scores of all same-grade classrooms at our school over a nine-year period, and I was barely rated an “Approaching” level teacher six years into my practice.

Ok. Let’s talk about this.  Those low scores- 100% of my students each year were refugee and immigrant newcomers.  Heck no, they weren’t able to keep up on those tests (*at first…but watch them soar now). “Welcome to America, kids... here’s your test.”  Then, the digital assessments came around.  Jiminy, half of my kids had never used a desktop in their lives. The first thirty minutes of an online test is an exercise in how not to sword fight with a computer mouse.

You know what those tests didn’t show (or at least, didn’t make room to celebrate)?  Growth.  Like, crazy out of control multi-year gains in nine months kind of growth. 

How about those teacher evaluations?  Three weeks before that mediocre evaluation I  was rated “Effective” by a different district evaluator.  And two weeks after the “Approaching” mark (which I cried and whined to my tribe over), another administrator found me to be “Distinguished” (the highest-rated evaluation score in our district).  

So, which one am I?  Best guess... probably somewhere in the middle, leaning toward pretty freaking good.  I mean, I sure didn’t jump the scales of expertise in 2 weeks- and I probably wasn’t as ineffective as I’d led myself to believe after that ‘off’ evaluation, either.

Here’s the deal: assessments and evaluations are what we make of them.  Do we learn something?  Do we make a plan to improve and grow?  Great.

Should we give away our power to them and let them stress us out?  Nope. 

We encourage our students to see their self worth as something that is independent of an isolated data point (or any other statistic, for that matter). Dear educators: if we’re going to pull that equity card, then we’d better start making room for ourselves in that grand philosophy, too.  Um, are you listening in on this, too, admin?  That also goes for what we put on our Ts.

4. Maintain high expectations, but lower the risk.

Here’s another one we practice with our students, right?  We know that in order to enable our learners as positive risk-takers, we need to: 

1. Create an environment of safety and trust; 

2. Offer choice and support; and 

3. Not make it a super freaking scary thing to do.   

So where’s the self-love? 

Again, let’s go back to how we treat others.  How do we make leap-taking a little less intimidating for our students?.  We provide high yield opportunities in low-drama settings. We encourage multiple means of demonstrating proficiency. (What works in one class setting may not be what my newcomer students- or what your kiddos- need right now.)   We model cooperative learning and constructive conversation... including those talks with the ol’ self.

We, teachers- we’re great at a lot of things.  Self-care isn’t usually on that list.  It’s like it’s part of the standard educator’s playbook: students first = self last.  

No and no.  Take that page out. Burn it. Start a new story. 

Yes- hold yourself accountable. Do aim for greatness. But damn it, give yourself some freaking wiggle room.  Wrap your own anticipated growth up in the same fabric of fun and curiosity that you would for your students.  Anxiety should not be a badge of teaching honor. 

5. Recognize discomfort, but don’t let it define the situation.

Quick story: Long ago, in my first year of teaching refugee newcomers, I had the brilliant first-day-of-school idea to sit eight students from Myanmar (Burma) together at the same table so that they could “help each other out”.  How’d that work out for us, you ask?  

Well, it didn’t.  The eight students spoke five different languages and came from six distinct cultures.  They were also at literal war with each other in the real world.

Talk about a hitch in the classroom-management flow.  But here’s the thing: we got through it.  We eventually adjusted, learned some new ways of coping, adopted a few healthy communication tools, and had a really awesome year.  Some of those nine-year-olds even became viable bridges between the tribes that existed in their own apartment communities. 

That discomfort was like a fertilizer for our growth. And, of course, the best fertilizer is a pile of... super smelly business.

Let’s not sugar coat the situation. Our work is hard.  Like, really freaking hard.  Some moments are rougher than others.  Some days we come up short.  And sometimes, there’s not a dang thing we can do about it. 

But did we go back into the ring?

If the answer is yes, stop there.  That’s the game-changer. 

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Thanks, educators, for doing what you do: for showing up for our kids, for creating safe spaces, for co-constructing our collective futures.  Now, go take care of yourself for a minute, will you? 

You deserve it.

Inquiry-Based Learning with ELLs

Teachers who aim to engage English learners in inquiry-based learning often feel overwhelmed at the idea of merging two seemingly separate bands of learning. However, upon closer examination, there is a significant overlap in best-practices facilitation of English Language Development (ELD) and student-led discovery.   In fact, language acquisition and inquisition do not need to be exclusive- they can (and should!) work in tandem to support one other.  Moreover, this can be achieved without dramatic increases in time, resources or teacher planning. 

Let’s begin by identifying the six stages of inquiry: planning, retrieving, processing, creating, sharing, and evaluating. Within each stage, we’ll explore possible implications for ELLs and outline ideas for inclusive implementation.

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Planning

Planning creates the foundation for the entire process of inquiry. It begins with the students, as they learn to recognize their own interests and question their own curiosities. For English learners, effective participation in the planning process also means navigating conversational, academic, and content-specific vocabulary.  It also requires an ability to navigate strategic or organizational skill sets, and these may be working concepts for students with limited or interrupted education.

Engage ELLs: Utilize graphic organizers and tech tools to assist brainstorming and planning.  Provide meaningful conversation prompts. Employ vision boards, interactive word walls, or similar visual cues. Provide opportunities to talk through ideas using cooperative structures.

Retrieving

To move forward in discovery, students must actively pursue information that is relevant to their inquisition. For new-to-English learners, this process can be hyper-stimulating and may overwhelm the student’s capacity to self-direct. Often, the teacher's response is to jump in, influencing the inquiry process with his or her own thoughts and diminishing the student’s opportunities for agency.  Shifting this responsibility back to the student requires that we explicitly prepare ELLs to successfully retrieve information. We facilitate this process by lowering affective filters and establishing reliable processing routines. 

Engage ELLs: Clearly explain and demonstrate the process of information retrieval. Explicitly teach and model self-directing strategies. Limit the amount of information a student has access to in the early stages (for example, encourage students to select ONE print, ONE online and ONE video source).  Create opportunities for small group discovery and exchange.

Processing

The processing component of the inquiry phase calls upon learners to focus ideas and information into a central topic for investigation. Alberta Education writes, “Coming to a focus can be very difficult for students, as it involves more than just narrowing the topic; it involves coming to an authentic question, a personal perspective or a compelling thesis statement.”  This aim can be especially challenging for ELLs, who are already juggling conversational English and content vocabulary- and who must now navigate and employ the language of inquiry.  Additionally, students may encounter cultural implications tied to sorting, organizing and condensing the information into a central theme.

Engage ELLs: Employ graphic organizers to narrow down a topic.  Allow for multi-modal processing, including kinesthetic and/or experiential learning, community interviews, and small group work.  Recognize culturally variant patterns in sorting/organizing and support culturally responsive means to an end.

Creating

The creating phase begins the active second half of the inquiry process. In this stage, learners begin to build momentum and confidence in their quest for discovery. The creating phase is threefold:

●      Identifying and arranging relevant pieces of information

●      Determining a presentation format that highlights the targeted inquiry   

●      Crafting written and oral expressions of ideas, questions, and concepts

English learners are likely to benefit from precise supports and scaffolds in this process, specifically in the domains of reading and writing. Laying the essential groundwork at the beginning of this process enables students to self-guide with efficacy- and also significantly reduces teacher workload.

Engage ELLs: Establish clear systems, protocols, expectations and performance rubrics. Employ kinesthetic and/or tech-based storyboard. Offer a wide range of presentation options, including culturally responsive means of expression.  Explicitly support students in the areas of speaking and writing.   

Sharing

School-based inquiry culminates in the sharing of findings, conclusions, and thoughts on the process of discovery. Multi-modal sharing of outcomes is encouraged; presentations may take any number of sensory-engaging forms. Regardless of the format, presenters and audience members must turn to language as the conduit for information transfer.  In this context, speaking and listening domains are emphasized. 

Engage ELLs: Support learners with rubrics for speaking and listening. Provide opportunities to restate/summarize/paraphrase the presented material. Refer to anchor charts, interactive word walls, and other content language resources.  Clarify information as needed. Allow for a variety of ways to demonstrate comprehension, both as a presenter and audience member.

The six stages of the inquiry process are tied together by reflection. 

Reflection is a metacognitive property that can be employed as a useful learning tool.  In most cases, reflective thinking must be explicitly taught and modeled- at least in the initial stages of application.  It is helpful to enact a standard process and predictable language bank for reflection.  In this way, we can invite students to reflect at the culmination of each stage.  Eventually, learners can apply these skills in sustained ways as they consider strategy and outcomes throughout the entire inquiry process.

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If we look closely enough, the relationship between inquisition and language acquisition becomes evident.  With a few thoughtful considerations, we can successfully plan for engaging, language supported discovery. We can champion inquiry-based efficacy and 21st-century success for all new-to-English learners.

Newcomer / Recent Arriver Classroom Reminders

We’re into the thick of the year. It’s a great place to pause and reflect on our practice so far this school year and how we will grow our students in the remainder of our time together. It’s a great time for Newcomer/Recent Arriver classroom reminders! Here, we’ll look at the non-negotiables.

What would you add? Be sure to share your thoughts below.

FOUNDATION

Classroom culture drives learning. Newcomer students thrive in classrooms that are safe, structured and predictable. In fact, predictability is a cornerstone of positive school engagement. Predictability breeds trust, trust lends itself to safety, and safety opens students up to entertain curiosity, absorb content and practice positive risk-taking in the classroom.

DIRECTION

It is important to lead with a plan and to ensure that the plan supports equitable participation for all students, including students who are new to the English language. Content–Language Objectives (CLOs) are an effective tool for creating a specific language focus (with the purpose of enhancing content accessibility for ELLs). They are widely flexible and can be implemented across all grades/subjects and for any number of ELs in a class. Content–Language Objectives guide lesson planning and ground student understanding throughout the lesson.

PLANNING

In preparing for English Language instruction, there is a tendency to over plan. When it comes to lesson planning, aim for relevance and quality, not quantity. Return to the Content-Language Objectives. Ask: 1. What one strategy will be most useful to my learners in making the key content more digestible? 2. What one strategy will my students use to demonstrate the language objective within the target language domain (reading, writing, speaking, listening)?

Can more than one strategy be implemented? Of course! Just be sure to aim for clarity. If things start feeling jumbled or unclear, return to your one original focus for each question. Our students will always perform better when they know exactly what is expected of them.

COMMUNICATION

It’s important to keep in mind the amount of fo language that students encounter in a given school day. Beyond the conversational language that must be learned to navigate the bus, playground or lunchroom, learners encounter languages within the language throughout the entire school day.

Let me explain. If conversational English (with its slang, reduced speech and media influences) is a tongue, so is the Language of Mathematics. Isosceles, divisor, and equation are not words students are likely to pick up in their informal conversations. This type of (academic) vocabulary must be explicitly taught. And if Math is a tongue, then so is the Language of Social Studies, the Language of Music, the Language of English Literature, and so on.

Our students encounter thousands of words in a day. For ELLs, this can be especially overwhelming. To reduce the language load, we can be intentional about listening to ourselves. How might we describe the rate and complexity of our speech? How can it be modified for clarity?

In short, here’s what we’re aiming for: Speech should be clear, deliberate and unrushed. (Side note: Louder or painfully elongated speech is not helpful.)

EXPRESSION

Language encompasses so much more than just vocabulary. Tone, register, slang, cultural cues, humor, sarcasm, reduced speech, body language, facial expressions, and gestures must all be negotiated in the context of learning a new spoken language. Gestures, or the motions and movements Gestures can be used to enforce an idea but should become less exaggerated with time, as understanding grows. Where possible, normalized conversational gestures are optimal.

PACING

ELLs often require a longer “wait-time” to produce a response. After questioning, allow up to two minutes of unprompted thinking time. If a student is not yet ready, offer cooperative opportunities for production. Partner-Pair-Share, Numbered Heads, or Rally Table are great approaches; and sentence starters can be embedded into any of these strategies. Just be sure that the student who was originally asked does, ultimately, have the opportunity to share his or her response with the class.

APPROACH

Labeling, visuals, realia, manipulatives, graphic organizers, sentence frames and hands-on exploration are essential to the ELL classroom experience. Each is a language-building path toward content accessibility. Additionally, we can be especially mindful that our curriculum and class reading materials reflect the diverse nature of our classrooms. Where do our students recognize themselves in the school day? How are students invited to express themselves using the four language domains?

PROCESS

Students, including English learners, should have guided agency over their own learning. Work with students to set goals, create viable paths toward these aims, and to monitor their success along the way. Cooperative structures are an important part of this process, as they encourage language development, enhance positive classroom culture and put students in the drivers’ seats of their own learning. Yes, our ELLs CAN meaningfully participate in student-led instruction and Project-Based Learning (PBL). Learn to establish supports… and then get out of the way!

CONSIDERATIONS

Newcomer students may be working through trauma, shock or other stressors. Monitor external stimuli to help mitigate significant stress. Learn to recognize symptoms and know when to ask for help. Work to recognize, celebrate and practice Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills throughout the school day and school year. To build background on newcomer Trauma start HERE. For more tips on trauma-informed care for ELLs (and all students) take a peek at an RC article for Edutopia, found HERE.

INVITATION

You may be a child’s first teacher of their school career, their first teacher in America, or the first teacher to breakthrough. Smile. Show welcoming. Be an example of the possibility that exists for them.

Digital Game Play for Instruction: The Why of the Practice

I recently wrote an article for Edutopia outlining 5 Free Video Games That Support English Language Learners. In this article, we’ll lay some groundwork in terms of understanding the whys and hows of using serious games to drive meaningful student learning. Our guiding question: What makes gamification so appealing, and how can we apply this to our classrooms to increase student engagement and accelerate content understanding?

The Edutopia article explains: “The concept of gamifying learning has been part of practical instruction, in various forms, for years, and for good reason: Research shows that game-based learning has the capacity to motivate students, activate knowledge and enhance critical thinking capacities.”  Additionally, we know that gameplay is a key facet of culturally responsive teaching and is an integral feature of modern ESL curricula. Serious games and simulation games, which invite players to actively solve for real and relevant problems, also expand the ways that learners see and interact with the world. 

Trends in games-based learning continue to lean into technological integration- and data backs up its place in the 21st-century classroom. In fact, research indicates that education-focused video and virtual gaming can benefit all students, particularly low-performing students who demonstrate the greatest need.  

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 Video games- including educationally driven programs- follow a predictable structure, resulting in relatively uniform user experience.  If we look closely, we see that video game design takes many of its leads from brick-and-mortar classrooms. In fact, a user’s interaction with a gaming interface mirrors the school learning experience, where instructional best practices are in place.  

Video games are largely successful at capturing users’ attention and driving players toward mastering the content of the game.  In a similar way, it is possible to recognize key features of gaming architecture in our classrooms and to leverage these features to increase student interest and motivation and to drive authentic content learning.

Let’s take a closer look at those components:

·      Play: Play is the cornerstone of video game design and appeal.  Play itself has several requisites: choice, positive peer interchange, and the opportunity to explore, coach and learn in a safe, non-threatening arena.  Schools also recognize the power of play, including the elements of healthy social interaction and cultivated trust, and we cater to it in a variety of ways. 

·      Central goal:  A game is separated from simple play by one defining feature: the presence of a central goal.  Well-designed video games direct users toward a clear and attractive end goal.  Well-organized classrooms lead students toward specific, achievable end goals, usually through a series of identified mini-goals.  We name these standards, student learning outcomes, or Content-Language Objectives (CLOs).

·      Rules: Rules are the skeleton of a game. In a video game, rules-design follows the principle that rule followers will advance to the next stage of the game; and for those who misunderstand or abuse the game’s rules, the process will be delayed or ended.  This pattern applies to most areas of life and is evidenced in the classroom setting. When expectations are clear, students understand what is expected of them and can respond appropriately.

·      Feedback: The feedback loop is central to digital gameplay.  The user voluntarily completes an action, which stimulates a system response (feedback). The user interprets the feedback and reacts accordingly. This process continues until the game ends or the user terminates the loop.

As educational practitioners, we are experts in feedback loops.  The difference is that technological feedback is direct, instantaneous and wholly interactive.  We know that prompt and meaningful feedback has positive implications for intrinsic motivation and accelerated learning.  How can we grow in this capacity to benefit our students?

·      Voluntary Participation: Virtual gaming is rooted in choice.  When personal choice is introduced, productivity, accuracy and motivation increase.  Where can we make room for more student choice in our classrooms?  Interactive station rotations, student-led inquiry and project-based learning, for example, all promote voice and choice.

·      Personalization: Video games are designed to read the user. They must determine the player’s initial level of expertise and projected wants and needs- and then adapt to fit the player.  Well-designed games scaffold learning and progressively increase in complexity.  This mimics optimal instructional protocol for all learners, including linguistically diverse students. 

·      Removed Fear of Failure: In game play, users are afforded an infinite number of opportunities to try again.   Mistakes become synonymous with new prospects- and ultimately, failure becomes obsolete.  The idea of “failing forward” is inherent to the gaming world.   Where and how can we work toward removing fear of failure in our schools?

·      Community Building: Virtual games lend themselves to collaboration and community. This is enhanced within the backdrop of joy, entertainment, belonging, teamwork… and fun.  Positive relationship building is also central to the school organism. It forms the backbone of SEL, culturally responsive teaching, and trauma-informed practice.

·      Assessment: Video games are also assessments: they recognize, evaluate and rank participation- and then adjust the experience accordingly.  In this context, assessments are also malleable. They adapt to the player’s understanding and expertise and automatically push forward (or fall back to re-teach).  Our best site-based assessments look this way, too! 

·      Debriefing: Debriefing is the process of thoughtful, purposeful reflection on one’s experience.  Educational gameplay should include debriefing as a way to complete the circuit of understanding.  In the classroom, this process can be guided and modeled and my included speech, writing or other expressive means.

Gaming is not intended as a replacement for quality instruction delivered by an experienced teacher.  However, educationally purposeful video games can support students’ learning in a host of ways.  And if we take the time to see it, we’ll find that tech-based gaming has more in common with traditional educational structures than we might realize- that the overlap, in fact, is significant.

Newcomer/RAEL Orientation Checklist

INDUCTION PROGRAMMING FOR NEWCOMERS & RECENT ARRIVERS

Induction programming is a best practices approach to Newcomer ESL/Recent Arriver English Learner (RAEL) education, as it acts as an essential framework for positive, integrated socio-academic participation.   These processes are a means of orientating the student to his or her new school surroundings. As an added component, Newcomer/Recent Arriver learners are introduced to essential concepts and understandings that are critical to success in a school-specific environment.   Guiding questions: 

• Who welcomes students and parents as they enter the school?

• Who is the first school contact for Newcomer families? The second?

• How are new students and parents introduced to the school and its staff? Are these processes amended when working with Newcomer families?

• How are all students, including Newcomers, made to feel welcomed and safe at school?

• What type of record-keeping systems ensures that no students are overlooked in the orientation process?

Orientation systems can be complex or straightforward.  They can stem from the office staff; may include teachers, parents, and other students; or may originate at a Welcome Center site.  We’ll focus our energies for this chapter on a few simple strategies that have a demonstrated effectiveness and are easy to implement.  Then, if you’re interested in going further in developing your own orientation plan, I encourage you to visit the The Newcomer Student: An Educator’s Guide to Aid Transition.

PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING

Did you ever have to move schools when you were younger?  Or, what about that (huge) jump from the elementary grounds to the middle/high school campus?  Overwhelming, right? I remember the first time I visited my high school as a soon-to-be-ninth-grader. I was so convinced that I would never be able to find my classes.  Or my locker. Or my friends. I actually had nightmares about it.

And here’s the thing: I spoke English.  I’d been in American schools my entire life and enjoyed a network of peers, all scheduled to endure the transition with me.  Still, I was shaking in my boots.

For a moment, consider the experience of school transition from a Recent Arriver EL perspective.  We’re not talking about moving across town, or even from another state. Imagine that nothing is the same.  Nothing is predictable.  Everything is lost in a cloud of newness: language, mannerisms, climate, clothing, school.  How would you react in this situation?  What would you most wish for? What actions could a school take to help to ease your anxiety?

Let’s first examine the most critical aspects of school orientation.  As you read through the following checklist, some of items might seem erroneous.  That’s common sense.  Right- it’s common sense from our perspective, based on our own previous exposure to localized normative values.  But “normal” isn’t normal everywhere.  

Normal is a completely subjective concept.  

And so, it is important to practice viewing our school and classrooms with raw eyes.  We must remind ourselves that cultural misunderstandings are not a reflection of intelligence.  They are a reflection of vast world experience- and that’s a really cool thing! When I find myself in a cultural cross-tangle with one of my students, I like to ask my class: “Can you imagine if I visited your country?  Would I know how to do everything right away? Could I speak your language with your grandmother or cook sambusa as well as your father? Would I even be able to find my way to the market or to the school by myself?”  

This usually garners some laughter and a hearty conversation about how I wouldn’t even know that I was supposed to bow or kiss three times instead of shaking hands.  “Nooooo waayyy!” But, when I ask if they would help me to feel safe by teaching me the things I would need to know, my students all eagerly agree! Just taking a moment to recognize our students’ perspectives exposes our willingness to understand and relate to our students.  This kind of effort can really break ground and lead to trust building.  

Where can we anticipate questions, concerns or confusion?  Here are some starters!

Download a printable Google Doc of the Newcomer Family Orientation Checklist HERE.

Newcomer Family Orientation Checklist

Logistics: 

☐ Layout and map of the school

☐ School hours

☐ Student course schedule

☐ Meals at school (cafeteria options, subsidized meal applications)

☐ School transportation

School Contact Information:

☐ Location and phone number of the main office

☐ Attendance line contact, if different

☐ Names and locations of key administrative personnel

☐ Name, location and contact information of teacher(s)

☐ Name and location of key resource personnel: nurse, ELD teacher, counselor, etc.

Policies:

☐ Immunizations

☐ Attendance

☐ Dress code (including winter and gym attire)

☐ Homework

☐ Supplies

☐ Behavior & Discipline

☐ Health and Wellness

☐ Cell Phones

☐ Safety (Weapons, Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs)

☐ Field Trips

Student Participation:

☐ Co-ed learning expectations

☐ Sitting for long periods of time

☐ Carpet meetings/sitting on the floor (where applicable)

☐ Lining up as a class 

☐ Raising hand to speak

☐ Lockers (where applicable)

☐ Bell policy and tardiness

☐ Bathroom and hand washing routines

☐ Independent and group work routines

School-based Events:

☐ Back-to-School Night

☐ Report Cards 

☐ Parent Conferencing 

☐ Concerts

☐ School dances

☐ International Night, if applicable

Student Engagement: 

☐ Sports and Recreation 

☐ After School Tutoring

☐ Summer School

Parent Engagement: 

☐ Classroom volunteer opportunities

☐ Field trip volunteer opportunities

☐ Adult ESL

☐ Translation services

© The Newcomer Fieldbook, 2017

Clarifying Newcomer/RAEL Program Design

Let’s break down some thoughts and areas of confusion around Newcomer/RAEL program design. In serving our new-to-English students, it’s important that our site-based model(s) of instruction truly reflect our student population and specific learning needs.

Clarifying Newcomer/RAEL Program Framework

ELL programming is not a homogeneous application.  In fact, there are many different channels to achieve the aim of targeted, accelerated academic language instruction.  It will be up to you and your key stakeholders to determine the mode or combination of modes that will best service your specific student population, school culture and available resources.

Both Newcomer or RAEL (Recent Arriver English Learner) initiatives are unique in that they are designated according to units of time.   Newcomer and RAEL programming, as defined by ESSA, is designed to serve new-to English speakers for up to two full semesters. After this interval, students are expected to transition into standard EL programming and/or traditional mainstream coursework for the duration of their school career (though even mainstreamed students may still be eligible to receive supplementary English support services).  

However, certain exceptions can be made for learners who demonstrate exceptional need.   If, after two semesters, a student is not making the appropriate academic progress toward language-based exit criteria- and if such evidence suggests that such gap would significantly impair a child's opportunity to fully participate and succeed in a mainstream learning environment- then he or she may be referred for additional Newcomer services.

Newcomer policy differs from general ELL services (such as ESL for Spanish speakers or ESL pull-out sessions for mainstreamed Newcomers), which are not time contingent.  General ELL programming is based on English language skill and ability level. As long as an identified English language learner evidences a need for continued skill-building in any of the four language domains (reading, writing, speaking, listening), he or she will remain eligible for these services.

Let’s take a look at the most common language service programs.  Be thinking about which services already exist on your campus, or which specific styles (or combinations) might be the best fit for your campus.

Note that the stated descriptors will widely from one state or district to another. However, the core elements of each program model should remain consistent.

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PROGRAM MODELS FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

Dual Language:  Learners are instructed in and encouraged to interact in both the heritage and the host language, with a goal of developing and maintaining proficiency in both.  ELA-S (Spanish) programs are the most prevalent form of dual language education in the U.S.

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NUMBER OF D/L STUDENTS

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PERCENTAGE OF D/L STUDENTS

Transitional Bilingual:  Learners are initially instructed in and encouraged to interact both the heritage and host languages, with a goal of developing English proficiency and fully transitioning to mainstream programming.  In this way, the heritage language is slowly phased out as English language abilities increase.

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NUMBER OF T/B STUDENTS

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PERCENTAGE OF T/B STUDENTS

Newcomer Programming:  Using Sheltered Instruction techniques and a range of socio-linguistic supports, learners are instructed in and encouraged to interact in English, with a goal of developing English proficiency and fully transitioning to mainstream programming.  Newcomer instruction may encompass other areas, including Western norms and values; trauma and shock mitigation; health and wellness protocol and additional parent-outreach efforts.

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NUMBER OF N/C STUDENTS

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PERCENTAGE OF N/C STUDENTS

Tier 2 ELL/ESL Services:  Tier 2 Services enable eligible students to participate in Push-In/Pull-Out resources for English language development, with a goal of enhancing English language abilities after a child has been mainstreamed.  In Push-In settings, a language specialist will meet and work with the child in his or her classroom, while Pull-Out options call for students to leave the homeroom for established durations to work on language development in individual or small group contexts. Programs will vary by school design. 

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NUMBER OF TIER 2 STUDENTS

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PERCENTAGE OF TIER 2 STUDENTS

Understanding Student Identity: Diving into Race, Ethnicity and Culture

What constitutes identity?  From one community to another, and from one school campus to another, we are likely to find widely varying explanations. 

Conversations around identity are typically assigned bank of related vocabulary.  Often, we employ these words – race, heritage, ethnicity, nationality, and culture- interchangeably. 

 This is problematic, and often muddles our concept of (and ability to recognize, embrace, and value) personal identity.   It makes it easier to lump human distinctions into tidy categories based on a series of checkboxes. But the reality is, it’s just not that simple. 

Race is vastly different than ethnicity, and heritage does not necessarily indicate culture.  Fortunately, getting these concepts straight is not highly complicated, either.  It just requires that we have a common working language.  Let’s get to it.

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First, let’s return to our vocabulary: Race, Ethnicity, Nationality, Heritage and Culture.

To organize these concepts in our heads, we can think of the elements as concentric circles. When I’m working with folks in a professional development setting, those pieces fit together like this:

For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.

Let’s first look at the concept of “race” within the larger outside circle.  Here’s the definition we’ll use for race: the composite perception and classification of an individual based upon physical appearance and assumed geographic ancestry; a mechanism used to facilitate social hierarchies.  

Race, then, is an invented construct designed to enhance the social maneuverability of some and diminish that of others. If we look to our human history, we can see that the concept of race has been effective in achieving this aim.  But the concept is overtly simplistic.  Essentially, majority parties create arbitrary social categories that label those apart from them, and them fill in those categories with identifying descriptors for each category.

Race is also a malleable property.  Racial categories (and their descriptors) differ from one society to another and change over time.  They are susceptible to shifts in power, demographics, and socio-political climate. In the U.S., we’ve historically defined those race categories by color: black, brown, white, yellow and red.  

 Of course, we know that there must be so much more to the story than this.

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The idea of ethnicity gets us a bit closer.   We’ll describe ethnicity this way: An individual’s tie to a to a broader social group as defined by shared language and value systems, which may include nationality, heritage, and culture.

 Ethnicity is a richer value than race.  It captures the many elements that link a community of together.  It also encompasses both past and present values of a social group.  The most defining feature of ethnicity is that is self-definition.  While one may be “born into” certain features of ethnicity, an individual may choose to abandon, adjust, or add to his or her ethnic identification.  

The choice aspect of ethnicity also leaves room for ‘and’.   Cherokee and Lakota.  Latina and Korean.  Palestinian and French. Igbo and Yoruba.  Black American and white American.  Multiethnic. Polyethnic. 

This singular aspect of choice is what sets race and ethnicity apart.  While both are inventive concepts, race exists only as an external social construct, placed upon an individual without choice.  Ethnicity, meanwhile, exists as an internal construct with external influences and is marked by the mechanism of personal choice and affiliation.   

For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.

Nationality, heritage and culture may be viewed as separate from, but somewhat living under the umbrella of ethnicity.  Language is also housed here.  Language represents the means of interpersonal exchange between peoples of a country or community.  It is also the conduit through which elements of ethnicity (including nationality, heritage and culture) are expressed.

Nationality refers to the country to which an individual was born, holds citizenship or identifies with as home.  The element of choice is observable here.  A student who was born in Russia but has lived in the United States since the age of six is likely to have a very Americanized world-view and may identify as American, even if her citizenship status does not reflect this. 

The idea of heritage looks to the place or places from which one’s ancestors originated from and what those ancestors subscribed to.  It is possible to identity with a heritage, but not the matching ethnicity.  For example, a person may recognize his African descent, but identify as ethnically Afro-Caribbean.   An individual may celebrate Irish heritage, but not speak the language or identify with customs linking it to that ethnicity.

For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.

Finally, we arrive at culture.  Culture, in many ways, is the most complex value. It is similar to ethnicity, but in a way, nested within it, as cultural indicators are part of the architecture of one’s ethnic identity.

Culture relates to the specific combinations of socially acquired ideas, arts, symbols and habits that make up an individual’s day-to-day existence and that influence his or her social exchange.  So, ethnicity has to do with overarching themes that define a particular social group.  Culture presents itself as (often material) markers of the ethnic group or its subgroups.

Culture has other attributes that set it apart from race, ethnicity, nationality and heritage.  Namely, it is not determined by appearance.  Culture is also a fluid property and is largely influenced by personal choice.  Cultural behaviors may be changed, shared or acquired. Any person may pick up another’s culture at any time, and a person’s culture is highly likely to change over time, in whole or in part, based on new experiences, interests, and social influences.

For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.

Often, the element of culture is further broken down into three layers: surface, conscious and collective unconscious.  Zaretta Hammond, in her incredible work, refers to these areas as surface, shallow and deep culture.  Surface culture mostly refers to observable markers: fashion, food, slang, art, holidays, literature, games and music. Conscious culture looks to the governing rules and norms of a community. It includes eye contact, concept of time, personal space, honesty, accepted emotions, and gender norms.

The collective unconscious culture is at the very core of one’s worldview. From this space, an individual processes the natural and social world- and also makes sense of his or her place within it. Spirituality, kinship, norms of completion, and the importance of group identity are all part of the collective unconscious.

It is also possible to have sub-cultures with our culture.  For example, we may belong to a skateboard, cowboy, gaming or band culture. We can attach specific elements of action and expression to each unique social behavior/interest group.

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Now we can step back and look at our map.  When we put all of these elements together, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of what comprises an individual’s identity.  We can move in the direction of looking past the first layer of race (and perhaps eventually remove this non-serving piece).  We can, through culturally-responsive teaching practices, develop our expertise in peeling away layers in our students’ identities in order to explore the deep culture factors that truly drive belonging, motivation and learning.