Supporting multilingual learners who have experienced trauma, violence, or chronic stress requires more than awareness. It requires practical strategies that recognize and build on students strengths. Elevating Strengths: Supporting Multilingual Learners Facing Adversity is a comprehensive 10-hour, self-paced online course designed for educators, school leaders, specialists, and other professionals committed …
Recent professional learning engagements have prompted me to pay closer attention to the words and expressions I use. I have become increasingly aware of how easily I can unintentionally exclude people—not because of my intentions, but because of the language I assume everyone understands. How often do any of us …
During a keynote on creating the conditions in which multilingual learners flourish, I asked participants a question: What do you wish your colleagues knew about the multilingual learners you serve? The district’s educators were participating in a professional learning day that began in a high school auditorium. Several school resource …
Imagine two overlapping circles. One represents what the law permits or prohibits. The other represents what morality and ethics require. Where the circles overlap, actions are both legal and morally right. The Supreme Court asylum decision reminds us why that distinction matters. The hardest questions any society faces arise where …
Imagine being in a small boat when a surge of waves causes it to capsize. Survival depends not on a single act, but on a series of rapid, moment-to-moment decisions: conserving energy, regulating breath, timing movements between the powerful waves, drawing the attention of a nearby craft, and resisting panic.
College rarely prepares teachers, administrators, and other school professionals to work with children and youth who have experienced trauma, particularly those living under the constant fear of family separation. Yet across the country, educators are increasingly being asked to navigate the very real effects of fear, instability, and uncertainty on …
When Mrs. Moyner planned her math lesson, she recalled a colleague’s advice about displaying the vocabulary she wanted students to learn. She knew that English Language and Multilingual Learners (ELs/MLs) benefit from seeing key language in consistent, accessible locations. Using the teacher’s guide for her unit on fractional ratios, she …
In this episode, Tan Huynh interviews Colorín Colorado’s Lydia Breiseth and Dr. Debbie Zacarian, Ed.D., about the guide Serving Multilingual Learners: Laws, Policies, and Regulations. Written by Dr. Zacarian, the guide explains the federal, state, and local laws that shape the education of multilingual learners and provides practical, reader-friendly guidance …
Yorleni is a fourth grader who moved to New York from Nicaragua. At enrollment, her parents express concern about their daughter. They share that Yorleni has been deeply affected by the recent death of her brother from cancer and has become much quieter. As educators, we know the importance of …
A current proposal aims to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and Title III—the only federal funding specifically designated to support English Learners. Without this support, how can schools recruit and retain the qualified educators that English and multilingual learners need? This infographic breaks down what’s at stake for both …
