The closing of schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has created an increased need for you and your colleagues to connect and learn from each other, to share resources and to provide the emotional and professional support to meet the demands of equitable access and EL appropriate instruction through distance learning, materials or one-on-one outreach with your English Learners. With that in mind, we are offering various opportunities to uplift each other and at the same time make a difference for our students.
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Supporting EL Teachers and Administrators: Weekly Zooms
With the news of school closures until the end of the school year, we have heard that there is an increased need for you and your colleagues to connect and learn from each other, share resources and provide the emotional and professional support to meet the demands of equitable access and EL appropriate instruction through distance learning, materials or one-on-one outreach with your English Learners.
We at Californians Together have witnessed through various hosted Zoom webinars and meetings the need for people to be connected and wanting to share and learn from each other. With that in mind, we are offering various opportunities to uplift each other and at the same time make a difference for our students.
Integrated/Designated ELD
Elementary
TK-5
This zoom meeting covered examples of teachers implementing integrated and designated English language development through distance learning and create a space for elementary school teachers to connect and learn from each other by grade-spans.
Tuesday April 21
4:00-5:30
Designated ELD
Secondary
Grades 6-12
This zoom meeting will cover examples of teachers implementing designated ELD lessons and instruction and how they outreach to their students to engage in language development through distance learning. A space will be created for secondary teachers to share by grade spans.
Tuesday April 28
4:00-5:30
Integrated ELD
Secondary grades
6-12
Content area teachers will share how they are able to include integrated ELD through their distance learning experiences. A space will be created for secondary teachers to share by content area.
Tuesday May 5
4:00-5:30
Sessions later in May and June will cover Spanish and Asian Languages Bilingual Instruction, Meeting Social Emotional Needs of Students, Early Childhood Education and Dual Language Learners, Support for Immigrant and Refugee Students and Parent Engagement.
Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any needs or ideas you may have for developing a strong and caring community for Dual Language Learners and English Learners Prek - 12. Stay safe and well.
Alas y Voz provides resources for families of English learners (Spanish) during COVID-19
Californians Together’s Response to COVID-19
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, our staff will be working remotely and switching all in-person meetings to video or phone conferences effective immediately. For the time being, we’ve canceled all work-related air travel.
All normal operations of Californians Together continue, and our transition to remote operations should be largely seamless from the perspective of our member organizations and other partners. You can contact Californians Together staff by email and phone, and we will get back to you promptly—as is our ongoing commitment.
Californians Together Business Continuity:
- Business Hours: We will be operating regular business hours remotely via email and phone from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm at 562.983.1333.
- Order Fulfillment: We will continue to fulfill online orders twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Event Postponement: Californians Together will be postponing a number of in-person spring workshops and convenings. Updates on rescheduled activities in the coming months will be forthcoming. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution and recommendations by health officials to limit events.
- Organization Meetings: When possible and as needed to continue important work, the staff will be meeting virtually with our member organizations and partners.
Californians Together Resources:
- Supporting English Learners Remote Learning: During the upcoming weeks, we plan to share resources for educators to support their EL students on our website, Facebook, or Twitter well as parent-friendly information in Spanish via our Alas y Voz campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
- LCAP Toolkit Webinar: Don’t forget to sign up for the webinar on March 25th for our newly launched LCAP Toolkit. Toolkits are available for download or purchase.
Thank you for your time and patience.
In Community,
Shelly Spiegel-Coleman
Executive Director
New Toolkit Aims to Ensure English Learner Progress is Visible
New Toolkit Aims to Ensure English Learner Progress is Visible
Educators and advocates can use it to effectively develop school accountability plans (LCAPs)
In response to renewed calls to strengthen programs for English Learners, the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University and Californians Together have created a set of resources to support educators and community members to ensure schools’ efforts to serve English Learners (EL) are not only comprehensive but also visible. The resources respond to previous reports that English Learners’ needs were largely “masked” as demonstrated by the limited or weak evidence for EL programs, actions and services in local LCAPs (Local Control and Accountability Plan).
The LCAP Toolkit: Using Research-Based Tools to Promote Equity for English Learners are aligned to the aspirational goals of the new English Learner Roadmap. Along with the required transparency for targeted funding, the Toolkit provides important opportunities for educators and advocates to participate effectively in LCAP development.
The Toolkit was developed through an extensive process of analysis and reflection that included teachers, district leaders, educational researchers and EL experts. The toolkit has four sections:
- Understanding who your ELs are and what the district data reveals
- How to use a new resource (7 research-aligned rubrics) to comprehensively address ELs in district LCAPs
- Examples of how a local EL expert group or task force can contribute to improving the content of the LCAP to address the needs of ELs
- Examples of promising practices from actual district LCAPs.
Dr. Magaly Lavadenz, one of the authors and Executive Director for the Center for Equity for English Learners, Loyola Marymount University, stated, “After 7 years of of The Local Control Funding Formula and persistent academic and opportunity gaps for English Learners this Toolkit provides the support and direction to improve the LCAP process to finally realize the promise of equity for English Learners”.
An introductory webinar on the content and use of the Toolkit is scheduled for March, 25, 2020 from 1:30 – 4:00 pm for anyone involved in the development of LCAPs. To register click here.
Join the Cal Tog Team!
This is a very exciting time for us.
We are thrilled to have received generous support from our funders to continue expanding our work.
We are looking for candidates who share our passion and dedication to grow high quality biliteracy and dual language/English learner programs and services from pre-school to 12th grade.
EXECUTIVE ADMIN ASSISTANT
FINANCE MANAGER
FUND DEVELOPER