Championing the Success of English Learners
We're hiring for a Communications Associate position to support our external communications, social media, and narrative strategy. Come and work for a statewide advocacy coalition focused on championing the educational success of English learners in California!
To read the full job description, click here.
Submit your resume along with a cover letter at the link here.
We are hiring a Policy Associate who specializes in Dual Language Learners. The Policy Associate will support the organization's policy, research, and advocacy work on early childhood that focuses on the education issues impacting dual language learner (DLL) and English learner (EL) students from birth to third grade. Apply today and work for a statewide advocacy coalition focused on championing the educational success of English learners in California.
To read the full job description click here.
Submit your resume along with a cover letter at the link here.
Greetings from Californians Together!
On Tuesday, January 10, Governor Newsom presented his proposed 2023-24 state budget that includes a $297 billion spending plan and an expected $22.5 billion shortfall. The overall budget theme was categorized by budget shifts (that is shifting funding from one source to another), and delayed implementation and/or reduction of programs. As a big picture, it included $7.1 billion in delayed spending, $2.6 billion in spending reductions, and $4.3 billion in budget shifts. As we had seen in previous budgets, many of the commitments were one-time spending so that in case of a budget shortfall like what is projected, these commitments could be reassessed. All of this to say, the May Revision will paint a clear picture of how much funding is to be allocated to specific programs and if there will be further cuts needed.
We appreciate the Governor’s commitment to education, specifically the $300 million ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund to establish an equity multiplier as an add-on to the LCFF to focus on closing opportunity gaps. However, we are concerned that without a requirement to set goals to close achievement gaps within district plans, the funding will not have the desired impact. We applaud the continued dedication to the educator workforce and would highlight the need for targeted funding for bilingual teacher preparation programs. It is for this reason that Californians Together is exploring legislation that would require districts to set goals for closing opportunity gaps in their LCAPs and continue to support the reauthorization of the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program (BTPDP).
With a limited budget on the horizon, we will continue to fight for our English learners and ensure that budget cuts don’t widen the already existing academic and opportunity gaps. We will highlight the need to protect and expand proven approaches to educator professional learning, like the Educator Workforce Investment Grants.
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This year has been filled with excitement and a deep commitment to supporting the needs of all English learners. We feel so grateful and inspired for your support and all of what we’ve accomplished and have had amazing opportunities in continuing our mission of championing the success of all English learners throughout California in 2022. Here are some of our accomplishments:
We partnered with 20 County Offices of Education across the state and served over 76% of California’s English learners. In total, EL RISE! served 547 Districts and organizations with 10,211 attendees from September 2021 through June 2022 and a total of 216 sessions were offered to administrators, teachers, counselors, school board members, parents, and community members through EL RISE!.
We sponsored AB 1868 (Rivas) Disaggregation of Data for Long-term English learners, which Governor Newsom signed and allowed for the implementation of two of the recommendations from this year’s LTEL publication, Renewing our Promise: Research and Recommendations to Support California’s Long Term English Learners.
We published five volumes of the English Learner Roadmap Implementation Guide and Toolkit for Administrators, authored by Dr. Laurie Olsen, which is designed to support administrators as they take up the challenge of leading and supporting the implementation of the EL Roadmap.
We released an English Learners in the Central Valley policy brief and held three listening sessions in the Central Valley to launch the development of a policy agenda to centralize the research, policy, and practice resources, and influence and shape the public narrative to reflect the diversity and assets of English learners in K-12 through higher education, and diversify the representation of English learner advocates across the Central Valley and statewide.
We continued to build our advocacy network by convening our third English Learner Advocacy Institute as part of our ever-growing English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative (ELLLI) network. Sixty teachers, parents, professors, county office and district staff, and allied organization representatives spent 4 days learning the history and lessons from the English learner movement, about current issues, and how to be an effective advocate.
With the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University, we published a fourth review of the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), Search for Equity for English Learners: A Review of 2021-24 Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), documenting the lack of goals, actions and services to address the needs of English learners.
These accomplishments would not be possible without you and the support and collaboration of our coalition members and donors. On behalf of Californians Together we want to express our sincere appreciation for helping us focus our common efforts in seeking to overcome and transform the harms of systemic racial, language, and cultural inequity in education and closing opportunity gaps from early childhood through post-secondary education. As you celebrate these special times with the people you love, we wish to thank you for all of your continued support this past year and in years past. We look forward to building momentum from this year’s efforts in supporting all English learners in 2023!
Check out our November 2022 Newsletter highlighting
Read our Newsletter today!
We are hiring a Policy Associate who specializes in Dual Language Learners. The Policy Associate will support the organization's policy, research, and advocacy work on early childhood that focuses on the education issues impacting dual language learner (DLL) and English learner (EL) students from birth to third grade.
Apply today and work for a statewide advocacy coalition focused on championing the educational success of English learners in California. To apply visit the link here.