Family Engagement Engaging the families of your English learners in a partnership 1

Introductions 2 Dennis DuffyMichelle Niska School Support, MDEStudent Support, MDELEAPS Implementation

Objective 3 Participants will gain new strategies and insights on engaging the families of their English learners. Participants will be able to share new learning with a colleague at their own site.

Who are English learners? 4 A Kindergarten through 12 th grader, who… First learned a language other than English as declared by the parent or guardian Comes from a home where the language usually spoken is other than English Lacks the necessary English skills to participate fully in academic classes taught in English (as determined by a valid assessment measuring the student’s English language proficiency)

Why identify English learners? 5 English language development for the students Use of translators or interpreters when working with families Recognize and celebrate a variety of cultural backgrounds Community Connections Connect early education to K-12 programs

In your district, charter school, or program, how do you determine that a student is an English learner (or a dual language learner)? 6

Engaging the families of English learners 7 Do you experience challenges with the families of English learners participating in school activities?

Engaging the families of English learners 8 What are some barriers to family engagement? What are specific barriers to EL family engagement?

Why engage parents and families? 9 Higher grades and test scoresStronger community relationships Increased graduation rateTrust between family and school Decreased behavior referralsBetter school reputation “An involved family member increases student academic achievement equivalent to the school spending an addition $1,000 on that one student (Houtenville and Conway, 2008).”

Questions 10 You are going to watch a video about kids who are in a new country and have to go to school in a new language. When you watch, I want you to think about these three questions. You will discuss the questions at your table and then we will share as a group. 1.If these were your kids, and you weren’t familiar with the culture or the language in your new country, how would you want the school in the video to reach out to you and interact with you? 2. How would the way you interacted with this school change from how you might interact with your child’s school now in the United States? Would you feel comfortable doing that? 3. Put yourself back in your current position as an educator in the United States. Imagine a new family enrolls in your school. Imagine that the parents and the child had always attended a school like the school shown in the video. What assumptions, expectations, and experiences might that family hold about how schools teach kids and engage families?

Video 11

Discussion 12

Contact Information 13 Dennis DuffyMichelle Niska School Support, MDEStudent Support, MDELEAPS Implementation