Language Support Services in an Educational Setting: Framing the Profession to Maximize Access, Impact, and Intended Outcomes Pre-WIABE Conference April 11, 2014 by Dominic James Ledesma Perzichilli

Three Frames The Profession School Districts Statewide Enterprises

Definition Language support is the use of any necessary tool or resource to facilitate communication where a linguistic/cultural barrier would otherwise exist (Ledesma 2010) Examples: Interpretation, Translation,

Why is the mitigation of cultural and linguistic barriers important? Mandated by law Moral imperative Inclusive practice Civility Build stronger communities The is a need

Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in Wisconsin¹ US Census Bureau 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) Wisconsins total household population over the age of 5 was 5,362,567 Out of the state household population, 177,233 identified as LEP Individual counties with LEP populations higher than the state estimate of 3.3%: Milwaukee (6.7%); Clark (4.5%); Dane (4.5%); Walworth (4.4%); Brown (4.2%); Kenosha (4.2%); Sheboygan (3.8%) and Racine (3.6%). 3.3% ¹Taken from WI Courts Language Access Plan

LEP Students in WI School Districts Report on the status of bilingual-bicultural education programs in WI 361 of 425 districts had one LEP pupil 85% of the districts in the state 15%

Language Access in WI at the Enterprise Level Courts (Public) Health Care (Public & Private) Education (Public & Private)

Commitment to Language Access at the Enterprise Level WI Court System 1.Complex, precise, and technical lexicon 2.Compliance with Civil Rights Act of Court Interpreter Program and policy development since Language Access Plan 5.Council on Language Access (tools for certification) 6.Consortium for Language Access (shared resources) 7.State & federal alignment 8.Professional organizations (ATA, NAJIT, etc.) for continued education Brass Tacks Specialized training to meet a special need Legal mandate Sustainable certification program (Quality Standards) Publication (The road map, handbook, and tool belt) Task force oversight Coordination of resources Buy in from external stakeholder groups

Commitment to Language Access at the Enterprise Level Health Care (e.g. GHC) 1.Complex, precise, and technical lexicon 2.Compliance with Civil Rights Act of LEP Coordinator (on- site) 4.National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) 5.Local, state, and national professional organizations (ATA,UMTIA, etc.) Brass Tacks Specialized training to meet a special need Legal mandate Centralized coordination of services and resources Standards development for certification Buy in from external stakeholder groups

Commitment to Language Access at the Enterprise Level Public Education 1.Complex, precise, and technical lexicon? 2.Accountable to comply with Civil Rights Act of 1964? 3.Need to develop standards beyond the local level? 4.Need for ongoing professional development? 5.Need for a task force to address issues of language access? 6.Do professional organizations recognize education as an area of specialization? 7.Centralized coordination of resources and services? Brass Tacks Yes! Sometimes? It depends.

Ownership of Language Support Services by Agency Court Interpreting = WI Court System Health Care (public) = Department of Health Services Health Care (private) = In-house coordination by providers Education (public) = ? ? ? ?

The Profession Complex and Unique role of LSS in Educational Setting

Interpreter The Publics Perspective Translator (Oral) (Written)

Language Support in an educational setting¹ IndirectDirect Language support where a member of the staff can assist the student/parent in the target language Taken from: Ledesma Perzichilli, D.J. (2011). Language Support Services in the Public Schools: A Framework for Including the Underserved Parents of Public Education. Concientización, 6(1&2), Language support through the use of an intermediary resource or tool

LSS in an Educational Setting¹ Language SupportIndirect Interpretation (Oral) Translation (Written) Direct Bilingual Staff (Administrators, Teachers, Paraprofessionals) Taken from: Ledesma Perzichilli, D.J. (2011). Language Support Services in the Public Schools: A Framework for Including the Underserved Parents of Public Education. Concientización, 6(1&2), 12-22

Study (n.) an investigation and analysis of a subject, situation, etc. (n.) a room used for studying, reading, writing, etc. (transitive v.) to give much careful or critical thought to

If the LSS profession had a motto, what would it be?

Context dictates everything.

Roles of the LSS Professional in Public Education Interpretation (Oral Linguistic Transference) Translation (Written Linguistic Transference) Cultural Brokering Family/Community Liaison Advocacy

Where and how does language support need to happen? Parent-Teacher Conferences Family inclusion strategies Behavioral intervention strategies District meetings School letters to parents School Emergency Plans Health forms IEP documents Permission slips Code of conduct Curriculum School policies Handbook

School Districts A Supportive Framework

School Districts 1.Adopt LSS Policy 2.Set standards of quality (certification, code of ethics, etc.) 3.Standardize the integration and administration of LSS practices 4.Task force oversight for issues related to language access (e.g. localization, technical terms, tools, best practices, etc.) 5.Platform for ongoing development of technical skills 6.Promote the establishment and coordination of stakeholder groups

Rethinking the Hierarchy State School Districts The Profession

School Districts State

Final Thoughts Education matches the other two enterprises in size, scope, and mission Compared to other two areas, LSS practitioners in education play a very unique and complex role LSS is an integral service that is critical to the educational process Standardize and streamline practices that promote high quality communications and interactions Continue to build out the administrative framework that supports LSS at every level (school, district, state, and federal)

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