UPDATED
The U.S. Department of Education’s office of English-language acquisition has released the first portion of a guide designed to answer questions that families with English-learner students may have about public schools in the United States.
The first two chapters of the English Learner Family Toolkit offer guidance on how to enroll children in school and a look at how schools in the United States may differ from those in other countries. Each chapter contains an overview of family and student rights, questions to ask schools, and links to potential resources.
Subsequent chapters will help families learn how to obtain services for English-learners, find out-of-school support services, keep children safe and healthy in schools, and help children with schoolwork at home.
Here’s a look at the parent toolkit, which is also available in Mandarin and Spanish:
The parent toolkit is the second how-to guide that the office of English-language acquisition has released in the past four months. In the fall, the department released a resource for teachers who use educational technology to work with English-learners.
Colorín Colorado, a site for educators and families of English-learners, has also published a guide on how schools and early childhood centers can support immigrant students and families. Here’s a summary of the guide:
Related Reading
Report: To Help Young ELLs Thrive, Cultivate Home Languages and Cultures
A Parent’s Campaign to Break Down Language Barriers for ELL Families
Home-School Connections Help ELLs and Their Parents
Photo Credit: Eriselda Hernandez, right, reads with Fernanda Arana, 6, before school begins at Washington Elementary School in San Jose, Calif. The school’s weekly Madre a Madre meetings help bring parents into the school regularly to support children’s literacy development. --Preston Gannaway/GRAIN for Education Week