Meeting the Needs of English-Language Learners – 2016 Leader to Learn From

Seventy years before becoming superintendent in California’s Anaheim Union High School District, Michael Matsuda’s mother, Ruth Ikeda, was a 14-year-old freshman at Anaheim High who was forced to leave school and live in internment camps along with thousands of other Japanese Americans. His mother’s experience—and her stories of pain and embarrassment that the experience of internment caused—has inspired his work as an educator and his quest to deeply understand the experiences of students both inside and outside the classroom. Matsuda has been especially focused on efforts to bolster the prospects of long-term English-learners—those students who have stalled in their progress towards English proficiency, making it difficult for them to have full access to core courses and graduate on time. Colleagues describe Matsuda as an unassuming leader who’s worked behind the scenes to make life easier for students and families who often have it the hardest. “He focuses on our invisible students,” says Annemarie Randle-Trejo, the president of the school board. This video was produced as part of Education Week’s Leaders To Learn From project, recognizing outstanding school district leaders from around the country. More at http://leaders.edweek.org Education Week Video