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Engaged ELL parents bring invaluable dedication and wisdom regarding their children to the school community and can be crucial partners in supporting their children's success. This guide offers twenty big ideas to help school leaders get started on the path towards a strong home-school partnership. An overview of the guide and related video clips are included below. You can also see this guide in an article format.
TheToolkit for Teachers: Reaching Out to Hispanic Parents of English Language Learners was developed by Colorín Colorado, Reading Rockets, and the American Federation of Teachers. This toolkit includes background information on reaching out to Hispanic parents, four sample workshops, videos in Spanish and English, booklists, and bilingual handouts.
Additions to the toolkit include a new parent workshop on helping children become successful readers and 200 children's book titles geared towards Latino families.
As a parent, there are many things you can do at home to help your child have a good school year. These include making sure your child gets enough sleep, getting him to school on time, and reading at home every day.
Here are ten important ways to get started!
Note: There are three versions of this article, written at different reading levels (basic, intermediate, and advanced). All three versions are included in the PDF version.
This printable guide, written for Colorín Colorado by Dr. Debbie Zacarian, provides a detailed introduction to federal laws regarding ELLs and their relationship to state and local policies, including information about ELL identification under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Note: This guide has been updated with a second edition. The first edition is available for reference, but we strongly encourage educators and administrators to review the updated edition when looking for policy guidance.
During the school year, teachers will invite you to come to parent-teacher meetings (also called conferences). This is very common in the United States. You can also ask for a conference any time.
This ten-chapter toolkit from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice features recommendations on how to implement best practices with ELLs. It includes information on topics such as how to write curriculum, communicate with parents, and serve ELLs with disabilities, as well as updates on research. The toolkit is the companion document to the Dear Colleague Letter sent to states earlier this year, which outlines legal obligations to English Learners under civil rights laws.