Success for English Language Learners

I wanted to learn more about how I, as a classroom teacher, can support ELL students through collaboration and family involvement. I found an article in a newsletter called Lessons Learned which is published by an organization called Education Northwest. The article, "Creating Schools that Support Success for English Language Learners," by Jennifer Stepanek and Jacqueline Raphael, discusses specific ways in which schools can support ELL students, such as using research-based strategies and using reliable placement procedures. It also discusses how schools can build connect with families and communities to support the learning and development of ELLs.
As we all know, family involvement increases student achievement in school. Stepanek and Raphael suggest that students' native language and cultures can be resources for multicultural education, and family involvement can provide opportunities for culturally relevant learning experiences.
According to research conducted in focus groups by Education Northwest, they have found that parents want opportunities to "provide input and to receive more information from the school in a language and format that they understand." Sadly enough, it is often the case that these parents are not being provided with the opportunities for involvement and the information they desire due to the language barrier. It is the school's responsibility to initiate and maintain communication with the family in a language they understand. However, because it can be costly to hire a translator, many schools do not meet this need for communication. I know from my own experience as a student teacher in a classroom where there were several ELL students, there was  virtually no communication with the non-English speaking parents with the exception of parent-teacher conferences, at which time the school provided a translator. One little girl in our class had an older brother at home who helped her with her homework and filled out any paperwork that needed to be turned in because their parents didn't speak English. If I were her parent, I would feel very isolated and cut off from my child's educational experience. I can't imagine not even being able to help my child with her homework because I couldn't read it.
In the article, Stepanek and Raphael suggest offsetting the cost of community liaisons and interpreters by sharing them with other schools. Another idea that they suggest is to recruit bilingual volunteers to help in communicating with ELL families. If you know of someone in the community who speaks another language, you could ask them if they would be willing to volunteer their time. They also suggest that schools should hire multilingual personnel whenever possible to have someone on staff that could bridge the communication barrier.
In order to create a community atmosphere, the authors suggest outreach activities that bring families and community members together at the school. Some strategies for successful events are to accommodate parents' work schedules, provide childcare and transportation, and include extended family members. They also suggest providing educational opportunities such as "family literacy programs and ESL classes for adults."
Basically, the message of the article is that family involvement is crucial to the success of all students, and that cannot be accomplished without communication. That's easier said than done when the family doesn't speak English, but there are ways to overcome the language barrier by tapping into community resources and through the use of translators. It takes time and effort to communicate with ELL families, but the benefits far outweigh the cost when you consider the effects on the child's achievement and the opportunities for multicultural education in the classroom.

http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1039