Dear Secretary Cardona,
We, a group of concerned educators, administrators, researchers, and advocates, believe that national collaboration and investment is necessary to properly serve our newcomer English learners – those students who are relatively new to U.S. schools. While newcomers are grouped in with the large and heterogeneous English learner category, they have distinct needs that are often unmet by programs and instruction offered to English learners, especially those who enter U.S. schools in middle or high school. Consequently, newcomers around the country are unable to access the appropriate public education that is their civil right.
We ask that the U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), take leadership in growing and supporting the field of newcomer education. A national newcomer convening led by OELA would be a significant first step in facilitating collaborative efforts between educators, administrators, researchers, and nonprofit leaders. Such a gathering can also inform the Department on the state of the field, help develop a national advisory committee, and begin developing a collaborative agenda for advancing newcomer education.
In particular, we ask that OELA support planning and activity in the areas below:
1. Data Definitions & Inclusion in Data Systems
The field has insufficient information about newcomers on both the aggregate and individual levels. While newcomers are counted in federal data systems under the Title III Immigrant Student heading, this information is not widely available to the public and has no part in accountability systems. In practice, this means that policymakers and educational leaders lack critical information for targeting resources and school improvement efforts for the distinct needs of this population.
OELA can lead efforts to galvanize states around common data definitions and study the inclusion of newcomers as a distinct student subgroup in federal data systems. While ESSA provides a definition of immigrant youth for purposes of Title III grant allocation, and several states now have formal definitions of students with (limited or) interrupted formal education (SIFE/SLIFE), the question remains as to how to define the population for purposes of accountability, research, and resource allocation. Once decided, the field will also need guidance on how to operationalize that definition with screening tools and processes.
2. Curriculum, Professional Development, & Research
The field agrees that there are not sufficient curricular resources to meet the diverse needs of newcomer students, and most educators lack training in educating newcomers. Districts around the country struggle to educate their newcomers because of this.
OELA can lead efforts to advance curriculum, professional development, and research for newcomers. This may be done by developing curricular frameworks, prioritizing newcomers in the next National Professional Development grant cycle, calling on researchers to evaluate models for efficacy, and offering guidance for newcomer instruction and administration in the form of an updated Newcomer Toolkit for practitioners.
As new immigrants continue to make the United States their home, schools are the key welcoming point for students and families joining new communities. We are in need of system-level leadership to help schools educate our newcomers, and we believe that OELA should play a leading role in this work. We recognize that OELA’s capacity is limited in its staffing and funding. We, the undersigned, offer our support in advocating for additional staff and funding to help develop the field of newcomer education.
Sincerely,
National Organizations
All4Ed
Anti-Defamation League
Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS)
Children’s Defense Fund
Center for Applied Linguistics
Center for Law and Social Policy
Data Quality Campaign
Education Reform Now
ELPA21
Hispanic Federation
Immigrant Connections
ImmSchools
Internationals Network for Public Schools
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
National Association of English Learner Program Administrators
National Center for Youth Law
National Education Association
National PTA
New Teacher Center
Next100
SchoolHouse Connection
Teach For America
TESOL International Association
The Collaborative for Inclusive Education
The Education Trust
The Opportunity Institute
The Opportunity Network
UnidosUS
WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research
State Education Agencies
California Department of Education
State and Local Organizations
Aliento Education Fund, AZ
Asian American Federation, NY
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC, Inc.
CATESOL, CA
California Newcomer Network
Californians Together
Center for Equity for English Learners, Loyola Marymount University, CA Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY
Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF)
Convivir Colorado
Education Insights Center, CA
Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project
Immigration Initiative at Harvard
Latino Community Fund INC, GA
LEARN RESC, CT
Long Beach Latino Civic Association
Long Island Latino Teachers Association
Metropolitan Russian American Parents Association
MinneSLIFE Committee of Minnesota
Multilingual Education Advisory Committee (MEAC) to the Buffalo Board of Education New York Immigration Coalition
New York State Association for Bilingual Education
RITELL (Rhode Island Teachers of English Language Learners)
Suffolk County Hispanic Advisory Board
Teach Plus California
The Innovative Daycare Corp
TE2 Consulting LLC, MN
Volunteers of Legal Service, NY
Women’s Empowerment Coalition, NY
Local Education Agencies
Anaheim Elementary School District, California
Elk Grove Unified School District, California
Fresno Unified School District, California
Hudson Valley Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (HV RBERN)
Lawrence Public Schools, Massachusetts
Magnolia Public Schools, California
Oakland Unified School District, California
Roseland School District, California
Salinas Union High School District, California
San Diego Unified School District, California
San Juan Unified School District, California
Tehama County Department of Education
Tulare City School District, California
Washington Unified School District, California
Schools
El Sol Science and Arts Academy, California
Keiller Leadership Academy, California
Montebello High School, California
Oakland International High School
Suffolk County Community College, Michael J. Grant, New York