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| THE SECONDARY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP FOR ENGLISH LEARNER SUCCESS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SERIES
Twenty percent of English Learners in California schools are enrolled in secondary schools. This includes newcomers who have arrived in their adolescent years with little time to learn English and amass required credits for graduation, as well as a large and growing population of English Learners who have been in U.S. schools for six and more years (most or all of their schooling) but are not progressing. Aware of the underachievement of English Learners, secondary school administrators are hungry to figure out how to meet the needs of all students. Yet, few have the information or support to address the specific needs of English Learners in secondary schools.
In 2005, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Los Angeles County Office of Education contracted with California Tomorrow to design and pilot a new leadership development series for secondary school leaders focusing on the needs of English Learners. The result is the Secondary School Leadership for English Learner Success Leadership Development Series. It was created to provide a powerful leadership development process and a useful, research-based and comprehensive resource speaking directly to the needs of secondary school administrators. The goal of the series is to enable secondary school leaders to systematically, efficiently and proactively lead their schools towards developing the ownership, structures, programs, policies, instruction, support services and climate that are needed to facilitate the full participation and high achievement of English Language Learners in a high school program preparing students for work and higher education in a 21st century global world.
The five day series is designed for teams of administrators and school leaders from secondary school sites, with opportunities between sessions for applying the tools and activities. Peer support, targeted technical assistance and consultation, and facilitated dialogues between sessions enhance both the learning and the application. The resource materials and training engage leaders in examining and reflecting upon their own sites and practice, building their understanding and skills as leaders as well as providing activities and tools they can use with their own faculty and school community to build comprehensive supports for English Learners. Each "unit" includes materials covering basic information and guidelines, summaries of the research, brief descriptions of how various secondary schools are addressing the issue, resource lists, planning tools and templates, and activities that administrators can use back at their sites to engage the school community in understanding and responding to the needs of English Learners.
The series consists of the following units:- UNIT 1: KNOWING OUR ENGLISH LEARNER STUDENTS
Factors beyond English fluency that affect the participation and achievement of English Learners in schools; strategies and resources for finding out more about the English Learner enrollment; the importance of responding to the cultural realities and identity development process for English learners.
- UNIT 2: SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
Overview of the characteristics and components of good effective instructional strategies for English Language Development, SDAIE, and bilingual instruction; strategies for supporting effective instruction with structures and mechanisms for teacher collaboration and reflection; resources for high quality professional development for English Learner education.
- UNIT 3: DESIGNING AN EFFECTIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
Overview of a comprehensive program for English Learners in secondary schools; basic principles and concrete suggestions for approaching the master schedule around the needs of diverse English Learner groups.
- UNIT 4: UNDERSTANDING AND USING ENGLISH LEARNER DATA
Information on commonly used achievement measures and their implications for English Learners; identification of common data mistakes; templates and approaches for analyzing English Learner achievement data productively and appropriately; activities and approaches for using English Learner data to inform program planning and instruction
- UNIT 5: LEADERSHIP AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ENGLISH LEARNER SUCCESS
Leadership approaches for allocating resources (time, money, leadership attention and weight) to create schoolwide ownership and commitment to meeting the needs of English Learners; creating the infrastructure needed to support English Learner responsiveness; and creating a school environment that brings parents/families into the process, enabling them to become advocates for their children.
In addition to these five units Meeting the Needs of English Learners in Small Schools and Learning Communities is also available.
Institutes for Fall 2008 and beyond can be scheduled with Laurie Olsen. Please contact Laurie Olsen at lolaurieo@gmail.com
For more information please contact sslels@californiatomorrow.org
Five day Leadership Development Series:
Secondary School Leadership for English Learner Success
To sponsor a series, the cost is $25,000 for 40 people ($500 per person) including all materials (five publications) and videos. Sponsoring agency covers expenses of facilities, outreach, registration and food.
One day Institute:
Meeting the Needs of English Learners in Small Secondary Schools and Learning Communities
To sponsor an institute, the cost is $5,000 for 40 participants ($125/person) which includes the cost of publication and video for each participant. Sponsoring agency covers expenses of facility, outreach, registration and food. Institute can be arranged for fewer participants, but the price will increase per person. |
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