Teaching Tolerance releases best practices for engaging LEP students and families in schools
To help school districts create a supportive learning environment for all students, the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Teaching Tolerance project has released a for engaging limited English proficient (LEP) students and their families.
To help school districts create a supportive learning environment for all students, the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Teaching Tolerance project has released a for engaging limited English proficient (LEP) students and their families.
鈥淥ver the course of the last two decades, the immigrant population has increased exponentially,鈥� said Teaching Tolerance director Maureen Costello. 鈥淲e鈥檙e offering the best practices guide as tool to help schools meet the linguistic needs of this population as well as provide students with a welcoming school environment.鈥�
The guide 鈥� 鈥� will help school administrators create a comprehensive communication plan that puts LEP parents on equal footing with English-speaking parents. It also offers tips to help schools steer clear of discrimination during student registration and create a checklist to maintain a welcoming school environment for English language learners and their families.
The guide is available to schools and educators across the country at no charge.
The guide stems from a 2011 resolution between the U.S. Department of Education and the Durham (N.C.) Public School system that outlines a plan to create a school environment that nurtures every student, regardless of English language ability.
The 澳彩开奖 filed a complaint last year on behalf of the Durham school system鈥檚 LEP students, citing a number of discriminatory practices, including limited access to interpreters and translated materials, which prevented students and their families from fully participating in education programs. The complaint also charged that the school system had created a hostile environment for Latino students by allowing employees to harass students about their citizenship status.
Federal law requires public schools to provide LEP parents with important information in a language they can understand. It also requires that schools not condition enrollment or graduation from a public school on a students鈥� citizenship or immigration status.
The Teaching Tolerance guide also encourages schools to develop an anti-bullying policy that includes a section on national origin-based harassment; to hold community meetings, with interpreters present, to provide important information regarding registration/enrollment and access to communication services; and to develop cultural sensitivity training for school staffers.
