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English Language Learners
Question 6: What is the role of a superintendent in motivating and providing useful methods to principals and/or teachers to help them meet the needs of ELL students? Do you have specific resources that were helpful to do this? |
Responded by: Libia S. Gil (Senior Advisor, National High School Center)
The superintendent’s role can be the most influential one in establishing a district-wide vision and a master plan for addressing the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). There are many leadership strategies for motivating and providing useful information to school staff, however, some of the most successfully demonstrated practices may include:
- Conduct a comprehensive district assessment or audit of current status on how ELLs needs are addressed (Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Human Capacity development and Resource Allocation practices) in the district utilizing a broad based staff and community engagement process to develop awareness and interest. Often times, critical issues and concerns are surfaced which can be leveraged to establish urgency for action.
- Create a shared vision and values with an inclusionary process which provides opportunities for active participation of all stakeholders to share perspectives and to build a unity of purpose. This is a particularly beneficial approach to address conflicting values in a school community.
- Develop a Master Plan with a representative task force charged with conducting regular communication with respective constituents to solicit input and provide feedback. A longitudinal data analysis and audit findings on the status of ELLs achievement in the district should inform the direction of the plan. In addition, the plan should include clearly delineated expectations with specific components defined such as:
- Expectations and goals for ELL achievement
- Program options which can vary from immersion to dual language and bi-literacy models
- Identification and recognition of linguistic and cultural variations
- Assessment tools and process to determine appropriate program placement
- Resource allocation aligned with ELL supports needed
- Targeted professional development for all school and district staff to implement differentiated ELL instructional strategies
- Social and emotional learning supports
- Standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment alignment
- Data collection with regular assessments to monitor individual student progress with continuous feedback loop to inform instruction
- Research knowledge and “best” practices disseminations with professional learning communities
- Technology applications for ELL
- Indicators of student and staff achievement aligned with performance evaluations
- Teacher recruitment plan
- Training partnerships with local universities to encourage student teacher placements and attract the best suited teachers
- Evaluation on strategies/programs impact
- Communication plan for staff, parents/community
- Develop board policies to institutionalize support for the implementation of a coherent master plan that is well integrated across content areas and goes beyond mere compliance and often isolated or fragmented initiatives.
Finally, please note that cultivating a collaborative culture
with an inclusionary processes is a time intensive efforts for any
district/school leader to model consistently; however, experiences demonstrate
that commitment and ownership may be a worthwhile trade-off.
Resources: A select list of superintendents who have achieved recognition for their systemic leadership vision, plans and initiatives for addressing ELLs in their district:
Dr. Dale Vigil, Superintendent, Hayward Unified School District, California
Dr. Richard Alonzo, (recently retired) Superintendent, District 4, Los Angeles Unified School District, California
Dr. Maggie Mejia, former Superintendent, Sacramento Unified School District, California
