EL Advocacy Resources from the National Council of State Title III Directors

By Alyssa Thornley | Civil Rights, ESSA, EL

    

The National Council of State Title III Directors (soon re-branding to the National Association of English Learner Program Administrators) held a council meeting and professional development conference in Coronado Springs, Florida on March 6, 2019. NCSTIIID's professional development purposes include ensuring that members are knowledgeable of effective administration of national and state programs for the education of EL students and ensuring that members are knowledgeable of the laws governing the administration of language development programs.

Over the course of the day, the council shared 15 resources for English Learner (EL) Advocacy:

  • Office of English Language Acquisition The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) provides national leadership to help ensure that English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success. One of the ways OELA accomplishes this is by providing national leadership by informing policy decisions. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/index.html
  • American Federation of Teachers www.aft.org/immigration Provides resources for families facing issues including ICE raids. Resources in English and Spanish.
  • American Immigration Council https://americanimmigrationcouncil.org The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring.
  • Center for Law and Social Policy www.clasp.org CLASP is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people. We develop practical yet visionary strategies for reducing poverty, promoting economic opportunity, and addressing barriers faced by people of color.
  • Colorin Colorado www.colorincolorado.org/immigration A bilingual site for educators and English language learner families.
  • Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org Edutopia is dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives.
  • Federal Flash is the Alliance for Excellent Education’s five-minute (or less!) video series on important developments in education policy in Washington, DC. Watch at https://youtu.be/s2uk2fF1HkY For more frequent updates on education news and policy, follow @all4ed on Twitter.
  • HIAS http://www.hias.org HIAS partners with Jewish Family Services and other social service organizations to resettle refugees in nearly 20 cities across the country.
  • Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - The Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) seeks to improve K-12 student performance, retention, and access to equal educational opportunities.
  • Migrant Policy Institute - The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute seeks to improve immigration and integration policies through authoritative research and analysis, opportunities for learning and dialogue, and the development of new ideas to address complex policy questions.
  • National Immigration Law Center www.nilc.org Established in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the leading organizations in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of immigrants with low income.
  • National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition askncela@manhattanstrategy.com, National resource for educators working with English learners, includes employment opportunities, an English learner family toolkit, upcoming conferences and workshops, among the myriad of valuable resources.
  • Teachers Against Detention (www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org) Teachers Against Child Detention (TACD) was formed by a group of teachers led by Mandy Manning, the 2018 National Teacher of the Year. TACD is an alliance between teachers, education associations, immigrant rights advocates, faith organizations and people concerned about the welfare of innocent immigrant children in U.S. Government detention.
  • TESOL Position Statement and Public Policy Professional Council https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/advocacy-resources Numerous position statements related to national and internation education of ESL/EFL learners developed by the premier international education association for teachers and learners.
  • United We Dream www.unitedwedream.org United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country. With over 400000 members, they fight for justice and dignity for all immigrants.

About the National Council of State Title III Directors:

The NCSTIIID (soon to be NAELPA) serves as the voice of ELs, representing SEAs and LEAs across the United States . We are small enough to hear individual voices, yet powerful enough to be heard as a whole.

Would you be interested in joining the Advocacy committee? Contact Judy O’Loughlin joeslteach@aol.com or Karen Solis karensolis.literacy@gmail.com

To learn more about NCSTIIID (Soon to be NAELPA Membership) : www.ncstiiid.org

TransACT Parent Notices is a proud sponsor of the National Council of State Title III Directors and their work in EL Advocacy.

 

 
Alyssa Thornley

About The Author

Alyssa Thornley has spent her career working to support schools and communities in providing opportunity to all students. In positions as a teacher, professional development coordinator, and as a volunteer, she has focused on the community’s role in education, and in designing efficient programs that work for diverse needs. Alyssa leads TransACT’s customer engagement and market strategy efforts, and works to ensure innovative programs, guidance, and thought leadership from across the country’s districts are being shared and spread.