The gold standard of a thriving educational environment is one in which parents and teachers work towards aligned goals, the students have the latest technology at their fingertips at school and home, and communication between parties is welcomed and encouraged.

An increasing number of Afghan and Ukrainian families are entering U.S. school districts as immigrants and refugees. Integrating these newcomers poses unique challenges, among them the critical task of effective communication between the school and parents. Communication is a cornerstone for student success; however, language barriers often act as a stumbling block for meaningful interaction with parents from non-English speaking backgrounds. 

As our student body becomes increasingly diverse, there is no better time to take a proactive approach to parent communication, especially in their own languages.

TransACT ParentNotices, in collaboration with some states and districts, has translated its ESSA and General Education ParentNotices Collections into Dari, Pashto, and Ukrainian, the languages of recent refugee populations. The following ParentNotices Collections have been updated:

As an education professional, we understand that you are committed to communicating effectively with your students and their families to support student success. Not only that, you’re aware of the legal obligations of presenting information in a language that all parents understand, including the parents of English learner (EL) students. After all, your goal is to build trust, share information, and show that you care about all students in your district  — regardless of which language they speak.

Published on October 5, 2022

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) released the Notice Inviting Applications for two grants funded by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). These grants are part of the Biden Administration's goal of “doubling the number of school-based mental health professionals.”  

The National Association of English Learner Program Administrators’ (NAELPA) Advocating for Multilingual Learners Committee recently posted a brief white paper, The Importance of an Asset-Based Mindset and Using Asset-Based Terminology when Referencing the ESSA Subgroup – ELs. The white paper summarizes the results of the committee’s research on this topic.

Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a fiscal restriction called ‘Supplement not Supplant’ that includes federal, state, and local funds and laws. This means that if there is a federal, state, or local law that requires EL related programs, services, activities, or expenditures, then Title III funds cannot be used to pay for the things required by other laws. 

COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, has shuttered schools across the nation and forced the education of students to move to an online or distance learning methodology, endangering equitable access to educational programs for many students, especially English learners. This pandemic has caused disruptions in many areas, including meeting compliance requirements related to communicating with parents found in federal education laws, including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) shifted the responsibility for some requirements of federal mandates to be determined in ESSA States plans.  

On May 29th at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET, Dr. David Holbrook, Executive Director, Federal Compliance of TransACT Communications, will be hosting a webinar examining the benefits of coordinating between ESSA Title I / Title III and McKinney-Vento programs when serving ELs who may be experiencing homelessness.