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Newcomer, Immigrant, and Refugee Students
Newcomer, Immigrant, and Refugee Students
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. In addition to preserving heritage languages and cultures, OELA is committed to prompting opportunities for biliteracy or multiliteracy skills for all students.
Californians Together aims for an educational system that is funded and structured so every child will have full access to a high quality 21st century education and will graduate from our public schools fully prepared for success in college and career and full civic participation. Each student will achieve or possess cross-cultural skills and knowledge, connections to their families and communities, informational and technological literacy, communication and literacy skills in more than one language. Our member organizations come together around the goal of better educating 1.1 million English Learners by improving California's schools and promoting equitable educational policy.
This tool kit can help U.S. educators and others who work directly with immigrant students—including asylees and refugees—and their families. It is designed to help elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff achieve the following:
• Expand and strengthen opportunities for cultural and linguistic integration and education. • Understand some basics about their legal obligations to newcomers. • Provide welcoming schools and classrooms for newcomers and their families. • Provide newcomers with the academic support to attain English language proficiency (if needed) and to meet college- and career-readiness standards. • Support and develop newcomers’ social emotional skills.
• Expand and strengthen opportunities for cultural and linguistic integration and education. • Understand some basics about their legal obligations to newcomers. • Provide welcoming schools and classrooms for newcomers and their families. • Provide newcomers with the academic support to attain English language proficiency (if needed) and to meet college- and career-readiness standards. • Support and develop newcomers’ social emotional skills.
A Guide to Safe and Welcoming Schools for Immigrant and Refugee Students in California
Across California and the country, school districts, schools, and school staff are taking affirmative and proactive steps to ensure that immigrant students and families feel safe and welcome within their schools and communities.
This toolkit highlights resources and best practices available to educators in order to create safe and welcoming schools for all students, including immigrants and refugees.
This toolkit highlights resources and best practices available to educators in order to create safe and welcoming schools for all students, including immigrants and refugees.
Supporting Undocumented Immigrants and their Families
There are many things that you can do to create educational environments in which students of all backgrounds can thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. Teachers, in particular, can create inclusive and safe learning environments for all students by incorporating lesson plans and classroom activities that are designed to cultivate empathy and trusting relationships, create a sense of belonging, and reduce discriminatory stereotypes and actions.
Long Term English Learners (L-TELS)
Long Term English Learners (L-TELS)
The term “long-term English learner (LTEL)” refers to English learner (EL) students who have been enrolled in a U.S. school for six years or more and have not been reclassified as fluent English proficient. These students may have had inadequate prior schooling experiences and they are usually struggling academically due to their limited literacy skills in English.
The academic performance of long-term English learner (LTEL) students — English language learner (ELL) students who have been enrolled in a U.S. school for six years or more and have not been reclassified as fluent English proficient — lags behind their peers, and the number of LTEL students across the country is growing.
Produced by REL West, this research brief:
Highlights LTEL student characteristics
Points to factors that impede their academic literacy development
Identifies promising practices that may improve their academic outcomes
Describes Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) policies that highlight the need to identify high-quality programs and practices that support LTEL students’ academic progress and provide educators with knowledge and training to effectively implement those programs and practices
Long Term ELLs and Academic Language
Long Term ELLs and Academic Language
Students who have been in English language learner (ELL) programs for the majority of their schooling are considered long-term ELLs. Learn more about some of the programs trying to address their needs and the reasons why they are struggling.
This report and research published by Californians Together and funded by The California Community Foundation, presents the results of data from 40 school districts and over 175,00 secondary English learners highlighting the urgent need to address the language and academic needs of Long Term English Learners (LTELs). It calls upon state policymakers and leaders to provide solutions and outlines basic principles and promising approaches for school districts to meet the needs of LTELs more effectively.
Written for educators, administrators, and policymakers, this booklet provides a research-based overview on the large number of Long Term English Learner students, who despite having been enrolled in United States schools for more than six years, are not progressing towards English proficiency but are continuing to struggle without the English skills needed.
For additional resources on supporting Long Term English Learners, click on the button to the right.
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) is an umbrella term used to describe a diverse subset of the English language learner population who share several unifying characteristics. SLIFE usually are new to the U.S. school system and have had interrupted or limited schooling opportunities in their native country. They have limited backgrounds in reading and writing in their native language(s) and are below grade level in most academic skills. Students who have these characteristics could be refugees, migrant students, or any student who experienced limited or interrupted access to school for a variety of reasons, such as poverty, isolated geographic locales, limited transportation options, societal expectations for school attendance, a need to enter the workforce and contribute to the family income, natural disasters, war, or civil strife.
SLIFE students compared to English Learners
SLIFE in the classroom
Underlying Cultural Differences in SLIFE
Serving All Students
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