On July 12, 2017, The California State Board of Education unanimously adopted a historic new policy for English Learners, the California English Learner Roadmap, superseding the 1998 English Learner policy stemming from Proposition 227 in 1998. The new Roadmap policy offers a vision and direction for English Learner (EL) education that views the education of ELs as a system-wide responsibility, recognizes the need to provide EL students with a rich and challenging curriculum from early childhood to grade 12, and respects the value of English Learners' primary language and culture. As part of state support for enacting the visionary 2017 CA English Learner Roadmap policy, the legislature and California Department of Education funded two Educator Workforce Investment Grants, of which EL RISE! (English Learner Roadmap Implementation for Systemic Excellence) is one.

There are three main agencies leading the work of EL RISE!: Californians Together, Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL), and Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL). Under CaliforniansTogether’s leadership, these three agencies have formed a Design Team to design research-based professional learning and to ensure coherence across the professional learning efforts for multiple roles and across the state. In addition, all three play a role in delivering professional learning opportunities and technical assistance to the field as part of this grant - drawing upon many years of designing demonstration projects, providing professional learning and technical assistance to the field of English Learner education, and creating tools and resources for the implementation of research-based practices.

From 2020 - 2023, the three agencies will work with and through 20 County Offices of Education that collectively serve 76.7% of the state’s English Learners. A basic strategy of our approach is to work with and through these County Offices of Education, partnering with them to:

• Develop their own capacity to provide direct support to LEAs in implementing the EL Roadmap policy (this is professional learning and facilitation/support for County Office staff in infusing the EL Roadmap into their ongoing work with LEAs); and

• Co-host with the Lead Agencies (Californians Together, SEAL, and LMU CEEL) professional learning opportunities for LEAs related to supporting multiple roles (e.g., school administrators, district leaders, teachers, counselors, etc.) to build capacity to implement the EL Roadmap

By collaborating with these 20 County Offices of Education, EL RISE! ensures alignment and dissemination through the Systems of Support statewide.