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Member at Large Focus
Suzanne Toohey
Supervisor
Instruction & Pedagogy Unit and Consultant
ESL/Title III District and School Services
Oakland Schools, Michigan
Oakland Schools is an Intermediate School District located in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. We have approximately 14,000 multilingual students identified as English Learners across the 28 school districts and 26 charter schools in Oakland County. As the Supervisor of Instruction and Pedagogy, I consult with districts and their programs for Multilingual Learners (MLL)s. Along
with my colleague, Christy Osborne, ESL Consultant, I facilitate monthly (or more often) virtual meetings of our EL Network, which is composed of EL educators from within our county and across southeast Michigan.
One of the biggest challenges we are facing is countering deficit thinking about English Learners. We are trying to dispel the myth that English Learners are behind and that the pandemic exacerbated gaps between ELs and non-ELs. We used the article from Education Week titled English-Learners May Need More Support This Fall. But That Doesn’t Mean They’re Behind A case study on using home language as a bridge to English practice as a frame for discussion at a recent meeting of our EL Network. Members of the EL Network shared success stories from their own districts and described how they moved from deficit- to asset-based conversations and messaging about MLLs and their families. We brainstormed specific actions and strategies that have been proven successful in making this important shift.
We are thrilled to be able to highlight the assets that MLLs bring to schools and the classroom in an upcoming episode of our organization’s award winning podcast, Educationally Speaking. We were joined in the podcast by two district EL leaders who shared examples of how they intentionally increase equity of access and opportunity for ELs and their families, dismantle systemic inequities, and advocate for ELs at every level of the educational system. We continue to lean into the fantastic resources shared by NAELPA, CCSSO, and USED, to promote educational excellence for MLLs and their families.
NAELPA Committee Report
The NAELPA Communications Committee focuses on providing multiple avenues of communication with the NAELPA membership. Led by Samuel Aguirre, WIDA, and Tricia Kerr, Arkansas, the Communications Committee meets on the first Monday of each month at 1 PM Central Time. Michelle Niska, Minnesota, leads the social media efforts of the committee posting on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Various communications avenues include this newsletter, email campaigns, conference exhibits, etc. The committee works to share the work of the other NAELPA committees and the executive board. We are always seeking ideas for the newsletter, especially in regards to focusing on successful work with multilingual learners by an SEA (State Education Agency) or an LEA (Local Education Agency). We invite you to nominate an SEA or LEA to highlight in an upcoming newsletter by completing this form. If you are interested in potentially serving on the Communications Committee, please complete this form.