LEA Spotlight: Palm Beach County, FL
The School District of Palm Beach County
West Palm Beach, Florida
Written by Carol Salva
We’ve noticed some promising practices in the sunshine state! The School District of Palm Beach County is the nation’s tenth-largest and their Departments of Multicultural and Migrant Education are intentional about how they meet the language and academic needs of their diverse student population.
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Director F. J. "Harvey" Oaxaca answered questions to help us understand the practices that are working for them as they serve educators, students, and families in Florida’s fifth largest public school district.
A keystone of the Multicultural Education Department is initiating programs that ensure the academic progress of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. This year, it means supporting educators in face-to-face and remote learning environments with many teachers simultaneously doing both. Like many in the field, they are all going above and beyond to support their students during this difficult time.
In 2020, the district saw an ELL graduation rate of 80.2% and Migrant graduation rate of 89.3%. Oaxaca explained that in a year when some graduation requirements were waived due to the pandemic, specific collaborations and initiatives were critical to support graduating seniors.
What is effective when you welcome students who speak 146 different languages and dialects? “It’s all about building collaborative relationships with the schools, the regions, the families, and the students,” said Oaxaca. He told us that it undoubtedly starts with a team effort mentality. Last school year, the following were specific steps taken by the district to support their High School students and families:
+ Solidified materials in English language development courses for alignment with research-based practices
+ Hosted SAT/ACT and Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) Bootcamps for Language Learners
+ Provided Seidlitz Education/Boosting Achievement Professional Development to focus on supporting
newcomers and SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education)
The Departments of Multicultural & Migrant Education offer the following recommended resources:
+ Family Outreach Videos via YouTube
+ Padlet: SDPBC ELL Literacy/Graduation Support
+ Padlet-Lilly's ESOL Instructional Support
+ Welcoming & Inclusive Schools and Immigrant Support Plan
+ Resources for Supporting Beginning English Speakers and Newcomers
+ Google site: Resources to Support Digital Learning for ELLs
We appreciate everyone in The School District of Palm Beach County! One of their most impressive practices is their relentless effort to share with, and learn from, other districts on social media. We encourage you to connect with them at the following handles & hashtags.
@EsolPbc @PalmBeachMEP @PbcLang @pbcsd #DualLanguagePBC #ELs_Can