The California State Department of Education has adopted a new curriculum framework for English Learners in California, where one quarter of its students are English Learners. California is the first state to combine English language arts and English language development into a curriculum. This video, featured in the Common Core Channel, provides an overview of the English Language Arts/English Language … Read More
Improving vocabulary for school by reading and talking as a family
Improving vocabulary for school by reading and talking together as a family might be understood by many middle class parents, but it’s not so obvious to low income families, who may not have a middle class understanding of parenting, language development, and academic success. In the United States, we have a fast growing demographic of English Learners. The majority of … Read More
Family Engagement with Hispanic Parents
Family Engagement with Hispanic Parents We review research on parent involvement on an ongoing basis. In reviewing the research, major educational studies, and overviews of the evidence, it is clear that parent involvement works and is a powerful determinant in whether or not a child succeeds in school. The overwhelming research also concludes that the collaboration between parents and schools … Read More
English Learners in the United States – a Breakdown
The Spanish language is the second most spoken language in the United States after English. There are more Spanish speakers in the U.S. than there are speakers of Chinese, French, German, Italian, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined. And analysis of the 2011 American Community Survey by the Pew Research Center found that a record 37.6 million people ages … Read More
Born to Read: A New Program in St. Louis Gives Free Books
Born to Read: A New Program in St. Louis Gives Free Books to Newborns St. Louis County Public Library has announced a new program called “Born to Read” that will provide free baby board books to as many as 8,000 newborns at four local hospitals participating in the program. Set to launch in January 2015, the program aims to encourage … Read More
Public School Dual Language Programs on the Rise
Public School Dual Language Programs on the Rise Recent reports in the New York Times and Chalkbeat New York track the rise of dual language programs in public schools. The dual language programs promote biliteracy and positive cross-cultural understanding in our increasingly multicultural and interdependent world. Chalkbeat New York reported that Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña’s continued focus on dual language … Read More
The Oldest House in the USA – Award-Winning Finalist for 2014 USA Book Awards
The Oldest House in the USA was named an award-winning finalist in the Children’s Non-Ficiton category for the 2014 USA Book Awards: The story is about the oldest house in the Untied States located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and written by Kat Aragon, was first built in the 13th century and inhabited by indigenous people and Spanish settlers. It … Read More
Boy Zorro and The Bully Awarded Gold Medal Moonbeam Book Award
Boy Zorro and The Bully – Awarded Gold Medal for Moonbeam Book Award Spanish Language Picture Book Category Nation’s only bilingual children’s book publisher dedicated to Parent Involvement for English Learners Los Angeles, CA—Lectura Books, the nation’s only bilingual children’s book publisher dedicated to Parent Involvement, today announced that it has been awarded the Gold Medal for the Moonbeam Book … Read More