Title III & Parent Involvement Requirements for English Language Learners

To assist in optimizing language instruction for limited English proficient and immigrant students, Title III and parent involvement requirements for English language learners (ELLs) has been extremely important for students, families and schools since its 2001 inception. According to the NCLR journal, the nonprofit Latino advocacy organization, while some of the initiatives under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) work well in closing the gap between English language learners and other students, funding for parent involvement programs, assessment development and instructional programs for dual language learners (DLLs) are of particular importance, it says.

When it began, the No Child Left Behind legislation authorized upwards of $490 million to support improving assessments and standards for dual language students, NCLR said. Under Title III, targeted funding for ELL programs was also authorized at a tune of $750 million, it added. Funding these areas ensures that ELL parents can hold schools accountable in helping their kids meet the demanding academic benchmarks, the Latino advocacy organization pointed out. The book Teaching Language Arts to English Language Learners states that NCLR requires that schools receiving funding must also implement effective ways to inform parents as to how they can be involved in the educational process of their children.

This has proved challenging for many Latino families, however, as they often speak in Spanish and their children in English. One language learning resource that has been particularly helpful, though, in closing this gap are the bilingual publications offered through Lectura Books. Available in both Spanish and English, they make it possible for kids and parents to learn together. Research also shows that it’s one of the best ways to obtain transferable literacy skills.

Finding educational programs that support ELL students’ first language, such as The Latino Family Literacy Project, can make an enormous difference on their overall academic and language acquisition success.