Bilingual / ESL Programs in Texas

The state of Texas has implemented twelve dual-language schools in the Dallas, Irving, and Grand Prairie school districts, open to any student who wishes to become bilingual and biliterate in more than one language. These schools have been established to cater to the nearly 900,000 students in the Texas school system who have been designated as English learners. Those twelve … Read More

Program Survey Results with Trained Providers

Program Survey Results with Trained Providers We recently asked Trained Providers to take a survey about our programs. The survey included questions about the trainer, the curriculum, the books and other materials used by providers. The Workshop 100% of the respondents said they enjoyed the training, that it was thorough and prepared them to offer the program to parents. Participants … Read More

Giving Thanks to Educators Across America

Giving Thanks to Educators Across America During this special time of year when we celebrate gratitude, there is no better time then now to thank the educators all across America who have a made a difference in our lives. We often hear successful people talk about that one teacher who inspired them and helped them learn something that has stayed … Read More

A Two-Generation Approach for Educating English Learners

The merits of parental engagement in a child’s positive educational outcomes have been discussed at length and are widely accepted as essential to a student’s academic achievement. But for English Language Learners (ELLs), the role of parental involvement is perhaps more critical due to the many disadvantages that these children face from a variety of factors, some of which stem … Read More

California Distributes $200 Million for College Readiness Grants

The state of California is distributing about $200 million to nearly 1,000 school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for college readiness, according to an announcement from CDE on 10/16/16. 650 districts, charters, and county offices of education will receive grants of about $75,000, while Los Angeles Unified is set to receive $16.9 million. The grants were established … Read More

Federal Government Awards $26 Million to 29 Grantees for Literacy

Federal Government Awards $26 Million to 29 Grantees for Literacy The federal government is awarding more than $26 million to 29 grantees “to develop and improve high-quality literacy programs in high-needs schools,” the U.S. Department of Education announced on Thursday. The grants will support “high-quality programs that are research-based” to help pre-K through 12th grade children, according to the department’s … Read More

Recent Press in Texas about ELL Parent Programs

Texarkana Gazette October 29, 2016 LEARNING TOGETHER: Local program reaches out to Latino parents and children to teach language skills October 29th, 2016, by Jennifer Middleton in Texarkana NewsRead. See All Press for The Latino Family Literacy Project Mindy Basurto leads a discussion about “Graciela’s Dream,” a book in English and Spanish that lays out necessary information about applying for … Read More

Urban Poverty in the United States

Poverty in the United States The poverty statistics for children in this country have reached alarming rates with a staggering 16 million children living at or below the poverty line in 2016. The reasons for these conditions are varied and don’t always require families to be out of work. Many of these parents are working, but their wages are too … Read More

Bilingual Books Can Help Teachers and English Learners

One of the challenges that ESL Teachers and English Learners face today is that students may not have the resources to have books at home, or parents may not fully understand the importance of having books in the home, or even how to read with their children. Research about Second Language Acquisition Theory demonstrates the importance of fostering home language, … Read More