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

Helping Young Children by Reaching Out to Parents with Books

Generally, children who are exposed to language and reading at a very young age are more likely to have a chance to excel in their educational pursuits. The New York Times (NYT) shares that Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman said, “The greatest barrier to college education is not high tuitions or the risk of student debt; it’s in the skills … Read More

How Does Parent Involvement Affect Student Achievement?

Parental involvement is one of the core components that have been shown to provide a healthy and positive effect on the academic achievement levels of children in grades K-12. The results have been almost unanimous among a variety of studies demonstrating improved grades and exam scores, high attendance and graduation rates, and advanced behavioral skills among students whose parents play … Read More

Building Positive ELL Parent – Teacher Relationships

Building Positive ELL Parent – Teacher Relationships The avenues of communication between teachers and parents are paramount in the successful academic outcomes of a child. Without a healthy back and forth of ideas between both stakeholders, the child could potentially fall through the proverbial cracks where their learning is concerned. Teachers are tasked with educating students during the school day … Read More

What Can Title III Funds be Used for in Parent Involvement Efforts?

What Can Title III Funds be Used for in Parent Involvement Efforts? Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the funding component that gives states the necessary financial resources to develop standards-based learning initiatives and programs for English Language Learners (ELLs) in the form of subgrants. These funds are designed to improve the academic outcomes toward … Read More

Home-School Connections with Parents of ELL Students

Home-School Connections with Parents of ELL Students Successful parental engagement for ELL students starts with getting the parents actively involved. Unfortunately, this can be a much tougher obstacle to navigate than one might expect. There are a variety of hindrances in the path to engagement with parents of ELL’s, most of them rooted in a reluctance on the part of … Read More

Reading Aloud to English Learners

Reading is a vital function of teaching ELLs, but reading aloud can be an enriching strategy for keeping students engaged in the components of becoming fluent in the language for many classrooms. By reading to students, instructors can stress the importance of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and foster positive progress towards fluency in the language, while making the learning experience fun … Read More

Why Bilingual Books for Parent Involvement?

The Latino Family Literacy uses award-winning bilingual books in its reading programs for parent involvement. The reason why bilingual books are so effective (in Spanish and English) is because many children are learning English and parents are often Spanish-speaking. A bilingual book will help adults to read with their children and develop English language, along with their children. See for … Read More