Practical Tools to Engage English Learner Families and

Foster Welcoming Schools

Customized 2-hour, 4-hour or 8-hour workshops for school personnel. Topics include:

• Developing and practicing a process of self-awareness and reflection
• Fostering respectful partnerships with families and students of diverse cultural backgrounds
• Exploring similarities and differences between the school's and the English Learner's priorities and goals in terms of involvement and student achievement
• Developing tolerance to diverse points of view
• Training interpreters and bilingual personnel to become effective cultural brokers
• Recognizing the influence of non-verbal communication
• Establishing effective and lasting cultural bridges with parents and students of diverse backgrounds
• Practicing Cultural Humility* to foster welcoming schools

Please contact us at sesoincga@gmail.com for additional information.

* What is Cultural Humility? “The approach of cultural humility goes beyond the concept of cultural competence to encourage individuals to identify their own biases and to acknowledge that those biases must be recognized. Cultural competency implies that one can function with a thorough knowledge of the morals and beliefs of another culture; cultural humility acknowledges that it is impossible to be adequately knowledgeable about cultures other than one's own. Cultural humility requires us to take responsibility for our interactions with others beyond acknowledging or being sensitive to our differences.” Levi, Amy.  “The Ethics of Nursing Student International Clinical Experiences” Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing.  Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 94-99 (2009).  

• Colorín Colorado - A bilingual site with great resources for families and educators including free print guides created for parents and teachers to improve children's reading and writing skills. 
• Pacer Center - Working with Culturally Diverse Families
• Parent-Teacher Organization:  Fact sheets about parent involvement and PTOs in English and Spanish
• Bridging Refugee Youth & Children's Services: Involving Refugee Parents in Their Children’s Education
• Parent Resources in Burmese, Cambodian, Lao, Somali and Vietnamese
• Parenting Minutes Videos (Spanish, Bengali and Chinese):  Short videos that focus on key topics related to early childhood learning and raising children. Each video page contains shareable tips and facts, as well as links to more FREE resources and information.
• Get Involved Parent Videos (English and Spanish): Volunteer at School, Seek Out Information, Be Seen at School and more. 

•  Why Family Engagement Matters for Student and School Success– Fact sheet in English, Spanish and Chinese

100 Bilingual Daily Comments: Common phrases for teachers to use to communicate student progress.  Available in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Korean and French.  

Communication Guide for School Front Office Personnel:  Available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese