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Handout for NNSTOY EL Family Engagement 7-9-20

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EL Family Engagement Workshop Exit Ticket

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EL Family Engagement Workshop Exit Ticket

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USDOE: ELL Toolkit guidance on document translation

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USDOE: ELL Toolkit guidance on document translation

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Office of Civil Rights: guidance on EL parent communication

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Office of Civil Rights: guidance on EL parent communication

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messengerpeople: global usage statistics of messaging apps

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messengerpeople: global usage statistics of messaging apps

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The latest messaging app usage statistics show that WhatsApp has 2.0 billion users worldwide and Facebook Messenger 1.3, WeChat is just behind - it recently hit the 1 billion mark. Here you can find out all about the worldwide messaging app usage. We have user demographics and usage statistics for fourteen different countries and regions, with handy infographics. We continuously add countries, messaging apps, and updated usage statistics to this article - so check back in a few months for the latest numbers!
Active users of the top social networks and top messaging apps worldwide

WhatsApp announced in mid-February 2020 on its blog that the messaging app is now being actively used by more than 2 billion people worldwide. This puts the green messaging app far ahead of all other messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, Apple Business Chat or Telegram in terms of user numbers.

In Facebook's "family of apps", which includes the Facebook App, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, the two messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have long since taken leading roles in terms of user numbers.

The latest official figures on the occasion of Facebook's Q4/2019 results show, Facebook's family of apps has over 2.9 billion active users per month. Around 2.3 billion users use one of the apps every day. Facebook alone has 2.5 billion monthly users worldwide.
Source: We are Social, 2019
Facebook is the measure of all things when it comes to active users worldwide. With 1.6 billion active users, WhatsApp is number 1 among all messaging apps, closely followed by FB Messenger with 1.3 billion users and the Chinese messaging app WeChat with 1.1 billion users. This is followed by Instagram with 1 billion users and the Chinese QQ with over 800 million active users.

Monthly active users (in millions) of the most popular messaging apps

Looking at the monthly active users of the top 3 most popular messaging apps speaks for the popularity of these chat applications: The top 3 apps WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WeChat combine together more than 4 billion active monthly users.

Source: Statista 2019

There are only 25 countries in the world where WhatsApp is not the market leader.

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are growing about twice as fast as Facebook, the original platform (+30% YoY). Currently, WhatsApp has the highest distribution of all messaging apps worldwide. If you combine all the existing apps of the Facebook Universe, there are only 10 countries in the world where the messenger market leader is not from the Facebook dynasty.

In this article you'll find messaging app usage statistics for the following countries and regions:

For an overview of the top messaging apps worldwide - from Apple Business Chat, to WhatsApp, to LINE - and their business potential, check out our series Messaging Apps & Brands.

Messaging Apps in Great Britain

Within the past 2 years, WhatsApp has grown its user base by 20% and now almost reaches 70% of the British population. This incredible rise is especially impressive when looking at the slight decrease of YouTube and the very minimal increase of Facebook users.

Source: WeAreSocial Digital Report 2018

The intuitive WhatsApp interface and its wide-reaching popularity make it the most popular messaging app within all age groups. 84% of 24 - 35 year old Britons use WhatsApp, whereas the age group from 35 - 44 year old shows slightly less coverage, with 78% of the population.

Tip: more in-depth information about the messenger landscape in the UK in this article.

Messaging Apps in the USA

Isn't it surprising, that WhatsApp is the leading messenger app in 169 countries but not in its domestic market, the United States? Let's take a look at which messaging apps are actually popular in the US market.

1. Facebook Messenger

Alongside the good old text message, a lot of Americans use Facebook in order to send messages. With the combination of SMS and Facebook Messenger, you can reach almost everyone. Many people don't think that using an extra messaging app will provide them any added value. However, you can read all about the advantages of doing so and why you should consider working with MessengerPeople here.

Source: Statista

2. WhatsApp

As mentioned, WhatsApp is rather unpopular within the United States. In fact, a lot of Americans had never heard of the company before Facebook bought it in 2014. However, the green messaging app - which is the market leader globally - is slowly seeing rising usage statistics in the US. A lot of Americans actively use WhatsApp to communicate with friends and family abroad.

Source: Statista

3. SMS

In the US, it's quite common to have a mobile phone contract with a package that includes unlimited SMS. Data is also relatively expensive in the US, although the mobile market is very competitive and people can thus find great deals.

The urgency to text abroad, is very limited - especially compared to the European Union, where people have closer relations between countries. Most Amercians communicate primarily within the domestic market, so there's no need for the average person to download an app for cost-efficient international messaging.

In a lot of other countries, though, WhatsApp has managed to completely eliminate the text message. Emerging markets are especially keen on WhatsApp, because the local mobile providers are often not very reliable. In the USA, there has never really been an urge to find alternatives to SMS but still, even there, usage numbers are continuously dropping.

Source: Statista

4. iMessage

Communication apps like WhatsApp are available on practically all devices, whereas native apps like Apple's iMessage (and now Apple Business Chat) are limited to one provider.

However, the user base for iPhone is constantly growing in the USA. A lot of adolescents prefer iMessage to apps like Snapchat in order to reach out to their friends.

Since iMessage is a pre-installed service of Apple, there are no offical messaging usage statistics as they keep those "in-house". Looking at the ever growing demand and distribution of iOS devices though, we can assume that the pool of iMessage users is growing. In the fiscal year of 2017, Apple reached a quantity of 216.76 million iPhones.

For businesses looking to interact with US customers over messaging apps, Apple Business Chat is a great solution - and MessengerPeople is one of the few European providers for this exclusive service. More information on our ABC product page.

Have a close look at more in-depth information about the US Mobile Messaging Landscape in this article.

Messaging Apps in India

With increasing urbanization and steadily increasing Internet usage, the Indian market offers huge potential. It currently has more than 450 million active internet users.

Source: We are Social, 2019

97% of all smartphone users in India use mobile Apps for daily communication. For 96% of them, WhatsApp is their first choice when thinking about Messenger Communication.

In February 2017, India counted 200 million active users on WhatsApp. Currently, there is an estimated active WhatsApp user base of 250-300 million in India.

This makes WhatsApp the clear messenger-marketing market leader in India, where it continues to rank as the most sought-after and downloaded app. In contrast, Facebook Messenger lost popularity compared to previous year and reaches a fifth less people in direct comparison with WhatsApp.

In India, WhatsApp is popular among all age classes, however, there is a clear trend towards 18-34-year old male Indians (55%). Due to the still existing gender gap, generally more male (77%) than female (23%) can be reached via Messenger Communication.

We summarized more in-depth messaging app usage statistics for India and the mobile messaging market in this article.

Messenger Apps in Singapore

93% of Singaporeans use the internet on a daily basis. 75% of them use it actively on their smartphone for social networking activities, and 73% specifically use WhatsApp. Among all messenger apps in Singapore, WhatsApp counts the most downloads and active users.

Source: Statistia

WhatsApp tops all other social media. It's popular among all ages, but with a percentage of 73%, social media usage is especially high among 18-44 year old Singaporeans. The distribution by gender is quite balanced with 53% male users and 47% female.

Messaging Apps in the APAC Region

Not only is WhatsApp a popular communication app in Singapore, it is also number one in other countries in the Asia-Pacific Region: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, just to name a few. The market landscape in the Asia-Pacific Region is locally dominated by regional app providers such as WeChat, KakaoTalk or LINE, so it's specifically impressive that WhatsApp still manages to haev such a strong lead.

Source: Nexmo

The four leading social apps in Asia are WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber and LINE.

Messaging apps in South Africa

In South Africa, WhatsApp is the leader among social communication apps: 49% of the population actively uses the messenger app.

In a survey asking social media users about their use habits, 93% of respondents said they use messenger services like WhatsApp on a daily basis. In contrast, social network platforms like Facebook are used by 87% of the respondents.

Source: Statista

Messaging Apps in Germany

In September for the first time, Facebook announced official user numbers for Germany at the NGO Day in Berlin: 58 million people in Germany use WhatsApp every day. The latest official Facebook user numbers for its platforms also show that 23 million people in Germany use Facebook Messenger every month.

On basis of these published figures and more carefully selected statistics and studies, we have calculated the current usage numbers for the daily use of messaging apps in Germany and summarized these in the graph below.

In our calculation of the daily usage of Facebook Messenger, we assume that 80% of users use this particular messenger service on a daily base. Which means that 18.1 million people in Germany use Facebook Messenger every day, ranking second in Germany.

There are no official numbers of Apple Messages App users, so our assumption is that the number of users corresponds to the distribution of iOS operating systems. Taking this as our base, 15.1 million people in Germany use Apple's Message news app daily, ranking third behind WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Believe it or not, according to Statista Global Consumer Survey 2019 (April 2019) and our calculation, 9.6 million people in Germany still use Skype every day, leading to a ranking on position 4. According to a study by Statista in July 2019, Telegram Messenger ranks 5th with a daily active user base of 7.8 million people in Germany. Followed by Snapchat on rank 6 with 7.2 million daily users in Germany (Statista April 2019). With its 6 million daily users in Germany, Threema ranks number 7 (Statista July 2o19).

Other messaging apps that follow count less than 2 million daily users in Germany, which comes as no surprise as they are considered regional heros in different geographic areas: Kik, Hangout, LINE, WeChat, Kakao Talk and Wire.

Messaging Apps in China

WeChat has published new numbers and now counts over a billion users, of which 900 million use the app daily. This makes WeChat the third most-used app globally - after WhatsApp (1.5 billion) and FB Messenger, which just hit the magic 1 billion mark.
© Statista 2018
WeChat is not only popular within the Chinese borders, but generally popular for Chinese users. 100 million Chinese citizens use the app outside of the country's borders. This might sound trivial at first, but is important to understand if you are trying to reach out to Chinese travelers or expats via messaging apps.

Messaging Apps in Austria

85% of Austria's teenagers use WhatsApp. However, it's also an extremely popular app in other age groups.

Source: Betterinternetforkids.eu

The below Statista graphic from 2018 shows that WhatsApp is by far the most-downloaded messaging app in the Google Play store. Facebook is left in the dust, and the other messengers all hover together with (primarily) less than 10% of the market share.

Source: Statista

Messaging Apps in Brazil

56% of all Brazilians actively use WhatsApp for communication and information. This makes WhatsApp the most popular platform within Brazil, counting 20% more usage than Facebook Messenger among all smartphone users in Brazil.

Source: Statista

Not only do Brazilians use WhatsApp more than other apps, but they also use it a lot! 92% of all smartphone users who have downloaded the app use it daily and are actively engaged throughout the entire day.

Source: Statista

Social networks are used by both genders in Brazil (48% male and 52% female) and throughout all age groups. However, with a distribution of 76%, the reach is greatest among the age group of 15-44 year old Brazilians.

Messaging Apps in Spain

WhatsApp is by far the most popular messenger service in Spain. 87% of the population used the green messenger app actively in 2017. Facebook Messenger, which ranks second favorite in Spain, only has a usage rate of 43% of the population and falls way behind the top number 1.

Source: We are Social, 2019

87% of all smartphone users in Spain say they actively use WhatsApp on their smartphone. Facebook, on the other hand, is used only by 72%.

Another aspect to keep in mind when looking at the current market situation in Spain are the Google Play Store and App Store rankings. The Google Play Store statistic speaks for itself: WhatsApp - with a huge advantage over Facebook Messenger in 2nd place - counts 11 million daily active users. All other communication apps are positioned far behind.

The distribution of sexes is well-balanced. 54% of women and 46% of men use social networks in Spain. This evenly distributed proportion continues through all age classes. However, adolescents spend even more time than average on social media channels. 98% of female teens between 16 and 24 years old use WhatsApp on a daily basis, and 92% of their male counterparts.

Messaging Apps in Italy

As of January 2019, there were 54,80 million active internet users in Italy - which corresponds to 92% of the whole population. 85% of all Italians say they actively use the internet on their smartphone.

With a penetration of 84%, WhatsApp is by far the most popular messenger app in Italy.

Source: We are Social, 2019

Throughout all age groups, Italians actively use the green messenger. The age group which claims to use it the most is 25-54 year olds. But even 78% of those aged above 50 use the internet on a daily basis!

Messaging Apps in France

92% of the French population uses the Internet, and 74% does so via mobile devices. Of all active internet users in France, 58% actively use social media. The most popular messenger service in France is Facebook Messenger with a reach of 51%. WhatsApp follows as the second most used messenger with a reach of 31%.

Source: We are Social, 2019

As of January 20189, WhatsApp ranks as the second favorite App according to the numbers of app downloads and monthly active users.

Social networks are used evenly among men (49%) and women (51%) in France.

Throughout all age group, there is a highly active user base when it comes to social media. Even 30% of those aged 60 and above are active on social media. However, the age group of 12-39 year olds clearly dominates in terms of social media usage.

Messaging Apps in Latin America

Latin America is one of the strongest market regions for WhatsApp. 60% of the population in all Latin American countries actively uses the green messenger app, with Facebook Messenger, YouTube and Instagram all ranking far behind WhatsApp.

If you compare individual countries within that region, it is astonishing to see the immense reach and strong usage of social media in general. With a reach of 72% of the population, WhatsApp is strongest in Uruguay, followed by Chile with 71% and Argentina with 70%.

Further countries will be updated in this article on a regular basis.

Looking for information on how to use WhatsApp for your business? Find out more in this article: Why Email, Social Media, and Co. Are No Competition for Messenger Marketing

Have a great idea for customer service via messaging apps and want to talk about it? Message us!

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Messaging App Usage Statistics Around the World | MessengerPeople

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The latest messaging app usage statistics show that WhatsApp has 2.0 billion users worldwide and Facebook Messenger 1.3, WeChat is just behind - it recently hit the 1 billion mark. Here you can find out all about the worldwide messaging app usage. We have user demographics and usage statistics for fourteen different countries and regions, with handy infographics.

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Understood.org: How to Break Down Communication Barriers Between Teachers and Families by Amanda Morin 

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Understood.org: How to Break Down Communication Barriers Between Teachers and Families by Amanda Morin 

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Keep in mind that what may seem like reluctance doesn't always mean families don't wantto be engaged in their child's education. Many families would like to be more involved. But some families may face significant barriers like unpredictable work schedules or immigration concerns. For other families, their past experiences may make them feel that the school itself is creating barriers.

Reaching all familiesbegins with meeting them where they are emotionally. They may have varied feelings about family-school partnerships or have other priorities (like health issues) in their lives. Emotionally meeting families where they are requires empathy, asking questions, and sharing that you have a common interest in their child's education.

Here are some common barriers you can break down to better engage with families-and how to start doing it.

Barrier 1: Unspoken Expectations About Family Engagement

Some families may not see it as their place to be highly involved in their child's education. They may think it's their responsibility to get their child to school, and it's the teacher's job to teach skills and knowledge. In many cases, that doesn't mean a family is trying to avoid responsibility. It could be a cultural difference. Or it could be a sign of respect and trust in you as the teacher.

Research shows that parents who are explicitly invited and encouraged to take part in their child's education are more willing to do so, and they feel more confident that their participation can have an impact. That involvement could take the form of supporting their child at home or being a part of school activities.

Let families know you want to work with them toward your shared goal of helping their child thrive. Be explicit in letting them know that they play a critical role in meeting that goal.

Begin your relationship by introducing yourself and asking to learn more about their family and their student. During that time, ask them how they prefer to keep in contact.

Ask families how they'd like to be involved and what information they need to support their child's learning.

Barrier 2: Inflexible Work Schedules

According to one literature review, parents and caregivers who have more flexibility, stability, and predictable work hours at their jobs tend to be more engaged. That's because they can be.

But many families may have trouble getting time off from work to come to IEP meetings and other school events or conferences. They may have inflexible or unpredictable work schedules. Many parents and caregivers who work hourly-rate jobs may not be able to financially afford to take time off. Others may work night shifts and rely on getting sleep while students are at school. And many parents and caregivers may not have access to email or the ability to take a phone call at their job.

Offer the option of having meetings over the phone or via video conferencing instead of in person.

When it's time for parent-teacher conferences, offer early morning or evening meeting times if your schedule permits.

Consider keeping in touch with families using messaging on a communication platform like Remind or Participate. You can use these tools to send quick updates about student progress.

Let families know that the U.S. Department of Labor has said that parents and guardians can use the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) intermittently to attend IEP meetings.

Consider meeting in a mutually convenient public location, like a library or a community center. (Check your school's policies on this before moving forward with this type of plan.)

Barrier 3: Limited Resources

Even if family members are able to take time off from work to visit the school, getting to the school can put a strain on their resources. For instance, parents and caregivers might have trouble arranging childcare for their other children. Or they might have difficulties with transportation, including limited access to a car or mass transportation. All of these factors can make it hard for families to participate in school events or meetings.

Talk with your administration about the possibility of providing bus, train, or subway passes for families.

Suggest organizing a carpool for families to attend school events.

Video record your back-to-school-night presentation and email it to all families after the event. That way, families who couldn't make it in person can still access the same information.

Ask your school's administrator about collaborating with agencies like a local recreation center to provide childcare during parent-teacher conferences. Or check with your district to see if some high school students can watch your students' young siblings at your school in exchange for community service hours.

Offer opportunities to engage that don't involve coming to the school. For example, ask families if they'd like to help with the classroom newsletter or cut out materials for you if you send them home with their child.

Barrier 4: Shared or Complicated Custodial Situations

Some students split their time between their parents' homes. Other students are being raised by grandparents or other family members, or they're navigating the foster care system. A family member who seems hard to engage may not be on your class email list because the child moved into their home after the start of the school year. In other cases, a parent or caregiver may not get notices that are sent home because it's not their day with their child.

If you're unsure about the educational rights of a parent or foster parent, work with your school's social worker or counselor to get a clear answer.

Ask the family who needs to be kept in the loop about school events, meetings, and other announcements. You may need to add more than one family member to your email list or to send an extra copy of a notice or a report card to separate households.

Barrier 5: Cultural Differences or Immigration Concerns

It can be challenging for families of English language learners (ELLs) or immigrant students to interact with their child's teacher and school. A language barrier may deter some parents and caregivers from engaging with the school. There may also be cultural differences, like the view in some cultures that asking questions of the teacher is disrespectful. And some families may hold beliefs that having a struggling learner or a child with a disability is not something that should be talked about.

In other cases, families may have concerns about their immigration status. Those families may be afraid to engage because they don't feel safe or are unsure whether they can trust the school.

Read these six strategies for partnering with families of English language learners.

Use an interpreter to communicate with families, if possible. Ask your school administration how to request one. Try to avoid using students as interpreters between you and their families.

Know your students' rights. They not only have civil rights, but also rights to privacy and an education, regardless of their immigration status.

Know that schools and bus stops are currently " sensitive locations." This means that the Department of Homeland Security recognizes them as places where immigration enforcement shouldn't take place unexpectedly and without proper approvals.

Barrier 6: Prior Negative Experiences With Schools

Families of students who learn and think differently may come to you with years of negative experiences with the education system. They may feel intimidated by, angry at, or mistrustful of teachers and schools.

Keep in mind that some learning and thinking differences are genetic and run in families. There may be generations of family members who have their own negative associations and emotions about their experiences in school. They may feel as though they don't have the skills to support their child academically.

Acknowledge past negative experiences if families bring them up. Let them know that your goal is to work together collaboratively and respectfully.

Offer information in multiple formats, such as short videos, visual instructions, and printed information. Keep in mind that for some families, a lot of text may be overwhelming. Be as concise as possible and avoid using jargon.

Use neutral language when talking about a student's struggle with learning. Using the Universal Design for Learning framework can help you talk about learner variability and explain that you know all students have strengths and challenges. Let families know you work to support all learners and address their challenges to help them thrive.

Developing relationships with your students' families isn't always easy. But it's an investment that can lead to improved student achievement and trust, as well as improvements in communication with families. Want more information?

About the Author

About the Author

Amanda Morin&nbsp

worked as a classroom teacher and as an early intervention specialist for 10 years. She is the author of The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education. Two of her children have learning differences.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Timothy King, EdD&nbsp

founder of Crowning Moments, is the director of exceptional student education for Flagler County Schools in Florida.

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How to Break Down Communication Barriers Between Teachers and Families

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Keep in mind that what may seem like reluctance doesn't always mean families don't wantto be engaged in their child's education. Many families would like to be more involved. But some families may face significant barriers like unpredictable work schedules or immigration concerns.

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Office of Civil Rights: guidance on school registration and student data

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Office of Civil Rights: guidance on school registration and student data

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Stages of Multicultural Curriculum Transformation
Just as there are several conceptualizations for multicultural education (see Defining Multicultural Education), there are several perceptions as to what constitutes multicultural curriculum transformation. Approaches for multicultural curriculum transformation range from slight curricular changes to a fully-revised social awareness and action conceptualizations. James Banks (1993), Peggy McIntosh (2000) and others have formulated continuums for curricular reform that help move transformation efforts from the former toward the latter.
The following stages of curriculum transformation have been adapted from several existing models including those by Banks (1993) and McIntosh (2000).

Stage 1: Curriculum of the Mainstream
The curriculum of the mainstream is Eurocentric and male-centric. It ignores fully the experiences, voices, contributions, and perspectives of non-dominant individuals and groups in all subject areas. At this stage, all educational materials, including textbooks, films, and other teaching and learning tools, present information in a Eurocentric, male-centric way. This stage is harmful both for students who identify with dominant culture and those from non-dominant groups. It has negative consequences for the former because, according to Banks (1993), it:

reinforces their false sense of superiority, gives them a misleading conception of their relationship with other racial and ethnic groups, and denies them the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge, perspectives, and frames of reference that can be gained from studying and experiencing other cultures and groups (p. 195).

The curriculum of the mainstream has negative consequences for students from non-dominant groups, as well, failing to validate their identities, experiences, and perspectives. According to Banks (1993), it further alienates students who already struggle to survive in a school culture that differs so greatly from their home cultures.

Stage 2: Heroes and Holidays
Teachers at this stage "celebrate" difference by integrating information or resources about famous people and the cultural artifacts of various groups into the mainstream curriculum. Bulletin boards might contain pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Rosa Parks, and teachers might plan special celebrations for Black History Month or Women's History Month. Student learning about "other cultures" focuses on costumes, foods, music, and other tangible cultural items.

The strengths of this stage are that the teacher is attempting to diversify the curriculum by providing materials and knowledge outside the dominant culture and that the Heroes and Holidays approach is fairly easy to implement. Still, the weaknesses heavily outweigh the strengths:

By focusing celebratory attention on non-dominant groups outside the context of the rest of the curriculum, the teacher is further defining these groups as "the other."

Curricula at this stage fail to address the real experiences of non-dominant groups, instead focusing on the accomplishments of a few heroic characters. Students may learn to consider the struggles of non-dominant groups as "extra" information instead of important knowledge in their overall understandings of the world.

The special celebrations at this stage often are used to justify the lack of effort at more authentic transformative measures.

The Heroes and Holidays approach trivializes the overall experiences, contributions, struggles, and voices of non-dominant groups, consistent with a Eurocentric, male-centric curriculum.

Stage 3: Integration
At the Integration stage, teachers transcend heroes and holidays, adding substantial materials and knowledge about non-dominant groups to the curriculum. The teacher might add to her or his collection of books those by authors of color or by women. She or he might add a unit which covers, for example, the role of women in World War I. A music teacher might add slave hymns or songs from Africa to her or his repetoire. At the school level, a course on African American History might be added to course offerings.

The strengths of the Intergration stage are that it transcends special celebrations to deal with real issues and concepts and that it more closely ties diverse material into the rest of the curriculum. But many weaknesses remain:

New materials and units become secondary resources and knowledge as textbooks and the meat of the curriculum remain based on a Eurocentric, male-centric orientation (Banks, 1993).

New information is still delivered from a Eurocentric, male-centric perspective. For example, the story of Manifest Destiny is still told only from a European point of view.

Stage 4: Structural Reform
New materials, perspectives, and voices are woven seamlessly with current frameworks of knowledge to provide new levels of understanding from a more complete and accurate curriculum. The teacher dedicates her- or himself to continuously expanding her or his knowledge base through the exploration of various sources from various perspectives, and sharing that knowledge with her or his students. Students learn to view events, concepts, and facts through various lenses. "American History" includes African American History, Women's History, Asian American History, Latino American History, and all other previously differentiated fields of knowledge.

Stage 5: Multicultural, Social Action, and Awareness
In addition to the changes made in the Structural Reform stage, important social issues, including racism, sexism, and economic injustice, are addressed explicitly as part of the curriculum. The voices, ideas, and perspectives of the students regarding these and all other topics are brought to the fore in the learning experience -- the students themselves becoming yet another multicultural classroom resource. The textbook is viewed as a single perspective among many, and the relevance of its limitations, along with those of other educational media, are explored and discussed.

Banks, J. (1993). Approaches to multicultural curriculum reform. In J. Banks and C. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

McIntosh, P. (2000). Interactive phases of personal and curricular re-vision with regard to race. In G. Shin and P. Gorski (Eds.), Multicultural resource series: Professional development for educators. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association.

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Multicultural Education - Stages of Multicultural Curriculum Transformation

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Just as there are several conceptualizations for multicultural education (see Defining Multicultural Education), there are several perceptions as to what constitutes multicultural curriculum transformation. Approaches for multicultural curriculum transformation range from slight curricular changes to a fully-revised social awareness and action conceptualizations.

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TheHOLAblog.com: Bilingual Myths and Facts

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TheHOLAblog.com: Bilingual Myths and Facts

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Norwich CT Public Schools: school labels in four languages

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Norwich CT Public Schools: school labels in four languages

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English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese

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Southern CT State Univ.: English Learners Around the World

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Southern CT State Univ.: English Learners Around the World

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Country and culture cards

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This belief is the core of our work at YCEI. We conduct research and offer trainings that support people of all ages in developing emotional intelligence skills. We do this work because the well-being and sustainability of our society depends on each of us using our emotions wisely.

As a self-supporting unit within the Yale School of Medicine's Child Study Center, our research and training is funded primarily through foundation and federal grants, corporate support, training revenue, and philanthropists. Our research is conducted in collaboration with experts in education, psychology, policy, and technology.

Our goal is to design effective approaches for supporting school communities in understanding the value of emotions, teaching the skills of emotional intelligence, and building and sustaining positive emotional climates in homes, schools, and workplaces.

We provide training to educational leaders, teachers, and school staff to support the systemic implementation of SEL (social and emotional learning) and foster those skills in all stakeholders in these communities, including in families and out-of-school time. We test and refine each element of our work, with the goal of leveraging emotions to create healthier and more equitable, innovative, and compassionate communities.

Through both science and practice, we determine how emotional intelligence can make a difference in the lives of children and adults. Our Center's research in "basic" science has included the role of self-awareness in teacher decision making, the benefits of emotion regulation skills for creativity and adolescent coping, and connections among school climate, teacher engagement, and student academic performance.

We also have tested the impact of RULER. RULER, an acronym for the five skills of emotional intelligence (recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating) is the evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning developed at our Center. Evaluation research shows that RULER fosters a range of behaviors and shifts in school climate that are essential to positive youth development.

Research on the impact of RULER also informs educational practice and policy by demonstrating that emotional intelligence can improve leader, educator, and student outcomes in schools serving pre-K - 12 students. Together, our research deepens our understanding of the benefits of a range of complex feelings across human development and informs both the design and implementation of RULER.

Other specific outcomes among students and adults include:

Development of emotion skills

Fewer attention and learning problems

Greater social and leadership skills

Less anxiety and depression

Less stress and burnout

Better performance in school

Creating Emotionally Intelligent School Communities

In partnership with families and communities, schools play a critical role in supporting the social and emotional development of youth. This goes beyond teaching a set of skills by embedding social and emotional learning (SEL) into every aspect of daily school life. More than 20 years of research shows that SEL helps students achieve more academically and make better decisions.

RULER is a systemic approach to SEL developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. The Center works with both district-level and preK-12 school-level teams to help them understand the value of emotions, build the skills of emotional intelligence, and create and maintain positive emotional climates with RULER.

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Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI)

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This belief is the core of our work at YCEI. We conduct research and offer trainings that support people of all ages in developing emotional intelligence skills

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ELL Education Dept., Norwalk CT Public Schools: Apps for Supporting Emerging Literacy Skills

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ELL Education Dept., Norwalk CT Public Schools: Apps for Supporting Emerging Literacy Skills

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iPad apps final handout TESOL 2016 for CAPELL

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Rhode Island Teachers of ELLs: Booklist 

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Rhode Island Teachers of ELLs: Booklist 

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Multicultural books and lessons for students

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Each book included in a book list will have the following components*:
The title in APA format and ISBN Number.

The literacy/proficiency level, age/grade-level span for which the book would be ideal/appropriate.

Each book is correlated to WIDA or RI Adult ESL proficiency levels.

A brief description of the book summarizing the story and explaining why it would make a good story for ELLs (what would make it relevant to ELLs).

Technology-based materials related to the book (audio books/video versions of books/computer based and Internet resources that promote reading and writing around the books listed).

the formats in which the book is available (bilingual or native language version, print, recorded book, Reading Rainbow book, CD-Rom, Living Books, Google books, e-books, etc.).

Links to any on-line resources for classroom teachers (including for teachers that are designed for the book lesson plans, guides, or official author websites).

* Some books may not have all these components and some may have more.

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Each book included in a book list will have the following components*: The title in APA format and ISBN Number. The literacy/proficiency level, age/grade-level span for which the book would be ideal/appropriate. Each book is correlated to WIDA or RI Adult ESL proficiency levels.

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Lisanne Kaplan: Tips for Document Translation

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Lisanne Kaplan: Tips for Document Translation

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Colorin Colorado: Reading Tip Sheets for Parents

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Colorin Colorado: Reading Tip Sheets for Parents

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Reading, and a love for reading, begins at home. Our one-page Reading Tip Sheets are available in eleven languages and offer easy ways for parents to help kids become successful readers.

Although we've divided these tips by age, many of them can be used with children at various ages and stages - we encourage you to choose the ones that work best for your child.

These tips were created with the generous support of the American Federation of Teachers.
Update!
Our baby and toddler tips are now available in Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, and Hmong.

Tips for Parents of Babies

In English

In Spanish

Tips for Parents of Toddlers

In English

In Spanish

Tips for Parents of Preschoolers

In English

In Spanish

Tips for Parents of Kindergartners

In English

In Spanish

Tips for Parents of First Graders

In English

In Spanish

Tips for Parents of Second Graders

In English

In Spanish

Tips for Parents of Third Graders

In English

In Spanish

Parent tip sheets in other languages

Tip sheets for parents of babies, toddlers, and children in Preschool through Third grade are available in the following languages:

Tip sheets for parents of children in Preschool through Third grade are available in the following languages:

* To view this file, you'll need a copy of Acrobat Reader. Most computers already have it installed. If yours does not, you can download it now.

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Reading, and a love for reading, begins at home. Our one-page Reading Tip Sheets are available in eleven languages and offer easy ways for parents to help kids become successful readers. Although we've divided these tips by age, many of them can be used with children at various ages and stages - we encourage you to choose the ones that work best for your child.

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Lisa Halloran: Using Wordless Books and Images to Promote Oral Vocabulary Acquisition 

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Lisa Halloran: Using Wordless Books and Images to Promote Oral Vocabulary Acquisition 

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With Simplified Chinese Translation

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World-class training for interpreters and service providers

Your professional development is in good hands. Look for quality. Expect fun. Meet outstanding colleagues in the field. CCC training programs are dynamic, skills-based sessions -- never a dull moment!
Many programs offer continuing education units (CEUs); refer to each program description to see which kind and how many.
PUBLIC TRAINING

Register online below. (Read our online registration instructions here.) Our training registration policies and procedures are here.

In order to register and pay by check, please first download and complete the corresponding form below:

PRIVATE SESSIONS

Schedule a training program for your organization anywhere. Learn more.

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Medical and Community Interpreter Training - Cross-Cultural Communications

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Your professional development is in good hands. Look for quality. Expect fun. Meet outstanding colleagues in the field. CCC training programs are dynamic, skills-based sessions -- never a dull moment! Many programs offer continuing education units (CEUs) ; refer to each program description to see which kind and how many.

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Independent School District of Boise City: "last resort" translator strips

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Independent School District of Boise City: "last resort" translator strips

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Omniglot: the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages

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Omniglot: the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages

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writing systems written language abjads abuguida alphabet syllabary syllabaries syllabics script glyph encoding multilingual hieroglyphs cuneiform rune accent diacritic unicode character chinese kanji hanzi hanja letter symbol foreign font phrase translation learning

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Omniglot - the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages

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A guide to alphabets and languages, with useful foreign phrases, tips on learning languages, language-related links, multilingual texts, and much more.

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Lisanne Kaplan: favorite websites for home learning

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Lisanne Kaplan: favorite websites for home learning

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CT.gov: Full, Equal and Equitable Partnerships with Families

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CT.gov: Full, Equal and Equitable Partnerships with Families

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CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website

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Introduction

Every federal and state program that concerns children from early childhood, elementary, secondary, and community education, to health, juvenile justice, and welfare - has policies, guidelines and requirements about reaching out to and communicating with families. Yet no clear and consistent definition of what that means, or even what it is called, has emerged.

Although the term "family engagement" is gaining recognition, parents, professionals, public officials, and community leaders mean many different things when they use it, and are uncertain about how to do it well. This inconsistency has created confusion and unpredictable practice at a time of growing understanding that closer collaboration with families is vitally important to children's success.

The purpose of Connecticut's common definition and framework of family engagement is to encourage shared understanding and collaboration, making it easy for all parties - educators, providers, partners, and families - to understand what is expected of them and what effective practice looks like. The hope is that this will lead to a robust culture of partnership between families and professionals throughout all education and human service programs

Growing Calls for Increased Family Engagement
Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE)
The Connecticut State Board of Education's Five-year (2016-21) Comprehensive Plan, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for All Connecticut Students, calls for an equitable and excellent education for all Connecticut students that equips every child, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, family wealth, zip code, or disability status with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college, careers, and civic life. The plan identifies families as essential partners in student success and recognizes the need for authentic opportunities for meaningful parental engagement by building capacity for families and school staff to partner effectively in support of student success.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC)
The first goal of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood's 2020 Strategic Plan is for the agency to place children and families first. The specific objectives related to this goal include achieving a family-centered agency culture and reducing disparities in child and family outcomes. In addition, the second goal in the OEC's Strategic Plan addresses increased access to high-quality programs.

A main strategy for achieving this goal is the implementation of a Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS), which provides families with valuable information about early care and education program quality. The CT QRIS will also support programs to increase their level of quality related to key areas of quality, including family engagement.
Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative (ECFC)
Family engagement is core to the mission of the CT Early Childhood Funder Collaborative (a project of the Connecticut Council on Philanthropy) which is to bring the collective voice and resources of philanthropy to build and sustain a comprehensive early childhood system that works for all children, families, communities and the workforce in Connecticut. The ECFC and its 16 members including community and private foundations and United Ways from across the state recognize families, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income level, as powerful assets for their children's successful development. The ECFC's funder members value family voice and continually seek ways to infuse that voice in their community leadership and grant making efforts.
Every Student Succeeds Act, 2016
Each school district that receives federal Title I funds shall develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy. In addition, the policy shall be incorporated into the district's plan, establish the agency's expectations and objectives for meaningful parent and family involvement, and describe how the agency will: jointly develop the district plan; build school capacity; link to family engagement in other programs; jointly evaluate and improve the programs based on evaluation findings; and involve parents in the activities of Title I schools. (Title I, Section 1116)

Who was involved and what did they do?

Three partners, the CSDE, the OEC and the Connecticut ECFC, joined with parents, educators and communities to co-create a common definition, framework and guiding principles for advancing state and local family engagement efforts across the state.

This short paper presents the definition, guiding principles, and recommendations for capacity-building, as well as comparative examples of evidence-based high-impact strategies for engaging families. Throughout, the voices of families, educators and community members are presented to reflect the rich conversations that fed into this work.

A Design Team of the three partner organizations' staff, as well as representatives of higher education, school districts, and parent organizations, coordinated the effort. The Design Team, along with an outside consultant, developed drafts and took their ideas to the Commissioner's Roundtable on Family and Community Engagement for review in June and September 2017.

"I hope that teachers and staff will be open minded and disregard implicit biases that are disrespectful and hurtful to families. Meet families half way on their ground; listen to their needs and wants; and gain knowledge of the community they service." Connecticut Parent, August 2017

In between these meetings, the Team arranged for five focus groups across the state to capture parent voice and ideas. (See Appendix A for additional information)

For a final round of consultation, the three partners sponsored an invitational Symposium on Family and Community Engagement at Gateway Community College in New Haven on December 13, 2017. About 100 people attended, including members of the Commissioner's Roundtable and Design Team, parent and community organizations, state agency staff, school district officials, teacher organizations, and advocacy groups.

1. The terms family/ies and parent/s are used in this paper to represent any adult caretakers who have responsibility for the well-being of a child or children. This includes, for example, biological parents, foster care providers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, or fictive kin.

2. The term educators is used to mean any person who teaches or is involved in planning or directing experiences that promote learning and development. This includes professionals in schools as well as those in early childhood settings, after school settings and community organizations.

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Every federal and state program that concerns children from early childhood, elementary, secondary, and community education, to health, juvenile justice, and welfare - has policies, guidelines and requirements about reaching out to and communicating with families. Yet no clear and consistent definition of what that means, or even what it is called, has emerged.

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Teaching Tolerance: webinars on family engagement, cultural responsiveness, and social justice

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Teaching Tolerance: webinars on family engagement, cultural responsiveness, and social justice

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Learning for Justice webinars offer helpful guidance and great ideas from our experienced teaching and learning specialists and from innovative educators in the Learning for Justice community. Watch these FREE on-demand webinars at your own pace and share them with colleagues!

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Region 4 Schools, Houston: Cultural Proficiency Continuum

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Region 4 Schools, Houston: Cultural Proficiency Continuum