# data[].attributes.body
The legal guide topic I selected is English Language Learners. As a seventh grade English teacher, I have witnessed the struggles English Language Learners encounter daily. Language barriers present overwhelming frustration which can ease through proper accommodations and interventions. However, not all needs are met in every public school. The information presented in this padlet will highlight situations in which English Language Learners encounter. Administrators, paraprofessionals, and teachers are the targeted audience since these stakeholders are responsible for the education of these students.

# data[].attributes.body
I emailed the questions for the interview to our current ESL chairperson and followed up with a conversation during our conference. Majority of the students we teach are not literate in their native language as well as the English language. This poses a severe problem. It is crucial that teachers and administrators are supporting these students academically.

In the interview, I learned the current struggle affecting the school. Because the number of identified ELL students is less than twenty per grade level, the school cannot implement a bilingual program. The solution is to  implement an ESL program, where students are pulled for an allotted time. Also, Reading language arts teachers must obtain an ESL certification. This is a concern for the district because students are not exiting the program. These students need additional support to become successful in learning the English language.

Best practices
1.  Create a language-rich environment. Labels, word walls, posters, vocabulary with pictures and translations.
2. Collaborative learning- pair with bilingual student
3. Informal assessment- monitor key ideas. Using different modalities such as speaking, listening, and writing will assist will English language acquisition.

I interviewed, Santa Ortiz from Reagan County Middle School, the ESL chairperson on campus. After conversing with Ms. Ortiz, I learned that the qualifications to exit the program has recently changed which may hinder students progress as they advance through the program. It is imperative that administrators and teachers are in direct communication with special programs in order to successfully support stages of language acquisition.

# data[].attributes.body
The National Education Association partners with Colorin Colorado to provide resources for English Language Learners. These resources are beneficial to teachers who assist with ELLs on a daily basis. There is a variety of resources to assist with instruction, family involvement, communication, and building relationships.

Advocacy for English language learners consists of a series of videos. I watched video number four, What It Feel Like to Be an ELL: Event Archived. The video is an interview with a teacher who was an ELL students. The perspective is enlightening because he describes his experience. He mentioned how scared he was to immerse himself in the English language. One takeaway I learned is how to include native language along with English language. The video offers several techniques and resources for teachers to implement into the classroom.

Citation

National Education Association

Colorin Colorado

# data[].attributes.body
Summary

After a four year investigation, the largest school district in New Jersey, Newark, violated federal and civil right laws when the district did not perform proper screening when identifying English language learners. Among the problems, the district under-identified students who required language support, placed English learners in schools without adequate services, and failed to hire and retain enough qualified teachers (Wall, 2021). The district’s practices left some English learners with little or no language services and removed others from ESL programs prematurely (Wall, 2021).Newark’s programs and services for English learners violate the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, which says schools must remove any language barriers that limit students’ access to instruction (Wall, 2021). In conclusion, the school district settled and made adjustments to their curriculum to comply with federal law. The school district recognized ESL in the English learning curriculum.

Relation to topic (English Language Learners)

This article is critical when evaluating the effectiveness of ESL programs in a school district. It’s imperative that teachers and school administrators are held accountable for providing equal learning experiences to all students. Providing special programs to advance English language proficiency is a federal requirement. It is the role of a principal to ensure that all students are receiving a high quality education. Students who have language barriers need additional support in order to strengthen English language proficiency.

# data[].attributes.body
Article Summary:

The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District created the 7-11 committee in 2020 which suggested closing Georgia Brown Elementary School, a dual immersion Spanish language magnet program, due to infrastructure issues. Paso People’s Action co-founder Yessenia Echevarria repeatedly raised concerns over lack of representation.During a school board meeting, Echevarria strongly criticized the Spanish translation services provided to her while she addressed the board virtually. School board president, Chris Arend, responded with, “ This was idiocy, this woman speaks fluent English and she has now wasted another roughly five minutes of our time to grandstand here,” said Arend. “I am speaking like a member here.” The California Department of Education noted 35% of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District’s student population are English learners (Buccio, 2021).

Negligence.

According to the Every Student Succeeds Act, states that local education agencies (LEAs) must provide information to parents in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that the parent can understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015)). The plaintiffs in the lawsuit stated the school district’s deliberate negligence caused purpose-driven pain. The damage they’ve caused will have long-term impacts on the community and affect everything from educational equity to political participation (Buccio, 2021).By denying Latinx parents the opportunity to participate in its advisory committee and by not providing adequate interpretation services at its board meetings, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District violated these laws, silenced its community members, and engaged in unlawful discrimination (Buccio, 2021).

Connection to topic: English Language Learners
It is required that local education agencies (LEAs) must provide information to parents in an understandable and uniform format in language that the parent can understand. Parent’s who do not speak English have the right to receive the information in the language spoken at home. Accommodations are administered to help alleviate those language barriers. When derogatory comments are made and discriminatory language occurs, laws are broken. It’s the responsibility of any education institution to protect parents and students who have not mastered English Language proficiency.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District

# data[].attributes.headline
#6 Constitutional Law: The 14th Amendment

# data[].attributes.subject
#6 Constitutional Law: The 14th Amendment

# data[].attributes.body
The 14th Amendment

All people born or naturalized in the United States of America is granted citizenship and given
equal protection of the laws (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV).

No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV).

United States Constitution. (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV).

Full text of law

# data[].attributes.body
Elementary and Secondary Education (Title VII-Bilingual Education Act) of 1968

Establishes federal policy for bilingual education for economically disadvantaged language minority students (20 U.S.C. 880B-6).

Provide grants funds for innovative programs(20 U.S.C. 880B-6).

Acknowledges the unique educational disadvantages faced by non-English speaking students (20 U.S.C. 880B-6).

Elementary and Secondary Education (Title VII-Bilingual Education Act) of 1968, 20 U.S.C. 880B-6

Full text of law

# data[].attributes.body
Texas Administrative Code

The school district shall accommodate the instruction, pacing, and materials to ensure that English learners have a full opportunity to master the essential knowledge and skills of the required curriculum, which includes the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and English language proficiency standards, ELPS (19 TAC§89.1210)

Texas Administrative Code, 19 TAC§89.1210

Full text of law

# data[].attributes.body
Castañeda v. Pickard (1981)
The outcome revealed that the district's language remediation programs violated the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA) of 1974 (Castaneda v. Pickard, 1981). The court's decision established three guidelines to monitor accountability of bilingual education programs:

The school must implement a program based on an educational theory (López & Mora, 2010).

The school must actually implement the program with instructional practices, resources, and personnel necessary to transfer theory to reality (López & Mora, 2010) .

The school must not persist in a program that fails to produce results (López & Mora, 2010).

Castaneda v. Pickard 648 F.2d 989 5th Cir. 1981

Full text of law

References

# data[].attributes.body
Reagan County ISD Employee Handbook

The educator shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student on the basis of race, color, gender,
disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation (RCISD Employee Handbook, 2021).

I selected this rule because it specifically states the educator cannot deny benefits to a student and cannot exclude a student from a program. The teacher must comply with ESL accommodations if the student receives specific accommodations. Other wise students are not receive benefits to master English language acquisition standards.

Reagan County ISD.(2021). Employee Handbook.

Full text of law

# data[].attributes.body
The TAC establishes the equalized funding
elements determining each district's Foundation
School Program allocations and state aid (19 TAC
§42.001).

Educators Code of Ethics, 19 Tex. Admin. Code  § 42.001.

This particular code applies to the allocation of funds. School districts receive certain funds for the program implemented at the campus. Situations can arise if students are not receiving proper accommodations, or if the school is not implementing correct programs like ESL and Bilingual Education, translators, or bilingual aides.

# data[].attributes.headline
#12 Personal Connection to Legal/Ethical Standards

# data[].attributes.subject
#12 Personal Connection to Legal/Ethical Standards

# data[].attributes.body
While evaluating and analyzing laws, I have made personal connections that influenced my educational goals. Working towards my goal of becoming an administrator, the following have impacted my path:

Deviating from the code of ethics because I do not personally agree with a situation is never acceptable.

Communication and collaboration is essential when a law is unclear. Follow the chain of command and reach out the district resources in order to maintain law.

Evaluate and monitor the programs in place at a district. Monitor stakeholders responsible for implementing accommodations. If teachers are not following laws precisely, funds will not be allocated.

# data[].attributes.body
After reviewing all sources within the padlet, the following best practices should be implemented when looking into English Language Learners:

1. Monitor stakeholders responsible for implementing accommodations.

2. Monitor ESL/ELL students who are failing, reach out to teachers and parents to find root cause of failing.

3. Check students cum folders, assuring all documentation is present.

4. Schedule ESL/Bilingual classes into curriculum as needed.

5. Attend specific training to stay informed on new policies regarding ESL/ELL.

6. Hold stakeholders accountable for implementing ELPS (English Language Proficiency Standards) in lesson plans.