Strategic By Design by Dr. Marie Heath

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:49:39 UTC

What This Pillar Looks Like When It Works

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:51:24 UTC

What This Pillar Looks Like When It Works

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:51:59 UTC

What This Pillar Looks Like When It Works

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:52:38 UTC

What This Pillar Looks Like When It Works

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:53:08 UTC

What This Pillar Looks Like When It Works

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:53:39 UTC

What This Pillar Looks Like When It Works

drmarieheath — 2026-01-11 23:54:07 UTC

Understanding the Academic Orientation Strand

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 00:08:33 UTC

Understanding the Cultural Development Strand

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 00:12:14 UTC

Understanding the Cultural Development Strand

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 00:13:37 UTC

Newcomer Achievement Plan

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 00:47:05 UTC

Margaret Rutaquio leads the Ambassador program in Garland ISD in Texas. This document is used an part of their intake process when they receive newcomers. Thank you, Margaret for sharing so freely! To hear more about how this document is used through an Ambassador program, please follow this link and listen to Dr. Carol Salva's podcast with an interview with Margaret. https://salvac.edublogs.org/2022/03/25/bap105-ambassadors-and-leadership-ft-margaret-rutaquio/

Differentiating the Learning for Newcomers

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 00:51:20 UTC

We can differentiate and scaffold at the cognitive and context, but we keep the content (skill) at grade level and the same for all students.

Annotated Objectives/Target

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:01:31 UTC

Annotating the content objective with students makes the purpose of the lesson explicit and ensures everyone understands what they are expected to learn and do (Hatti). By frontloading key concepts and vocabulary, teachers reduce cognitive load and provide students with clear access points, allowing them to engage more confidently and deeply with the learning.

Photo courtesy of Heba Abdelghani at Plano ISD

Top 5 Ideas for Retaining Teachers

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:18:53 UTC

Teacher retention isn’t only about pay—it’s about how educators are supported, valued, and sustained. When teachers feel supported, retention follows—often without a paycheck attached.

Supporting Educators Beyond Training

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:25:57 UTC

This visual highlights nine ways districts can support educators beyond a single training. Sustainable change happens when teachers receive ongoing, intentional support that helps them implement, reflect, and refine their practice over time.

Interactive Parent Partnership Planning

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:33:12 UTC

Strong family engagement doesn’t happen by chance. This image shows how districts can intentionally design, implement, and sustain interactive parent partnerships through clear planning, meaningful interaction, and follow-through.

Seal of Biliteracy

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:38:02 UTC

Schools should honor and elevate bilingualism and biculturalism as strengths that contribute to students' future success. This can be done by offering the Seal of Biliteracy to formally recognize language proficiency, showcasing student stories through senior spotlights or multilingual events, and actively encouraging students to view their heritage as an asset in college, career, and life—not as a barrier to overcome. These efforts affirm students’ identities and help them see their linguistic and cultural backgrounds as valuable contributions to their communities and future aspirations.

Academic Orientation

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:52:11 UTC

The foundational support all newcomer students need when they first arrive.

Past and Future Hands

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:55:54 UTC

To help students explore their bicultural identities by reflecting on their past experiences and imagining their futures, using visual storytelling as a bridge between cultures and languages. This activity provides a culturally responsive space where students feel seen, valued, and empowered to share their journeys.

STEPS:

1 Have students trace both hands on paper or in a journal.

2 Ask them to label the left hand “My Past” and the right hand “My Future.”

3 On the left hand, have students draw or write about their cultural heritage, traditions,

meaningful memories, or even difficult experiences they’ve faced.

4 Encourage use of symbols, heritage language, or cultural references to deepen personal expression.

5 On the right hand, have students represent their hopes, goals, or dreams.

The Power of Cognates

drmarieheath — 2026-01-12 01:59:57 UTC

Nearly 60% of English academic vocabulary comes from Latin, creating a powerful advantage for multilingual learners whose home languages share Latin roots. Intentional cognate instruction helps students connect existing language knowledge to new academic terms, accelerating vocabulary development and affirming their linguistic assets.

Steps:

Introduce Cognates
Create a Cognate Anchor Chart
Highlight and Discuss Cognates
Choral Reading for Fluency
Summarize Using a Paragraph Frame
Create Cognate Dictionaries

Supporting Literacy at Home: 7 Steps for Parents

drmarieheath — 2026-05-25 19:24:53 UTC

What happens when parents suddenly become learning partners at home? This post shares how schools used language-rich practices, family support, and intentional partnerships to help students thrive during times of change. Discover how strategies designed for multilingual learners ultimately benefited everyone. Written by Jordan Greer and Curstin Ploch, Frisco ISD

SLIFE are Valuable Member of Our Learning Communities

drmarieheath — 2026-05-25 19:29:10 UTC

Graduation for SLIFE students begins with more than credits and schedules—it begins with how we see them. This post highlights how an asset-based mindset, meaningful relationships, and high expectations can strengthen students’ confidence, persistence, and ability to reach graduation despite significant challenges. Written by Dr. Carol Salva

Utilizing the Objectives During the Lesson

drmarieheath — 2026-05-25 19:33:01 UTC

Moving from awareness to implementation is often where professional development has the greatest impact. This post highlights how instructional coaching, reflection, and purposeful practice helped transform objectives from a compliance task into a powerful instructional strategy that supports both teachers and multilingual learners. Written by Allison Hand

Tips for School Leaders

drmarieheath — 2026-05-25 19:35:58 UTC

Effective staffing is not simply about assigning people; it is about intentionally leveraging the strengths of every stakeholder who impacts multilingual learners. This post explores five practical strategies for building staff capacity, fostering collaboration, and creating systems that support both educators and students. Written by Valentina Gonzalez

I Have a New Multilingual Learner: A Step-by-Step Guide

drmarieheath — 2026-05-25 19:40:49 UTC

The first experiences students have in school often shape how they view themselves as learners. This post explores how thoughtful academic orientation practices—such as intentional classroom supports, language scaffolds, and relationship building—can help newcomers feel welcomed, capable, and connected as they begin navigating a new educational environment. Written by Valentina Gonzalez

MLs In The U.S.: Advancing Educational Equity

drmarieheath — 2026-05-25 19:50:05 UTC

Explore the key milestones that transformed educational access and equity for multilingual learners in the United States. From Strategic By Design

20 Power Moves for Paraprofessionals/Support Teachers

drmarieheath — 2026-05-27 21:52:03 UTC

This handout is designed to help paraprofessionals shift from simply helping students complete assignments to intentionally supporting authentic language development. The “power moves” provide practical ways to build academic vocabulary, encourage structured conversations, strengthen literacy skills, and increase meaningful student engagement throughout the school day. By using these strategies consistently, support staff become active partners in helping multilingual learners develop the language skills needed for long-term academic success. (pg. 111)

Purposeful Parent Education

drmarieheath — 2026-05-28 01:52:19 UTC

Purposeful Parent Education (PPE) supports staff at school districts and other organizations by providing training and curriculum in order to empower parents to develop their parenting skills.

Strategic by Design

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 12:29:51 UTC

Shared at the SC DOE Conference (9/9/26)

Acculturation by Design

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 12:43:57 UTC

Newcomer Graduation Plan

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:50:52 UTC

Evaluating Foreign Transcripts

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:52:42 UTC

The New York city department of education has shared this resource for evaluating forgien transcripts.

Power Moves for Paraprofessionals

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:53:36 UTC

Maslow's Heirarchy for Newcomer Needs

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Academic Discours Walkthrough

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:55:49 UTC

Multilingual Acculturation Studies Course

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:57:18 UTC

Course Standards for the MAS course.

Graduation Flow Chart

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:58:24 UTC

Parent Interview Questions

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 18:59:23 UTC

Characteristics of High Performing Schools

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 19:00:24 UTC

Setting Goals (foldable)

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 19:01:17 UTC

My Shoes and I

drmarieheath — 2026-09-09 19:03:16 UTC

Pair this activity with the book titled My Shoes and I: Crossing Three Borders. (SBD - Activity 10)