Teachers need continued support and professional development to enable all their students, including their bilingual students, to succeed. Teaching linguistically diverse students requires a skill set which many teachers may lack. What supports does your school offer to help you build such skills? What supports do you still need?
“Ensure comprehensive literacy education that builds upon the cultural and linguistic experiences students bring to school.”
— 2015 NCTE Education Policy Platform
- Look through the conditions described in this NCTE Position Paper on the Role of English Teachers in Educating English Language Learners (ELLs). If this paper doesn’t describe the experience at your school, it might be a good conversation starter.
- Share NCTE’s Resolution on the Need for Diverse Children’s and Young Adult Books and consider your own classroom library – can your students see themselves reflected in the books on your shelves?
- In this Conference on English Education position statement on Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education, you’ll find a set of core beliefs for teacher preparation programs. They would provide a great foundation for professional learning conversations around diversity within a school.