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USDE to Eliminate OELA

by Dr. David J Holbrook If you were eagerly looking forward to the third of a three-part series of articles exploring how schools and school districts can use Title I, Part A funds to provide services and supports to English learners (ELs), my apologies. You’ll have to wait for that article until next month. I’ve […]

It Takes a Team: Celebrating Educators Who Support Multilingual Learners

Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to recognize the work educators do every day. For those supporting multilingual learners, that work is rarely done alone. It’s collaborative, layered, and often unseen. Multilingual learners don’t experience school through a single classroom or a single teacher. Students experience a system, one made up of educators working across […]

Supporting English Learners with Title I, Parent and Family Engagement Reservation

by Dr. David J Holbrook This is the second of a three-part series of articles exploring how schools and school districts can use Title I, Part A funds to provide services to English learners (ELs). This article focuses on the local education agency (LEA) required Parent and Family Engagement reservation (set aside). The final article […]

What Advocacy Looks Like in Practice: Supporting Multilingual Learners in Today’s Classrooms

April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Advocacy Month, a time to recognize the strengths multilingual learners bring to our schools and the educators, leaders, and communities who support them. This year, that work feels especially meaningful. Across many communities, students and families are navigating uncertainty that extends beyond the classroom. Educators are feeling it too as they […]

Beyond the PLC: Collaboration as a Student Experience

When educators hear the word collaboration, many think (some with frustration or overwhelm) of meetings. Calendars. Planning blocks that are hard to protect. Shared documents waiting to be updated. In busy schools, collaboration can feel like something extra; something scheduled when time allows. But for multilingual learners, collaboration isn’t a meeting. It’s what they experience […]

Introduction and FY26 (26-27 SY) ESSA Funding Updates

By David J. Holbrook Greetings from Colorado. Some of you may know me or know of me because of my previous collaborations with EduSkills, or from other activities and events. I’ve previously written a few newsletter articles, was interviewed for a Cultural Connections podcast, provided a webinar, and spoke at a couple of conferences on […]

What Multilingual Learners Need Most in the Second Half of the School Year

The second half of the school year often feels different. The urgency of fall has passed. Testing season may be underway or just behind us. Energy looks different for students and educators alike. For multilingual learners, language development hasn’t paused, even if attention has shifted to new priorities. This part of the year isn’t about […]

Better Together: Navigating ELP Testing as a Team

As we move into English Proficiency Testing (ELP) testing season, many educators are balancing already full plates from instruction, planning, student support, and the added logistics that come with assessment windows. For multilingual learners, this season can feel especially demanding. ELP testing asks students to demonstrate language growth while navigating unfamiliar formats, extended testing time, […]