July 2020

There is little time built into calendars and schedules for teachers to get the needed training and planning time to successfully support students. Professional development, curriculum, and policies should also emphasize a research-based approach that best supports English learners, such as integrated language and content. This research shows that children learn best when teachers acknowledge and build from the linguistic and cultural assets children bring to schools, and when learning is designed to support their specific needs. […]

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In 2018, California invested a one-time $5 million to train teachers to work with dual language learners (DLLs) using new models like Sobrato Early Academic Language, the Language Learning Project and Preschool GLAD. But in a state where a majority of young children are learning two languages, advocates say funding must be ongoing. […]

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Children’s language, culture and identity matter. Today, 60 percent of all California children, birth to 5-years-old, come from homes where their families speak one or more languages other than English. Preschool classrooms need an explicit focus on developing children’s home languages along with English, thus setting the foundation for a pathway to bilingualism, which will connect them to their families and heritage and will confer economic and social benefits later in life.

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Executive Director, Dr. Anya Hurwitz speaks about SEAL with the Early Link Podcast. Rooted at the intersection of research and educational equity, the program is an English learner-focused approach to education. The model includes curriculum, professional development, and technical assistance so that schools and teachers can better meet the needs of English language learners.

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SEAL Program Manager Heather Skibbins speaks to her experiences as both an educator and the parent of a bilingual child. Skibbins describes how her understanding of effective bilingual instruction shifted after she began reading research and attending workshops with experts in the field of dual language.

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In 2016 California had a major policy shift with the passage of Proposition 58, which repealed the state’s 20-year-old English-only education law and recognized the value of bilingualism. The law opened the door for the development of bilingual programs – like SEAL – that many educators in the state had been advocating for for years.

The SEAL model has been successful because of its intense professional development that supports teachers over time—an emphasis on involving families and curriculum designed to build children’s oral language skills.

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Research shows that no matter what language they speak, it’s crucial for small children to be exposed to lots of rich, complex vocabulary to help their brains grow. It helps them learn to speak and gives them a strong foundation to later learn to read and write. For children who speak a language other than English at home, research shows that early development of both their home language and English can help them succeed later in life.

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