Inspiration from Three School Districts Successfully Implementing SEAL

Dear Partners,

Inspiration can come from many places, but at SEAL we find ourselves *most* inspired by the districts, schools, and talented educators we’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with to build joyful, engaging classrooms that center English Learner/Dual Language Learners. That’s why we’re so excited to announce that over the next three months we’re highlighting three dynamic school districts that paved the way to implement SEAL: Oak Grove School District, Redwood City School District, and Mountain View School District.

Today, we’re proud to release and present the Oak Grove School District Case Study at the 2022 California Latino School Boards Association Unity (CLSBA) Conference. This is the first of three case studies authored by Social Policy and Research Associates.

SEAL and Oak Grove School District leadership will lead a conference session later today at CLSBA titled “Effective leadership, Good Governance, and Partnerships: How the SEAL model facilitates joyful learning for Dual Language Learners/English Learners” where we’ll highlight how the district adopted the SEAL model in 2013 after broader education policy shifts led district leaders to create a new approach to educating EL students.

We’ll share how the district strengthened the implementation, alignment, and sustainability of the SEAL model within and across multiple school sites by prioritizing teacher voice, collaboration and professional development, expanding SEAL into the upper elementary grades, and focusing on family partnership.Each of the case studies include detailed examples of:

• Districts’ approaches to getting buy-in from teachers and school leaders
• Funding the initiative
• Providing ongoing professional development
• Specific school examples of SEAL instructional practices and outcomes

Our reports also offer critical learnings from the districts’ implementation experiences and considerations for other school districts and policymakers looking to implement SEAL.Finally, as part of this series SEAL is releasing Overview: The SEAL Model and Its Implementation Across Three Exemplar Districts.

The Overview is perfect for anyone looking to get an introduction to SEAL, including its origin story, central design principles, staffing, professional development structure, and highlights from its pilot and expansion efforts.

Connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook to follow the release of our case study series over the coming months.Culturally and linguistically affirming education is an equity and social justice issue for our students and our nation. These case studies demonstrate the power and potential for SEAL to make education systems change that is equitable and just for California’s increasingly diverse student body .Read the Case Studies In partnership,Dr. Anya Hurwitz