Effective Curriculum for English Learner Success Series

Sobrato Philanthropies is released its Effective Curriculum for English Learner Success Series as a resource to spark continued learning and collaboration at the intersection of high-quality instructional materials and educational equity for English Learners (ELs).Curriculum and instruction are central to shaping both what and how students are taught. Teachers must adapt both of these in order for ELs to master the same academic skills as their English-speaking peers.

New curriculum needs to embed strong language development, culturally and linguistically responsive content, and scaffold these approaches to allow ELs to succeed. Philanthropy has an important role to play in supporting the development, adoption, and effective use of such curriculum.

Since 2008, Sobrato Philanthropies has engaged educators serving EL students to strengthen the teaching and learning happening in classrooms across the state. The series of briefs, “Effective Curriculum for English Learner Success,” grapples with several aspects of curriculum and materials that are key to philanthropic investment in educational equity reform for ELs. Each brief focuses on different aspects of what it means to address the “curriculum” portion of creating EL responsive and effective schools. Read and download the briefs

• Introduction to English Language Curriculum Needs and Opportunities
• Brief 1. The Access and Equity Imperative of English Learner Responsive Curriculum: Definitions and Considerations
• Brief 2. English Learner Responsive Curriculum and Teaching: The Right Materials in the Right Hands
• Brief 3. Curriculum for the Diversity of English Learner Needs and Contexts
• Brief 4. Building a System of Effective English Learner Responsive Curriculum: Implications for Philanthropy
• Appendix: Bright Spots and Glossary of Terms

This series was conceived and authored by Laurie Olsen, Ph.D. We are grateful for review and input provided by Alesha Moreno-Ramirez (Director, Multilingual Support Division, California Department of Education), Crystal Gonzales (Executive Director, English Learners Success Forum), and Nicole Knight (Executive Director, English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement, Oakland Unified School District