Dear SEAL Partners,
As we commence another complicated school year amidst the COVID19 pandemic, we’re taking a moment to express our deep appreciation to our educators for your continued commitment to ALL students and to educational equity — keeping the focus on your dual language/English learner (DLL/EL) students and families. This is a critical moment for equity-minded leadership in California schools, as families of DLL/EL households have undergone so much throughout the pandemic. We must acknowledge the sacrifices that DLL/EL families have made to ensure that their children are safe and healthy as they continue their educational journey.
And though school and district teams worked tirelessly throughout the summer to plan for a smooth start to this new school year, the rise of the Delta variant has proven reopening more complex than last spring’s. Nonetheless, you have continued to uphold DLL/EL students and families, while working to make every moment a safe, welcoming, and rich learning experience for all students.
At SEAL, we remain committed to asset-based approaches to teaching that are culturally and linguistically responsive and affirming because we know that is what is needed for children to thrive in school. Our research-based model informs our approach to transforming school systems. Our values compel us to embrace engaging, joyful child development and learning where biliteracy is seen as an asset, and home language development along with English is integrated into the curriculum.
We are devoted to supporting you, our partners, to ensure your classrooms are grounded in this research-based, equity-driven learning, especially in the face of the growing challenges on school campuses as you protect the health of your students and the entire school community. We are a resource that you can turn to for support throughout the school year.
Let’s continue to build upon the important work that we have done for young children to continue engaging in joyful, language-rich learning.
In partnership,
Dr. Anya Hurwitz