MnEEP will focus on multiple school districts in Minneapolis and Greater Minnesota with Multilingual Learner populations to empower parents and the community to shape stronger English Learner (EL) policy and equitable practices. As a key component of racial and social justice, MnEEP’s attention to advancing language justice—the right of all people to communicate in the language in which they feel most comfortable—will be central to this work.
These school districts/communities have experienced a dramatic growth in English Learners or have significant populations, and an increasing number of languages are spoken among the student population. In each community, the following activities will occur:
- Presentations on community profiles and language development policies and realities: MnEEP staff experts in EL policies and practices will inform local communities about state and federal policies surround language development, and, most importantly, what they mean in practice for their children, their school district, and their community. There will also be a presentation on the “community profile” such as achievement data for the EL and students of color student groups.
- Multilingual community “visioning” sessions on EML Equity Topics: Following the presentation session, MnEEP will support family liaisons to facilitate community visioning sessions with EML parents in each community. Through this process, EML community members will be able to provide input to their district on EL services and improvement areas. MnEEP will then compile a formal report to the EL leadership and staff of each school district.
The multilingual nature of these presentations and visioning sessions will ensure that EL voices are heard and taken seriously, rather than being ignored or treated in token fashion. MnEEP’s experienced staff facilitators will encourage EL parents, students, and community members to feel that they, too, are equal stakeholders/partners in determining their school district’s English Learner (EL) policy and equitable practices.