In September 2006, Partners in School Innovation launched an initiative in partnership with language development expert Susana Dutro (and her organization, EL Achieve) to dramatically improve the quality of English language instruction for English Learners in PartnersSI schools and in schools across California. With approximately one in four English Learners reading proficiently in English in California, English Learners’ unique academic needs are not currently being met by the vast majority of schools. Given the growing population of English Learners in our public schools, our collective ability to effectively meet the needs of English Learners will determine the future of California.

The initiative, supported by the S.H. Cowell Foundation, the Morgan Family Foundation and the Kabcenell Foundation, provides examples of schools integrating a systematic approach to English Language Development with a comprehensive approach to school improvement and enables schools to build the knowledge, tools and mindset to dramatically impact the achievement of English Learners.

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Increased Expertise: We have trained almost 300 teachers and leaders from San Jose and San Francisco Unified in Systematic English Language Development.

Improved Assessments: We developed a bank of assessments to measure English language acquisition throughout the year.

Accelerated Achievement: PartnersSI schools are doubling the growth of the state in the percentage of English Learners scoring Proficient or Advanced on the California Standards Test.

Learn more about the English Language Development Initiative.

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