Early in the school year, talk with students about the positive connection between discussion, thinking, and their home languages. In addition, teach them to "code switch" across registers. A register is defined as the level of formality in language that's determined by the context in which it is spoken or written. We have three common registers—a social or community register, a "business" register, and a more formal "academic" register.

econfigure the chalk talk protocol as a graffiti tag billboard. Invite students to "tag" the "billboard" using elements of sketchnoting, doodling, collage, and written word to stimulate thinking before a discussion begins or to deepen it afterwards. The idea is to leverage students' comfort with multimodal expression as a way into dialogue, discussion, or debate.

So why not leverage interactive hip-hop structures like the cipher and rap battles to help students access their existing funds of knowledge?

unequal participation.

We often see the same students talking in class, namely those who are comfortable conversing in English, have mainstream background knowledge, or are more extroverted.

Academic conversation is one of the most powerful practices we can bring to our classrooms to promote higher achievement (Hattie, 2012).

Families of immigrant students should also be encouraged to participate in school leadership, says Lowenhaupt. (For example, one parent-teacher organization had a specific slot for an ELL parent.) ELL staff should be called upon to speak to the needs of individual students and of their classes generally. Experts at the University of Washington School of Education who focus on family engagement across cultures recommend the development of cultural brokers who can help immigrant students adapt to their school systems while still maintaining connections with the culture of their home country.

Assimilation is expected, at least in part, because some educators see immigrant students as “fortunate” to be here.

AIRF’s practice of encouraging students to talk about and stay connected with their positive memories of their home country is an example of additive acculturation.

Translanguaging rings are instructional strategies that help teachers build on students’ home languages to enhance their learning experiences. This can include helping students understand how their languages are connected. For example, students can discuss the commonalities that exist between their home languages and English by identifying cognates or words that have similar spelling, pronunciation, and meaning (such as ciencia/science) during a reading lesson.

Translanguaging happens fluidly in the classroom, but teachers can also support translanguaging by intentionally guiding students to use all of their linguistic abilities. For example, teachers can ask students to write stories with bilingual characters who use both of their languages. The intentionality behind this teaching practice is to provide a flexible and comfortable space for students to fully share what they know across all of their languages.

the school board changed a policy that had funneled many Latino students into an academic program that is not rigorous enough to qualify students to attend state universities, even if they receive perfect grades. Under the new policy, most students are put into the college prep sequence.

so he started acting what felt like white, absorbing what he called the “Caucasianness of it."

researchers have found significant positive results when black and Hispanic students have teachers who match their race or ethnicity: better attendance, fewer suspensions, more positive attitudes, and higher test scores, graduation rates and college attendance. Teachers of color also have higher expectations for students of color, which may fuel the other gains.

researchers have found significant positive results when black and Hispanic students have teachers who match their race or ethnicity: better attendance, fewer suspensions, more positive attitudes, and higher test scores, graduation rates and college attendance. Teachers of color also have higher expectations for students of color, which may fuel the other gains.

She was the first person who saw something good in me.”