Bridging the Gap Between ELL Families and Education

Abstract

Parent involvement within their children’s education is critical for their educational success. Students that have a high level of parental involvement and engagement, it increases their ability to retain the information, increases their performance in the classroom and increases their test scores overall. Additionally, high levels of parental engagement aids in mitigating behavioral issues with students as well. ELL families face barriers that significantly impact the performance of ELL students, making it essential to implement effective strategies to improve parent involvement throughout the school year. In order to address these limitations, a professional development program is presented here to aid both parents and teachers. The goal of this professional development is to address the factors that prevent a high level of parent engagement for ELLs including raising awareness on the importance of parental involvement in the education of these students, identifying and discussing institutional barriers and limitations that prevent this engagement as well as introducing interventions and resources to address these issues. The outcome of this program is for educators and parents to implement the skills and resources to contribute to ELL students' learning experience. Additionally, it provides teachers with the skills they need to promote parents' involvement in their child’s school life and education.