Remove language and participation barriers by communicating with families in multiple languages through varied channels with interpreters available¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The guide directs states, districts, and schools to allocate resources to "dismantle barriers to information, participation, and communication for linguistically diverse families." It names barriers including language access, literacy levels, work schedules, and lack of trust for public institutions, and recommends one-to-one calls, texts, hotlines, radio, home visits, and events with food, childcare, live translation, and transportation reimbursement, conducted in multiple languages.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Communication must be conducted in multiple languages as appropriate to the community; interpreters and live translation must be available for relevant meetings and events, including IEP meetings, teacher conferences, and mental health support meetings

Constraints¶

• Traditional mass emails, flyers, or mass phone calls are not enough, especially if only communicated in English

Target Learners¶

• Linguistically diverse families of English learners

Target Learning Goals¶

• Family access to information and participation in school decisions and supports

Related Strategies¶

• Enable regular, meaningful family engagement through diverse home-language communication, proactive meetings, student-led conferences, and shared decision-making forums
• Offering Multiple Options for Family Engagement
• Partner with immigrant-serving community-based organizations to engage linguistically diverse families and sustain feedback loops
• Assign a compensated navigator to each family to connect English learner households with learning and support services
• Remove participation barriers and use broad outreach to ensure fair representation on parent councils
• Organize community education events with participation-driven and voice-oriented settings covering time, location, hybrid access, transportation, and feedback channels

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• The Next100, UnidosUS, and The Education Trust. (2021). Action Guide: Targeting Resources From the American Rescue Plan to Address the Needs of English Learners. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED614289