U.S. Department of Education NEWCOMER TOOL KIT U.S. Department of Education NEWCOMER TOOL KIT This report was produced by the National Center for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) under U.S. Department of Education (Department) Contract No. ED-ELA-12-C-0092 with Leed Management Consulting, Inc. Synergy Enterprises, Inc. and WestEd also assisted with the publication. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department. No official endorsement by the Department of any product, commodity, service, enterprise, curriculum, or program of instruction mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. For the reader’s convenience, the tool kit contains information about and from outside organizations, including URLs. Inclusion of such information does not constitute the Department’s endorsement. U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Phone: 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) https://www.ed.gov/ Office of English Language Acquisition Phone: (202) 401-4300 Fax: (202) 260-1292 https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/index.html September 2016 (Updated September 2017) This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition. (2016). Newcomer Tool Kit. Washington, DC: Author. This report is available on the Department’s website at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/newcomers-toolkit/ncomertoolkit.pdf Availability of Alternative Formats Requests for documents in alternative formats such as Braille or large print should be submitted to the Alternate Format Center by calling 202-260-0852 or by contacting the 504 coordinator via email at [email protected]. Notice to Limited English Proficient Persons If you have difficulty understanding English, you may request language assistance services for Department information that is available to the public. These language assistance services are available free of charge. If you need more information about interpretation or translation services, please call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (TTY: 1-800-437-0833), email us at [email protected], or write to U.S. Department of Education, Information Resource Center, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20202. Content Contact: Melissa Escalante ([email protected]) Contents Introduction . .vi Chapter 1: Who Are Our Newcomers? . 1 About This Chapter . 1 Who Are Our Newcomers? . 1 Newcomers’ Contributions to American Society . .4 How Schools Can Support Newcomers . 7 Classroom Tool Teaching Students About the Contributions of Newcomers . .8 Professional Reflection and Discussion Activity Guide “See Me”: Understanding Newcomers’ Experiences, Challenges, and Strengths (Jigsaw) . .9 Resources . 17 Chapter 2: Welcoming Newcomers to a Safe and Thriving School Environment . 1 About This Chapter . 1 Fundamentals for Welcoming Newcomers and Their Families. 1 Implementing Best Practices for Welcoming Newcomers . .4 Classroom Tools Orienting and Accommodating Newly-Arrived Refugees and Immigrant Students . 15 Connecting With Newcomers Through Literature . 16 School-Wide Tools Fact Sheets and Sample Parents’ Bill of Rights and Responsibilities . 17 Framework for Safe and Supportive Schools . 19 Professional Reflection and Discussion Activity Guide Parent and Family Engagement Practices to Support Students . 20 Resources . 27 Chapter 3: High-Quality Instruction for Newcomer Students . 1 About This Chapter . 1 Cultivating Global Competencies . 2 Guidelines for Teaching English Learners and Newcomers . .3 Common Misconceptions About Newcomers . .9 High-Quality Core Academic Programs for Newcomer Students . 11 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | NEWCOMER TOOLKIT | iii No official endorsement by the Department of any product, commodity, service, enterprise, curriculum, or program of instruction mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. For the reader’s convenience, the tool kit contains information about and from outside organizations, including URLs. Inclusion of such information does not constitute the Department’s endorsement. Key Elements of High-Quality Educational Programs for Newcomers . 14 Classroom Tools Subject-Specific Teaching Strategies for Newcomer English Learners . 15 Checklist for Teaching for Global Competence . 17 School-Wide Tool Sample Core Principles for Educating Newcomer ELs. 19 Professional Reflection and Discussion Activity Guide “Teach Me”: Instructional Practices That Support Newcomers’ Participation and Academic Success (Discussion Cards . 20 Resources . 24 Chapter 4: How Do We Support Newcomers’ Social Emotional Needs? . 1 About This Chapter . .1 Social Emotional Well-Being and Student Success. 2 Social Emotional Supports . 2 Social Emotional Skills Development . 3 Social Emotional Development and Informal Social Interactions . 4 Social Emotional Well-Being and Bullying . .4 Four Types of Support for Newcomers’ Social Emotional Development . 5 Integrating Social Emotional and Academic Support for Newcomers: Examples From the Field . 7 Classroom Tools 10 Teaching Practices for Social Emotional Development . 10 Problem-Solving Steps for Modeling and Teaching Conflict Resolution . 12 School-Wide Tools Core Stressors for Newcomers . 13 Addressing Discrimination and Hate Crimes Against Arab American. 15 Twenty-Plus Things Schools Can Do to Respond to or Prevent Hate Incidents Against Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian Community Members . 17 Tips on Responding to Discrimination in School . 19 Professional Reflection and Discussion Activity Guide “Support Me”: Creating Social Emotional Supports for Newcomer Students . 20 Resources . 25 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | NEWCOMER TOOLKIT | iv Chapter 5: Establishing Partnerships with Families . 1 About This Chapter . .1 The Diverse Characteristics of Newcomer Families . 1 The Four Stages of Immigrant Parent Involvement . 2 Addressing Cultural Barriers to School-Newcomer Family Partnerships. 3 Processes and Strategies to Facilitate Effective Newcomer Parent Engagement. 4 Core Components of Parent Engagement Programs . 7 Stories From the Field: Four Blog Posts on Innovative Newcomer Family Engagement . .9 School-Wide Tools Conceptual Model for Parent Involvement in Education . 11 Engaging Newcomer Families: Five Examples From the Field . 12 Assessing the Effectiveness of Family-School-Community Partnerships . 15 Professional Reflection and Discussion Activity Guide “The Three As”: Academics, Advocacy, and Awareness—Core Components of Strong Family Engagement Programs (Planning Tool) . 16 Resources . 22 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | NEWCOMER TOOLKIT | v Introduction The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is pleased to provide this Newcomer Tool Kit, originally published in September 2016. This tool kit can help U.S. educators and others who work directly with immigrant students—including asylees and refugees—and their families. It is designed to help elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff achieve the following: • Expand and strengthen opportunities for cultural and linguistic integration and education. • Understand some basics about their legal obligations to newcomers. • Provide welcoming schools and classrooms for newcomers and their families. • Provide newcomers with the academic support to attain English language proficiency (if needed) and to meet college- and career-readiness standards. • Support and develop newcomers’ social emotional skills. The Newcomer Tool Kit provides (1) discussion of topics relevant to understanding, supporting, and engaging newcomer students and their families; (2) tools, strategies, and examples of classroom and schoolwide practices in action, along with chapter-specific professional learning activities for use in staff meetings or professional learning communities; and (3) selected resources for further information and assistance, most of which are available online at no cost. The tool kit includes five chapters: Chapter 1: Who Are Our Newcomers? Chapter 2: Welcoming Newcomers to a Safe and Thriving School Environment Chapter 3: Providing High-Quality Instruction for Newcomer Students Chapter 4: Supporting Newcomers’ Social Emotional Needs Chapter 5: Establishing Partnerships With Families The topics covered in the tool kit are important to the Department’s mission: to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. To support that mission, the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) provides national leadership to help ensure that English Learners (ELs) and immigrant students attain English language proficiency and achieve rigorous academic standards. OELA also identifies major issues affecting the education of ELs, and supports state and local systemic reform efforts to improve EL achievement. Within the Department, OELA led the development of the tool kit with support from the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (OPEPD), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Principal and Teacher Ambassador Fellows, and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (WHIEEH). A special thank you to Aída Walqui, María Santos, and their team from WestEd for their significant contributions to the content. The National Clearinghouse for English Language