Multicultural Education

Working with Community Organizations to Support ELL Students

By: Colorín Colorado (2009)

When building a support network for English language learners, community organizations can play a valuable role and offer resources that schools may not have at their disposal. This article offers some ideas on ways that schools can partner with community groups to support ELLs.

Retrospective: Language Instruction in Native American Communities

By: Dr. Catherine Collier (2008)

This article about the evolution of language instruction in Native American communities during the past 30 years was written for Colorín Colorado by Dr. Catherine Collier, a leader in the fields of cross-cultural, bilingual, and special education.

How to Support ELL Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFEs)

By: Kristina Robertson and Susan Lafond (2008)

Many English language learners come to school having had little or no schooling in their native countries, or with an interrupted education if their family has moved frequently. While educating students with interrupted formal education (SIFEs) presents many challenges to educators, they can indeed obtain a high school diploma with the right kind of support, and go on to future academic and professional success. This article provides a profile of SIFEs and their needs, recommendations of best practices, and examples of the kinds of quality school-wide and classroom support that will accelerate their academic achievement.

How to Support Refugee Students in the ELL Classroom

By: Colorín Colorado (2008)

Many ELL teachers may work with refugee students in the classroom, particularly in a region of the country where large refugee communities are settling. This Bright Ideas article explores the unique challenges that both refugee students and their teachers face, as well as a number of suggestions of ways to address those challenges and a list of useful resources.

Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations

By: Dr. Cynthia Lundgren and Giselle Lundy-Ponce (2007)

The first step in implementing more culturally responsive instruction is recognizing how our own cultural conditioning is reflected in our teaching. This article shows teachers how to bring rich cultural content into their teaching in a way that expands students' knowledge and interest. The article offers suggestions that teachers can use throughout the school year, as well as when observing cultural and religious holidays and celebrations.

Creating Culturally Responsive Classroom Environments

By: Mary G. Anderson and Jennifer Madigan (2005)

When students and teachers come from different cultural backgrounds, it can often lead to misunderstandings about behavior and performance. How can teachers create safe learning environments with a diverse group of students?