Partnering with Multilingual Families in Brockton, MA
Learn how the public schools in Brockton, MA support partnerships with multilingual families and the impact those partnerships are having.
Brockton, Massachusetts is a diverse city 30 miles south of Boston serving nearly 16,000 students who speak dozens of languages. The fourth largest city in the state, it is a popular gateway city where many first-generation Americans arrive.
Brockton is home to one of the largest Cape Verdean communities in the country, and Cape Verdean and Haitian students make up about 75% of the district’s English language learner (ELL) population. The other common languages in the district are Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Colorín Colorado team learned about the impressive outreach being done with Brockton's multilingual families. Intrigued, we started a series of conversations that would bring us into contact with nearly thirty staff members in the district, including paraprofessionals, ELL teachers, school counselors, administrative staff, school nurses, district leaders, and the local teacher's union. We also met some of Brockton's community partners.
This new series highlights the work that Brockton continues doing at all levels of the district to partner with families and the impact those partnerships are having.
Featured Articles
Overview
Family Engagement During COVID-19
Health, Wellness, and Basic Needs
- Addressing Basic Needs During COVID-19: A Team Approach
- Multilingual Health Services and Support During COVID-19
- Supporting Mental Health During COVID-19
Instruction and Digital Access
- Multilingual Tech Support: Partnering with ELL Families
- Lessons Learned from an ESOL Coach's Partnerships with ELL Families
Leadership and Collaboration
Featured Videos
Multilingual Family Outreach in Brockton, MA
Acknowledgements
This project was made possible with the generous support of the National Education Association.
Special thanks
Special thanks to Dr. Debbie Zacarian for introducing our team to Brockton's Bilingual Department. You can learn more about Brockton's COVID-19 response in her article Proactively Building a Rapid Response Team.
