Happy November! In the 20th edition of our What We're Reading Newsletter: designing culturally responsive programs, effective family engagement strategies, integrating technology into EL programs, and more. 

Don't forget to join the thousands of educators who have taken the pledge to advocate for English Language Learners.

Teaching and Learning

• Garland ISD Instructional Coach Bret Gosselin discusses how to use technology to improve EL instruction in a guest post on Ellevation's blog.

• New America's Jenny Muñiz reports on new research around culturally responsive strategies that improve student outcomes, including improved behavior. 

• From Edutopia, Serena Sachar and Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar, Ed.D provide tips on how to help ELs to connect with school communities. 

• PRI's Zaidee Stavely reports on a family literacy program at an Oakland, CA elementary school that brings parents in to learn English while also showing them how the school works. 

• In Edutopia, Northern California elementary school principal Don Vu provides actionable strategies on how educators can celebrate different cultures to make schools safe and welcoming for all.

• Harvard Graduate School of Education's Usable Knowledge released an article complete with tools and strategies to assess, intervene, and support struggling readers and language learners.

• Edsource's Ashley Hopkinson reports on Fresno Unified School District's interviews with parents of pre-school students to learn more about the languages they speak at home.

• From the BBC, Sophie Hardach explores the question of what is the best age to learn a language, and the ideas she shares may surprise you.

Policy and Practice

• From New America, Amaya Garcia and Ingrid T. Colón analyze a U.S. Department of Education report highlighting the educational landscape for ELs and how Title III funds are being used to support their learning. 

• NBCDFW reports on the success of dual language schools and programs in North Texas and what makes them work for students. 

• Education Week's Corey Mitchell reports on the U.S. Department of Education's new Ed Tech "Tool Kit" for English Learners.

• The Pew Research Center recently released a report outlining 6 key facts about English Learners in U.S. public schools - a great primer for people wanting to learn more about this shifting demographic.

• From PRI, Marnette Federis reports on students whose education was interrupted because of war and explores their options for graduating high school later than their peers.

• Education Week's Corey Mitchell reports on a Stanford University study that found Latino enrollment dropped in districts where police worked with federal immigration authorities. 

ELL Spotlight

• From New Orleans Public Radio WWNO, Jess Clark highlights the inspiring work of ELL Teacher Jasmin Zobrist, who "teaches immigrant students more than just English".

Which resources did you find most valuable? Share them with your PLN using  #ELLReads.