What does rigor mean for students with interrupted formal education (SIFE)? How do we recognize and leverage the experiences newcomers bring to improve the education of all students? Why is it important that educators and students embrace a mindset that constantly challenges them to raise the bar?

We discuss these topics and much more in our conversation with Carol Salva. Carol is a former elementary educator and has most recently taught newcomer English Language Development in both high school and middle school. She is also a consultant with Seidlitz Education, where she specializes in using researched-based sheltered strategies to teach grade-level content to unschooled/under-schooled language learners. With proven success including these students in content area classes, Carol is able to support teachers to make these efforts practical and to the betterment of the general population.

I really enjoyed engaging in this episode's thought-provoking conversation. As an author of a book that was born from experience and need, Carol provides a unique perspective on working with SIFE students. She reminds us that these students are capable of operating at a very high level and that they are undeniably unique assets in our schools. She encourages educators to challenge their beliefs so they continue maximizing impact for ELL students, no matter the what program they find themselves in.

You can learn more from Carol and her extensive PLN by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her podcast, and visiting her website. 

During the episode, we reference following valuable resources:

• Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education, by Carol Salva and Anna Matis
• Follow Carol on Twitter
• Carol's Website - Take a look at all the great videos of students!
• Boosting Achievement Podcast
• VoicEd Canada - Education-related talk 24/7
• 7 Steps to a Language Rich Classroom, by John Seidlitz
• VirtuEL Conference - All you need is YouTube! Join live on June 23 or come back to access resources anytime.

You can listen and subscribe to Highest Aspirations on iTunes here.