Dear John,
In our first issue of Learning for Justice magazine, Julie Feng—a senior communications strategist for the Community Center for Education Results—explores how the pandemic shined a bright light on a longtime problem: the need for better strategies for communicating with families in languages other than English.
“Three resources can make a meaningful difference for families,” Feng writes. “Culturally responsive interpretation and translation, support for families as they navigate the system, and a clear message that the district recognizes language access for families is essential to a child’s education—not a supplement to it.”
Our story highlights the work of school districts in Washington state that illustrated the value of prioritizing language access to improve family and community engagement. From hiring bilingual family liaisons and providing training to creating hotlines and forging genuine relationships between communities and families, these districts were able to better include their entire communities in their pandemic responses. And they were better able to ensure all families have a seat at the table in imagining the future of their children’s education.
For more of this story and best practices in language access, read the full feature story here.
As always, thanks for all you do for students.
Jalaya Liles Dunn
Director, Learning for Justice
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