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Table of Contents
- MATSOL News
- Community News
- Links & Resources
Submission Welcome
Submit an item for publication in the monthly MATSOL E-Bulletin. Details...
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Save the Date!
MATSOL News
Thanks and Congratulations!
Thank you to our members who completed the MATSOL member survey. The Board of Directors used the data from the survey at their annual retreat to help make plans for our activities next year and in the future. And congratulations Gabrielle Gautieri, the lucky member who won the $100 raffle!
MATSOL Calendar
MATSOL Special Interest Groups are making plans for their activities next year. Please look for updates and check the calendar for scheduled events. View calendar...
Community News
Advocacy Update
LOOK Bill & Seal of Biliteracy Bills Advance
On May 16, the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education unanimously voted to report out An Act for Language Opportunity for our Kids (the LOOK Bill), and the Seal of Biliteracy bill, thus allowing them to continue in the legislative process.
On June 30, the the Senate Ways and Means Committee favorably reported out the LOOK bill. It has been placed in the Orders of the Day to be heard on the floor in the next Senate session on July 7th.
If you have not done so already, please contact your State Senator to urge support for the LOOK Bill!
For more information, see the Language Opportunity Coalition website at wwwl.LanguageOpportunity.org.
Volunteers Needed for Voter Registration
MIRA Coalition is coordinating voter registration drives through the summer and early fall. Volunteering at MIRA's voter registration drives is fun, easy, and rewarding. Volunteers fill out voter registration forms for newly sworn-in citizens, empowering them with the first rite of passage to becoming an active and engaged citizen. All materials—clipboards, forms, and pins—are provided. The voter registration drives last about one hour. Questions? Please contact Thalita Dias at [email protected]. If you are interested in volunteering, please register here...
MABE Summer Institutes
- Teaching for Biliteracy, Strengthening Bridges Between Languages - Cheryl Urow, Center for Teaching for Biliteracy, 3 day training, August 9 - 11, 2016
- La Siembra New Program Planning Retreat - MABE & DLeNM, 2 day training, August 11 - 12, 2016
- Literacy Squared - Kathy Escamilla and Literacy Squared Team, 3 day training, August 10 - 12, 2016
Registration and information...
Links & Resources
NEWSLETTER
TESOL Connections
MATSOL members receive free access to TESOL Connections, TESOL's monthly online newsletter. The latest issue includes articles on Pragmatics: When the Unwritten Rules of Language Break Down, Applying for a Position in ELT: Behind the Scenes (Part 1), and 7 Keys to Writing Enjoyment: The Student Perspective. Read the latest issue...
ARTICLE
Supreme Court DAPA Ruling a Blow to Obama Administration, Moves Immigration Back to Political Realm
From Migration Policy Institute: While the U.S. Supreme Court may have dealt a hard blow to the Obama immigration legacy with its intensely anticipated but anticlimactic 4-4 split decision in United States v. Texas, the last word on the future of the contested deferred action programs has yet to be written. The case now goes back to the lower courts, where a number of scenarios could play out based on how the Justice Department and the presiding appellate and district judges respond. Court rulings aside, one thing is clear: It will be up to the next administration to determine the future of these executive actions. And the Supreme Court outcome leaves an altered—and potentially more open—landscape for immigration policy changes to occur in the next Congress. View article...
STATEMENT
TESOL International Association Statement on the Supreme Court's DAPA and DACA+ Ruling
Statement by Executive Director Rosa Aronson, PhD, CAE
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States ended the potential deportation protection and ability to work for millions of undocumented individuals across the nation. As a result of the deadlocked Court in the United States v. Texas, a previous injunction on President Obama’s central immigration plan, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, or DAPA, and an extension of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) was upheld. Under DAPA, undocumented parents of children who are legal citizens or permanent residents of the United States could apply for deportation protection and obtain work permits. DACA+ would have extended deportation protection to additional groups of individuals not currently eligible under DACA. TESOL is deeply disappointed by the outcome of this case. Along with dozens of other advocates for children and families, TESOL co-signed an amicus brief in the United States v. Texas, urging the Court to vacate the injunction on DAPA and DACA+ put into place by the lower courts. TESOL has always supported commonsense pathways to citizenship, and will continue to do so until logical and reasonable means to citizenship are created and implemented across the country. View statement...
RESOURCE
WIDA Can Do Descriptors Release
Major release from WIDA: Can Do Descriptors, Key Uses Edition, including: K–12 Can Do Descriptors, Key Uses Edition, the Early Years Can Do Descriptors (for children 2.5–5.5 years old), and the K–12 PODEMOS, the Spanish Language Development Edition of the Can Do Descriptors. For more information, please visit the WIDA Can Do Descriptors webpage. There you can download the new materials and view the introductory webinar.
RESOURCE
Newcomer Tool Kit
The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of its Newcomer Tool Kit, designed to help U.S. educators and others who work directly with immigrant students—including asylees and refugees—and their families. The Newcomer Tool Kit provides (1) discussion of topics relevant to understanding, supporting, and engaging newcomer students and their families; (2) tools, strategies, and examples of classroom and schoolwide practices in action, along with chapter-specific professional learning activities for use in staff meetings or professional learning communities; and (3) selected resources for further information and assistance, most of which are available online. View resource…
WEBINAR
Providing EL Students with a Language Assistance Program
A presentation addressing the second common Civil Rights issue in the Jan 7, 2015 OCR/DOJ Joint EL guidance of Providing EL Students with a Language Assistance Program. This is one This is a monthly, year-long series that focuses on the issues addressed in the Dear Colleague Letter on ELs published in January 2015 by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register…
WEBINAR
REFUGEE 101: With a Special Look at Child-Specific Issues
What questions do you most commonly get in your workplace or community about refugees and resettlement? Do you feel well poised to answer these questions and advocate for newcomers? In today's political climate, it is critical that we understand the refugee resettlement process, especially if working with this vulnerable population. This webinar aims to humanize the refugee experience and will cover some of the basics: what is a refugee and the push/pull factors of migration. Presenters discuss the pre-arrival process, including security measures, and post-arrival services. There is a special emphasis on child-specific issues. View article... / View webinar...
RESOURCE
Mathematical Thinking: Supports for English Language Learners
This website is primarily designed for math educators of English learners in the middle grades, including teachers, coaches, pre-service educators, and EL specialists. The site's content includes 14 mathematics tasks from The Fostering Geometric Tooklit, as well as a set of support tools for each of the tasks. View resource...
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