The National Association of English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA) has the focus of providing networking and professional learning opportunities for Multilingual Learner (ML) program administrators and others working in ML programs at the state and local (district) level.
Upcoming and Recent Events & Information!
NAELPA Position Statement Regarding Dual Language Learners Now Available
The National Association of English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA) has written this position statement to identify needs for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and highlight areas for growth in the services and supports provided for this growing group of children. The term DLL includes young children from homes where a language other than English is spoken. While DLL can include children ages 0 to 8, the NAELPA position statement focuses on DLLs enrolled in public pre-Kindergarten programs. For more information and to access the position statement, please visit the Committees Webpage.
Newcomer Letter from USED
NAELPA participated in a convening of multiple organizations and individuals related to the needs of newcomer students. One of the results of the convening was a letter that was drafted and sent to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) on August 31, 2022 and a response from USED received on October 21, 2022. Check out the letter on NAELPA's Resources for Newcomer Multilingual Learners webpage.
Check Out the NAELPA Networking Coffee Chats
The NAELPA Membership Committee has launched a networking opportunity for NAELPA members called Networking Coffee Chats. NAELPA members can access these monthly NAELPA Networking Coffee Chats through their NAELPA Connect Space membership accounts. Coffee Chats are currently paused for the Summer but will resume in the fall. Stay tuned.
NAELPA Statement on Support for Assets-Based Terminology
It is important to NAELPA to use asset-based terminology when referring to our work and the population of students we serve. We acknowledge that the current name of this organization, The National Association of English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA), uses English Learner (EL), which is considered deficit based. With current federal legislation using English Learners (ELs) to identify this population the NAELPA board will continue with this usage for clarity purposes in the short term. The term NAELPA prefers is Multilingual Learner (ML), which the organization views as a more asset-based term. NAELPA will take an active role in advocating for the wider use of assets-based nomenclature and helping to make it more standardized in our field and beyond.
For a more detailed description, check out the full NAELPA Asset-Based Terminology statement.
Check Out the NAELPA Resources Page
NAELPA is committed to providing resources that are helpful to educators of multilingual learners. NAELPA has created a Resources For Educating MLs Online which provides links to resources on a separate page under the Resources page of this website. The NAELPA Executive Board and membership are committed to doing all we can to assist in the education of MLs during this unprecedented time in the history of education in our country. With that in mind, we have also written a short white paper to help educators understand the Coronavirus relief funding for education, the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. With nearly $200 billion in funding, this white paper is helpful for educators to know how these funds can be used to support the education of MLs. For more information, read the white paper on Using ESSER, ESSER II, and ESSER III Funds to Support ML Education.
UCLA/CRESST Sponsored Resource
ASSETS: The Podcast
In this episode of ASSETS, Dr. Lawrence welcomes Virtual Reality (VR) in Teacher training, reading in SLA, accents, and linguistic racism, as well as heritage language development researcher Nooshan Ashtari. Follow along as they discuss technology and language, Ashtari’s experiences conducting research in various countries worldwide, and the time she was furiously yelled at by her Tae Kwon Do coach for letting her opponent win a match.
NAELPA Committees
Advancing Multilingual Policy and Practice
The NAELPA assists and supports State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) by providing educational activities and information that help SEAs and LEAs guide MLs to success.
Communication
The NAELPA organizes and hosts, and develops meetings, webinars, email communications, and other messages to disseminate information important to ML program administrators. Read about it in our Newsletter.
Professional Learning
The NAELPA provides training and up-to-date information for SEAs and LEAs through webinars and national conference presentations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of ML educators.
LEA Committee
The NAELPA is an organization that focuses on the needs of all educators and program administrators with with MLs. The LEA committee keeps issues important to LEAs in the forefront of NAELPA activities.
Membership
Membership in the NAELPA is key to maintaining a healthy organization. The membership committee is organized to assist the membership coordinator, communicate to members, and encourage others to join.
