LEARN NC, a program of the school of education of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has posted some articles about how educators can tailor educational programs to better include students with Mexican roots. The latest, “The Middle School Challenge for English Language Learners of Mexican Origin,” mentions a program in Los Angeles, Achievement for Latinos Through Academic Success, that helps parents to better monitor their children’s progress in school and navigate U.S. schools. The article explains the difference between social and academic language, but doesn’t provide much help on how to teach academic language. It’s worth reading because articles on how to best serve English-language learners at the middle or high school levels are rare.
The articles are strong on ideas for how to create a cultural bridge in schools for students of Mexican origin.