Books that are bilingual are excellent resources for Spanish speaking parents and their children. By including and honoring two languages, these books welcome and invite native Spanish speaking adults to develop their English literacy alongside their children. Here are three ways that bilingual books can serve Spanish speaking parents: Parents Will Learn Vocabulary Along With Their Children: Spanish speaking parents … Read More
3 Ways Parents Can Support Vocabulary Development with Preschool Children
The preschool years are very important in children’s literacy development. Spanish speaking parents can support their children’s development of Spanish and English vocabulary in many ways in the home environment; three are below. 1. Put Sight Words Up at Home: There are many common English and Spanish words, especially nouns, which can be taught to the children of Spanish speaking … Read More
How Poverty Impacts Reading
There is much discussion about poverty these days. Nearly 22% of children, upwards of 16 million of U.S. children, live in poverty. Nearly 45% of children live in low-income families, which are above the poverty threshold, but still disadvantaged. Children of color are especially affected, with higher rates of childhood poverty among African American, Latino, and Native American families. Besides … Read More
Parents’ Literacy and Children’s Success in School
Parental involvement is the most important factor of early literacy success and scholastic achievement. When parents get involved in teaching their children to read from an early age, those children have a competitive edge. Moreover, parents can exert a strong influence in making sure their growing tweens and teens remain lifelong readers. While both parents can and should be involved … Read More
“Language for All” Program in Oregon Schools
Oregon’s “Language For All” Program Helps English Language Learners using a “Push-in” model for language instruction. A recent article in Education Post started out by saying that Oregon isn’t usually the first state you think about when talking about progress with English-language learners (ELLs). We usually think of California or Texas but there is a school district in Oregon that … Read More
English Learners are an Asset Says Secretary of Education
In a recent video address to the National Association of Bilingual Education‘s annual conference in Chicago, Acting Secretary of Education John King said that English learners are an asset to our nation. Speaking in both English and Spanish, he also said there are many benefits in the new ESSA legislation. King said that, “Under ESSA, states have the opportunity to … Read More
Why Lending Libraries are Important for Title I Schools
Research tells us that poverty and reading levels are closely connected. Nationally, 1st graders from low-income families have 50% smaller vocabularies than their peers from higher income families. Before they even enter school, children living in poverty face a host of challenges that their wealthier peers do not: food and housing insecurity, poor health care and unsafe environments, limited exposure … Read More
Free Teaching Tools for Teachers
Lectura Books offers free teaching tools for educators. The teaching tools are designed for teachers to use with specific books published by Lectura Books, and will offer activities to accompany the theme of the books. A new teaching tool will be provided each month. Make sure to sign-up to receive our monthly teaching tools via email. TEACHING TOOL EXAMPLE: Boy Zorro … Read More
Common Practices and Values of the Top 6 High Schools
A research team from the Stanford Graduate School of Education released a study last month outlining the common practices and values of the top 6 high schools responsible for having an exemplary record of graduated and career-ready ELLs. The researchers profiled 7 key elements shared by all schools that contributed to their ELL success: Passionate, strategic, mission-driven leadership. Principals, assistant principals, … Read More
President Obama’s 2017 Budget for Education
President Obama’s 2017 Budget for Education The Obama Administration just released the fiscal year 2017 budget and it’s calling for $69.4 billion for educational excellence, a $1.3 billion increase from the 2016 budget. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the 2017 budget will allow further actions that will build on previous objectives, as well as, establish new ones. Acting … Read More