the English Learner Advisory Committee

got ELAC?

Well, you certainly should if the following is the case at your school site: there are 21 or more English Language Learners.

That's right. This is a state mandate that returns us to the conversations we had WAAAAAAAAAY back around the legal battles around discrimination against English Language Learners. Just as as these children would be categorically denied access to core curriculum due to a poor understanding of language acquisition and instead blaming it on lack of intelligence, their parents have routinely been underrepresented in the workings and decision making bodies of schools and school districts.

Enter the ELAC...
The ELAC is the English Learner Advisory Committee. It is a committee that is composed of the parents of English Language Learners and certificated and classified staff that work with English Language Learners. Its purpose is to advise the school's decision making bodies (especially around instruction, curriculum and budget) typically a School Site Council, on matters that involve decisions around English Language Learners. A large part of the committee's main thrust should be focused on the English Learners section of the school's Site Plan.

We'll talk about the inner workings of the ELAC next time. Who knew there was so much policy around ELLs?

- W