New Jersey Cultural Competency and English Language Learners Institute and Mentoring Program
The New Jersey Cultural Competency and English Language Learners Institute and Mentoring Program uses an evidence-based approach to transform teachers' thinking and practices to support culturally and linguistically diverse students across pre-K to twelfth-grade classrooms. The Institute plants seeds for strategies that allow educators to connect with diverse students who are learning English as a second language by creating culturally responsive learning environments and interactions. More than three hundred educators have completed the program across 20 municipalities in New Jersey.
Established in 2007, the Institute began targeting early childhood (pre-K to third grade) before expanding to all K-12 grades in 2016. Besides training lead and assistant teachers, the Institute has created learning programs for school leaders such as superintendents, principals, supervisors, coaches and directors. The Institute encourages embedding its approach in every content area including math, science, literacy, art, music, movement and more.
The program provides three days of intensive training by experts in first and second language acquisition, cultural competency and English language learners (ELL), followed by a nine-month mentoring program. The training infuses content, theory, practice and simulations coupled with mentoring and coaching — the perfect formula for the achievement of ideal classroom settings for diverse students and their families.
The 21 hours of professional development around culturally sensitive practices includes the adoption of ELL strategies, peer learning, discussions and small coaching groups, all culminating with each participant teaching a culturally based lesson. The program is offered at convenient times based on a district’s preference with Spring, Summer and Fall Institutes.
The Institute focuses its training in following three domains, and educators are encouraged to use their creativity as they implement each step:
Classroom Design
This domain aims to create a culturally inclusive learning environment with cultural artifacts such as flags, globes, artwork, books and more, thereby allowing students to see reflections of their cultures in the classroom. Each classroom receives a toolbox filled with materials based on the educator’s wish list. Other items include ethnic music, videos, multicultural instruments, Mayan symbols to help teach algebra and even wigs from around the world. This first level of change is easiest to achieve and can be implemented quickly.
Teacher Disposition (Temperament)
This domain refers to how teachers work cooperatively to support culture and language through co-teaching with paraprofessionals or ESL teachers, collaborative decision-making and small group instruction. This also includes the degree of empathy teachers demonstrate toward students and parents who do not speak English, and the adoption of cultural nuances that connect students to their families while in the school setting. For example, a teacher may allow students to address them with a prefix of Mr. or Ms. plus a first name instead of a last name that may be easier to pronounce for nonnative speakers or because this approach aligns with the customs of the students. The goal is to be aware of who is in the room and lift students’ self-esteem through social and emotional learning, so children see themselves not only in the physical space of the classroom but in the instruction delivery itself. This level involves shifting mindsets, which can be more challenging.
Instructional Practices
This domain refers to how teachers work cooperatively to double the message by utilizing gestures, visuals, music, rhymes and poems while teaching or speaking. Teachers may also slow down to check for understanding and use repetition to reinforce concepts. In addition, this domain focuses on an approach of scaffolding students to learn English instead of creating a sink-or-swim situation in an English-only learning environment. Using home languages for both content and direction helps the students feel a sense of belonging and builds strong academic skills and vocabulary in two or more languages, which further support academics and students' cultural identities.
After the three days of training, each participant is assigned a mentor for nine months who will actively support the infusion of culture and ELL theory practices into the classroom environment and instruction. Mentors include certified teachers who were principals or directors, as well as professional coaches in the education space. Mentors receive extensive professional development to ensure they know which mentoring and coaching intervention will yield the best results.
Success is tracked through a pre-assessment and then three post-assessments after the Institute, in order to measure successful transformation of theory into practice. Each classroom is evaluated using a five-point scale with twenty-six categories that measure the teacher’s transformation in thinking and implementation of culturally responsive best practices.