The National Council of La Raza has released a new report
listing best practices for use by early education programs
seeking to improve their services for Hispanic children and
English language learners. The civil rights group profiled four
programs from around the country that are making progress and
made policy recommendations for replicating those models
elsewhere. According to NCLR, the programs highlighted exemplify
the key areas of professional development, student assessments,
language instruction and family engagement: - Youth Development,
Inc., of New Mexico. The program provides Head Start to 1,600
children, of whom about 76 percent are Latino. The
organization’s professional development goes beyond federal
training requirements by providing ongoing lessons throughout
the year on topics such as dual-language instruction. Community
college professors also lead sessions. Other supports include
mentor-coaches who develop goals with beginning teachers and
observe classroom instruction. - The Latin Ameri