CAL partnered with the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department (MMED) of Los Angeles Unified School District (L.A. Unified) to provide support for the development of a new Master Plan for English Learners and Standard English Learners for the district.

CAL facilitated interaction among MMED, district staff, and other leaders based on initial feedback solicited from a substantial range of stakeholders including parents, teachers, students, administrative and counseling staff, community partners, and union leaders, among others. The vision for L.A. Unified’s new Master Plan involves framing the education of all learners from an assets-based perspective, promoting culturally and linguistically diverse pedagogy, and ensuring implementation of California’s Proposition 58, which encourages improved access to bilingual education programs. CAL collected and conducted analysis of extant data to inform development of the new Master Plan. The 2018 Master Plan for English Learners and Standard English Learners will guide L.A. Unified leaders, teachers, staff, and community partners to provide the most effective programs, services, practices, and policies so that all English Learners and Standard English Learners succeed and thrive.

The project was managed and primarily overseen by Joanna Duggan, with direction from Dr. Sarah C. K. Moore, and support provided by CAL staff members Lindsey Massoud and Chris Frederick. CAL also partnered with two women-owned small businesses, Engage Language and SupportEd to complete work on the project. Dr. Erin Haynes of Engage Language led the data collection and analysis efforts. Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner, Dr. Joanne Urrutia, and Teddi Predaris of SupportEd served as senior English Language Development Experts, facilitating meetings with certain stakeholder committees and lending guidance and expertise to the project. Read the January 2018 L.A. Unified School District News Release.

The California Department of Education has highlighted the EL Master Plan as an illustrative example of district policy development.