Empowering Educators of Newcomers: A Comprehensive Guide to Instruction and Inclusion

This accessible volume bridges research and classroom practice to help educators create inclusive, equitable learning environments for newcomer multilingual learners.

Empowering Educators of Newcomers: A Comprehensive Guide to Instruction and Inclusion considers the cultural, community, language, and academic backgrounds of newcomers as well as their social-emotional needs. This book includes strategies and best practices for language assessment and academic instruction for this population and guidance on newcomer education advocacy for English language teachers.

There are eight authors on this writing team, and their combined experience offers a high level of depth and credibility and also reach. They have lived newcomer experience: four of the authors were themselves immigrants, three of those were newcomers, one of them undocumented. They have K–12, adult, and higher education expertise; district, state, and national policy leadership; and they offer research, advocacy, and practitioner perspectives.

Luis Javier Pentón Herrera, Ph.D, is an English and Spanish educator who was a newcomer during his teenage years in the United States and, as a teacher, also has extensive experience supporting K-12 newcomers. He is currently a professor at VIZJA University in Warsaw, Poland.

Sam Finn is the Director of Newcomer Policy & Practice at Californians Together and the Director of the California Newcomer Network. He currently resides in Oakland, California.

Manuel de Jesús Gómez Portillo, Ed.D., is an educator, researcher, author, advocate, and supporter of equity for all. He currently works as an educational specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools, the ninth-largest school district in the United States. He is currently based in Annandale, Virginia.