Omaha, Neb. — About 200 researchers, practitioners, community leaders, philanthropists, and policymakers gathered June 20 in Omaha to hear national and local experts discuss ways to support the educational success of young children learning English.
The symposium, hosted by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska in collaboration with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, highlighted several critical issues raised in Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures. The report from the National Academies examines the research evidence about learning English from early childhood through high school, identifies effective practices for educators to use, and recommends steps policymakers can take to support high-quality educational outcomes for children and youth whose first language is not English.
Featured speakers included Ruby Takanishi, Promising Futures report co-editor and senior research fellow in the Education Policy Department at New America, who opened the symposium with an overview of the report. Other national presenters were Eugene Garcia, Arizona State University; Cristina Gillanders, University of Colorado, Denver; Delia Pompa, Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Marlene Zepeda, California State University, Los Angeles.
Samuel Meisels, founding executive director of the Buffett Institute, moderated the panel discussion.
Local speakers included Dekow Sagar, Lutheran Family Services; Michelle Suarez, Prosper Lincoln; Stephanie Wessels, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Linda Hix, Lincoln Public Schools; and Cheryl Logan, Omaha Public Schools.
Symposium Presentations
View photos from the event on Facebook.
Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures