¡Adelante! Moving Forward!
In this guide you will find information on:
- The rights of English Learner students
- Strategies for effective family engagement and advocacy
- Legal mandates related to translation and interpretation
- Special education eligibility, assessment, and placement
A Guide to Empower Parents of English Learners to Advocate for their Children
- Families play a vital role in their children’s education, especially for students who are learning English while navigating a new school system. English Learners bring diverse linguistic, cultural, and educational experiences, and schools are responsible for ensuring they have meaningful access to high-quality instruction and the support they need to succeed academically.
- Federal law protects the educational rights of English Learners and affirms parents as essential partners in advocacy and decision-making. Yet many families are unaware of these protections or how to exercise them effectively. ¡Adelante! Moving Forward! is designed to bridge that gap. This guide serves as a practical training resource for educators, parent leaders, and community organizations working with immigrant families, offering clear, accessible information about the rights of English Learners and the legal responsibilities of schools.
This training guide was authored by Maria del Rosario Basterra, MAEC, and Natasha Quiroga, Counsel, Educational Opportunities Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The authors would like to acknowledge the following Lawyers’ Committee interns who contributed to this publication: Karen Camacho, Nimat Lawal, Leah Rosenzweig, Shoshana Silverstein, Ilyssa Yousem, and Vanessa Miller.
The contents of this guide were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
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