Community Participation Programs

Relationship building programs intentionally bring people together to simply get to know one another.

Host a community service fair. Consider sending a language-appropriate survey to parents of English learners to determine the types of community services that would best support their needs. Invite local community service agencies to connect with the families of English learners during a Title III, Part A-funded district or campus community service fair. Host the event at a local park or community center and solicit donations of snacks and beverages from the participating agencies.

Visit local agencies. Schedule visits to local community agencies that would benefit English learners and their families. Examples include

• Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms and service providers
• Local agencies offering free advising services to help students apply to college, find financial aid, and answer questions about the college process
• Food banks and other family service agencies

Partners in education programs provide educational support to English learners and their families.

Campaign to reach 100% graduation rate of English learners. Create a committee of local business representatives, district leaders, and secondary English learners. Develop a list of ways local businesses and organizations can support the district’s goal of a 100% graduation rate for English learners. Make the list available to businesses and organizations across the community via parents, staff members, emails, and personal face-to-face visits. The list may include

• Donating money to offer scholarships for English learners
• Adding school information (such as notifications about upcoming events and report cards) to newsletters and bulletins
• Hiring English learners or their family members
• Using their voice and influence to encourage English learners and family members to complete their education and pursue post-secondary opportunities

Mobile public library. Reach out to the local library system to find out if they have a bookmobile. Many have weekly routes with designated stops, and some are available to visit scheduled community events. Coordinate and/or schedule bookmobile events across the community.

Online resources for learning English. Host a meeting in a computer lab to guide parents and English learners through free resources available for learning English. These resources are available through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website (links for each of the resources listed below can be found within the Adult Education dropdown box).

• U.S.A. Learns, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, offers free lessons online for immigrants to learn English and improve basic reading, writing, speaking, and life skills.
• Voice of America’s Learning English provides texts and audio of daily news and information, while its YouTube channel provides captioned videos. People can build their vocabulary, strengthen their speaking skills, and improve their ability to communicate for work, school, and everyday life.

Direct services provide a service or product to the English learner, the family, or the community as a whole.

Local library. Invite a local librarian to speak to English learners about the services available at the nearest community library and/or to get students connected to the online resources available through the library system.

Texas Work Force Commission. Invite representatives from the Texas Workforce Commission to walk English learners through the online resources available at their website. Students may take a career self-assessment, explore careers and employability skills, or see if their dream job will pay for the lifestyle they want.

As a reminder, community participation programs may be provided during the school day to English learners; there does not need to be an event scheduled after school hours.