Time: 2:45-3:45 p.m. Pacific Time

Location: National Dropout Prevention Network Conference, Palm Springs, CA

Description: Newcomer English learners in high school are diverse and face unique obstacles to graduation. Some arrive with strong educational backgrounds, while others are refugees with interrupted educations. This session will present three research-based practices—foreign transcript evaluation, early warning systems, and proficiency-based credits—to help newcomers succeed in high school and beyond.

Audience: Conference participants whose work focuses on improving graduation rates of newcomer English learners are encouraged to attend this session.

Speakers: Mary Martinez-Wenzl and Havala Hanson, REL Northwest at Education Northwest

Report Citations: Greenberg Motamedi, J., Jaffery, Z., Hagen, A., & Yoon, S. Y. (2017). Getting it right: Reference guides for registering students with non-English names (2nd ed., REL 2016-158 v2). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED572938

Hanson, H., Bisht, B., & Greenberg Motamedi, J. (2016). Advanced course enrollment and performance among English learner students in Washington state (REL 2017-187). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED570326

Hanson, H., Bisht, B., & Greenberg Motamedi, J. (2017). Advanced course enrollment and performance in Washington state: Comparing Spanish-speaking students with other language minority students and English-only speakers (REL 2017-220). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED571839