Early Education and Care
Representative Sánchez works to ensure that all children in the Commonwealth have access to high-quality early education and care. These programs enhance a child’s physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life.
English Language Learners
Representative Sánchez was lead sponsor of An Act Relative to Enhancing English Opportunities for all Students in the Commonwealth and is a strong proponent for English Language Learners (ELL) programs for all students in schools. He is working to replace the system put in place by Question Two to close the achievement gap for Massachusetts students, regardless of language barriers or lack of English skills.
The Commonwealth is stricken with gaps in academic achievement between various ethnic groups and their English speaking counterparts. Sánchez strives to increase awareness and advocacy for effective ELL programs in schools.
Achievement Gap
Sánchez was successful in the inclusion of three provisions adopted from his ELL bill into An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap, passed into law in 2010 that directly benefits limited English learners in our schools—a significant victory for youth, and represents an important restructuring to his community’s education systems relative to limited English learners.
Sánchez has consistently advocated for effective policies to improve academic performance of limited English proficient students in Massachusetts schools. With success, he amended the Achievement Gap bill to require specific strategies to maximize the rapid academic achievement of limited English proficient students. His consolidated amendment also requires professional development and planning time for teachers and administrators to aide in the improvement of these programs.
Massachusetts schools claim some of the highest achievement rates in the nation as measured by the MCAS, and yet our schools are also strained by one of the largest achievement gaps. This legislation addresses the task of turning around schools and school districts that are underperforming and includes three key provisions relative to limited English proficient students that Sánchez insisted be included in the act.
First, when a superintendent creates a turnaround plan for a school or the commissioner of education creates a turnaround plan for a school district, there must be steps taken to address gaps for limited English proficient students in the plan. Superintendents and the commissioner must also include alternative ELL programs for limited English proficient students, notwithstanding Chapter 71, which requires schools in Massachusetts to teach only in the English language—a vital victory for all limited English proficient students who have suffered under Chapter 71 since its enactment in 2002.
Second, any school with limited English proficient students must provide professional development and planning time for teachers and administrators to develop specific strategies and content to maximize the achievement of limited English proficient students at the school. Teachers and administrators are able to work together to address barriers to learning that many limited English proficient students face, in any language group.
Finally, any underperforming school that operates a limited English proficient program must establish a limited English proficient parent advisory council. Each parent advisory council must include a least one representative from every language group represented in a turnaround plan. Without the creation of these councils, it is nearly impossible for non-English speaking parents to participate in other school site councils and therefore they cannot play a role in their child’s education by providing feedback to officials on the effectiveness of the programs.
School Bullying
In response to recent tragedies that have demonstrated that the internet is being used as a powerful tool to carry out bullying, Sánchez supported passage of a 2009-2010 law that prohibits bullying in schools.
In an effort to protect against future tragic incidents of bullying across the Commonwealth, the law requires schools (public schools, charter schools, and schools providing special education services to students for school districts) to add bullying prevention and intervention instructions to their curriculum and offer information about bullying prevention to parents. It also mandates training of teachers and staff in the identification, prevention, and response to bullying among students.
Schools are required to develop a bullying prevention and an intervention plan that must include methods for responding to bullying, guidelines for giving notices to parents of those involved in bullying and appropriate services for students who have been bullied or acted as a bully.
Sánchez is working with his colleagues at putting school officials, teachers, parents, and students on notice that bullying in any form will not be allowed to interfere with our children’s access to education in the 15th Suffolk District and across the city and Commonwealth.