2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Cosponsors:
9 Cheryl K. Acton
10 Melissa G. Ballard
11 Clare Collard
12 Jennifer Dailey-Provost
13 Sandra Hollins
Marsha Judkins
Karen Kwan
Rosemary T. Lesser
Ashlee Matthews
Carol Spackman Moss
Michael J. Petersen
Angela Romero
Norman K. Thurston
Christine F. Watkins
Mark A. Wheatley
Mike Winder
14
15 LONG TITLE
16 General Description:
17 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the
18 contributions of multilingual and multicultural families to Utah's schools and
19 recognizes the state's previous support for Utah's multilingual and multicultural
20 families.
21 Highlighted Provisions:
22 This resolution:
23 ▸ celebrates the contributions of multilingual and multicultural families to Utah's
24 schools and recognizes the state's previous support for Utah's multilingual and
25 multicultural families;
26 ▸ encourages schools to utilize the "Parent and Family Engagement" self-reported
27 indicators in the statewide school accountability system to highlight efforts to
28 engage multilingual and multicultural families in conjunction with the federal Title I
29 Compliance Cycle;
30 ▸ encourages the State Board of Education to expand the "Parent and Family
31 Engagement" sample indicators to include metrics specific to multilingual and
32 newcomer family engagement; and
33 ▸ encourages the Education Interim Committee to review the information made
34 available through the Statewide School Accountability System regarding
35 multilingual and newcomer family engagement and districts' family engagement
36 policies in 2022.
37 Special Clauses:
38 None
39
40 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
41 WHEREAS, in 2018 HR 3, the Legislature has previously recognized the value and
42 importance of international and linguistic education for:
43 1. Utah's "increased global awareness," including an "appreciation for differences
44 among cultures and a deeper understanding of the values and perspectives of other people";
45 2. Utah's ability to contribute to a "foreign trade market that international businesses
46 seek out because of the state's workforce";
47 3. Utah's ability to contribute to "international collaboration that is required to make
48 important breakthroughs in research and technology"; and
49 4. Utah's students' ability to successfully "seek careers in a global marketplace and
50 enhance understanding of other nations' cultures, values, and beliefs";
51 WHEREAS, in 2008 SB 41, the Legislature has previously recognized the value of
52 international and linguistic education for Utah's students' overall "academic, societal, and
53 economic development";
54 WHEREAS, the Legislature has formerly invested in programming to celebrate and
55 expand multilingualism across the state, including through the creation of dual immersion
56 programs, the adoption of a biliteracy seal program, Adult Education English Language
57 Acquisition resources, and software for English Learners;
58 WHEREAS, native Utahns similarly demonstrate support for multilingualism across
59 the state, through their volunteer work to welcome refugees and newcomers, their acquisition
60 of additional languages through volunteer religious service, and their work as translators and
61 interpreters for both religious and secular organizations;
62 WHEREAS, as recognized in 2018 HR 3, newcomers and families learning English,
63 similarly to international students, "contribute diversity to local communities, promote
64 understanding of different cultures, and create important worldwide relationships";
65 WHEREAS, the language proficiency of English Learners and newcomer families is
66 invaluable to our military, churches, and businesses, enabling them to communicate with the
67 world, and extends to over 80 languages, including, Arabic, Amharic, Burmese, Chinese, Farsi,
68 French, Hakha Chin, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Navajo, Nepali, Oromo, Pashto,
69 Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese;
70 WHEREAS, 52,788 English Learner students were enrolled in Utah schools in 2021,
71 which is approximately 8% of the total student population;
72 WHEREAS, newcomers and English Learners continually demonstrate a desire and
73 ability to obtain English proficiency through participation in English as a Second Language
74 classes and programs;
75 WHEREAS, the state demonstrates a commitment to prioritizing and accurately
76 measuring English Learner progress in the Statewide School Accountability System, weighting
77 English Learner progress as 9% of an elementary school's or middle school's overall score or
78 6% of a high school's overall score if a school has ten or more English Learners who took the
79 WIDA ACCESS assessment in the current and prior year;
80 WHEREAS, the Legislature formerly codified the recognition, in Section 53E-2-301,
81 that "parents are a child's first teachers and are responsible for the education of their children,"
82 and encourages "family engagement and adequate preparation so that students enter the public
83 education system ready to learn";
84 WHEREAS, Section 53E-2-201 similarly describes the responsibility of the
85 Legislature, the State Board of Education, local school boards, and charter school governing
86 boards as respecting, protecting, and furthering "the interests of parents in their children's
87 public education" and promoting and encouraging "full and active participation and
88 involvement of parents at all public schools";
89 WHEREAS, the Utah Parent-Teacher's Association's resolution entitled, "Family
90 Engagement in Education," affirms that "research has shown that the most significant predictor
91 of a student's academic success is parental engagement in the student's education, regardless of
92 socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or parents' educational level";
93 WHEREAS, multilingual and newcomer families are also their children's first teachers,
94 responsible for the education of their children, and have significant and unique contributions to
95 make to Utah's public school system;
96 WHEREAS, the Legislature, the State Board of Education, local school boards, and
97 charter school governing boards are obligated to respect, protect, and further the interests of
98 multilingual and newcomer parents in their children's public education, and promote and
99 encourage their full and active participation and involvement in all public schools;
100 WHEREAS, the Utah public school system has successfully invested in supporting
101 newcomer and multilingual families through the Tumaini Welcome and Transition Center,
102 family engagement centers, family-to-family mentorship programs, school community
103 councils, paraeducators, home visits, and academic parent-teacher teams;
104 WHEREAS, multilingual and newcomer families contribute rigorously to their
105 children's education and their schools, often overcoming significant barriers to engagement,
106 including:
107 1. language barriers;
108 2. lack of familiarity with the United States school systems;
109 3. lack of formal education;
110 4. lack of access to digital devices, Internet service, digital literacy, or tech support;
111 5. varying cultural expectations;
112 6. limited transportation options;
113 7. childcare responsibilities; and
114 8. regular or extended work hours;
115 WHEREAS, the federal Title I compliance monitoring cycle will measure family
116 engagement in December of 2022; and
117 WHEREAS, the state of Utah would benefit from a state-wide examination of
118 newcomer and multilingual family engagement practices, particularly if this examination places
119 no additional burden on teachers and administrators due to federal requirements, to identify
120 existing best practices, to identify areas of improvement, and to ensure these families are
121 supported in their efforts to contribute to the public school system:
122 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
123 Governor concurring therein, hereby celebrates and values the existing contributions of
124 multilingual and newcomer families to Utah's public education system, despite the barriers they
125 face in doing so.
126 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize the
127 critical importance of multilingual and newcomer family engagement to improving the
128 academic outcomes of multilingual and newcomer students and their ability to contribute to
129 Utah's economy, Utah's society, and follow their own dreams and aspirations.
130 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor commit to
131 supporting the contributions of multilingual and newcomer families, with similar vigor as the
132 state commits to other multilingual programming and family engagement efforts.
133 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage all
134 schools to utilize the "Parent and Family Engagement" self-reported indicators of the Statewide
135 School Accountability System during the 2022 cycle, highlighting their efforts to support
136 multilingual and newcomer families.
137 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage the
138 State Board of Education to expand the "Parent and Family Engagement" sample indicators to
139 include metrics specific to multilingual and newcomer family engagement.
140 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage the
141 Education Interim Committee to review the information made available through the Statewide
142 School Accountability System regarding multilingual and newcomer family engagement and
143 districts' family engagement policies in 2022.