In response to federal policy and the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and districts are using technology to support students designated as English learners (ELs). However, school leaders and teachers have little guidance about how to implement technology effectively to foster these students’ language development and content instruction. To address this need, Jennifer Altavilla raises three concerns specific to technology use with ELs: (1) Technology accessibility and use are equally important, (2) Technologies have baked-in biases, (3) Technology should promote authentic social interaction.

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Jennifer Altavilla recommends the book The Other Side of Assimilation: How Immigrants are Changing American Life by Tomás Jiménez. Bruce Baker recommends The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and school buildings had to close, Jennifer Altavilla feared that the research-practice partnership (RPP) she was managing would have to end. However, after a pause in the spring, the partnership resumed in the fall and has continued to thrive. Altavilla reflects on her experience and how it dovetails with the experiences described in the April 2021 Kappan articles on RPPs.

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