Beyond Language Development: Designing Quality Opportunities to Learn for Newcomer Students
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Explore how schools can support newcomer English Learners through integrated, simultaneous language and content instruction, and preview how QTEL Summer Institutes deepen this work through sustained professional learning.
Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026
Time: 12–12:30 p.m. PT / 3–3:30 p.m. ET
As newcomer populations grow nationwide, schools are challenged to move beyond remediation-focused approaches toward models that integrate language development with rigorous content learning.
In this 30-minute webinar, explore how to design instruction and systems that support newcomer English Learners in accessing rigorous, grade-level learning from the start. Participants will examine how QTEL principles—academic rigor, high expectations, quality interactions, sustained language focus, and quality curricula—can guide instruction that builds both understanding and academic language.
Who Should Attend
District and site leaders
Instructional coaches and literacy specialists
K–12 classroom teachers
Session Discussion Topics
Moving beyond remediation toward rigorous, grade-level access
Integrating language development with content learning
Scaffolding for access while maintaining high expectations
Aligning systems to support newcomer success
The session also provides a preview of WestEd’s QTEL Summer Institutes, in which educators and leaders engage in deeper, sustained learning to support Multilingual Learners.
Featured Speaker
Lee Hartman is nationally recognized for his expertise in teaching, specializing in English language arts (ELA) and English language development (ELD), with an emphasis on working with newcomer students. He creates learning experiences for ELA and ELD educators in 4th–12th grades through professional development, coaching, and curriculum design. Before joining WestEd, Hartman worked as an educator in an international high school specifically designed to support newly arrived immigrant students. He also served as a district coach and curriculum designer to support colleagues in offering English Learners high-quality learning opportunities.
