QTEL News: Voices from the QTEL Summer Institute
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
Voices from the QTEL Summer Institute
The 2026 QTEL Summer Institute in Santa Cruz brought together educators and leaders committed to creating rigorous, meaningful learning opportunities for multilingual students through high-challenge, high-support instruction. In this issue, we’re highlighting reflections from participants themselves—the moments, conversations, and learning experiences that made the institute impactful, and the ideas and commitments educators are carrying forward into the new school year. Below are a few of the inspiring takeaways that participating teachers and leaders are bringing back to their classrooms, schools, and districts.
"I used to think a well-organized classroom with strict classroom management showed I was a strong teacher, but now I know that a strong teacher is one that incorporates a full day of oracy practice."
"I used to think scaffolding was challenging to do and promote within a school, but now I think it's just best practice. Scaffolds surround us every day as adults in society, why not apply them into our lesson plans and structures for everyone?"
"I used to think that English had to be incorporated as a separate unit to use it with math, but now I think we can have them work together."
"I used to think that our English Learner students needed to learn about grammar to have a foundational base, but now I think if teachers meet students where they are at and have high expectations, students will be able to learn more than they originally think they can."
Team Highlights
Implementation and Impact of a Summer Mathematics Bridge Program for Multilingual Learners: Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials is a new publication by Haiwen Chu, Leslie Hamburger, and Jill Neumayer DePiper that examines the implementation and impact of a three-week summer mathematics bridge program designed to support rising 9th grade students, particularly Multilingual Learners. In two randomized controlled trials, the authors found positive, though not statistically significant, effects on student mathematics achievement. The study offers valuable insights into both the promise and challenges of implementing ambitious summer learning programs.
Upcoming Opportunities
K–5 Language, Literacy, and Learning Leading Together Webinar Series
Reading comprehension develops when students have opportunities to talk about ideas, write about what they’re learning, engage with complex texts, and make meaningful connections across content areas. In order for reading comprehension to develop at the rate students need it to so they can be successful in school and life, teachers must be intentional in how they organize for instruction.
Join WestEd’s K–5 Language, Literacy, and Learning Webinar Series for five engaging 30-minute sessions that explore some of the essential building blocks of comprehension. From the role of academic language and writing to the importance of background knowledge and advanced literacy development, each webinar offers practical insights educators can apply right away.
Language at Work: Building Reading Comprehension Through Writing
In this 30-minute webinar, we will explore how writing about content, in students' own voices and in the language of each discipline, builds the comprehension that complex texts demand. Practical strategies for K–12 classrooms and content areas throughout.
Featured Speakers: Jenell Krishnan and Casey McAlduff
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET
Language at the Center: Expressive and Academic Language as the Engine for Reading Comprehension
Explore how oral language, vocabulary depth, and academic registers shape students' ability to make meaning from complex texts. Walk away with practical strategies to build language-rich classrooms that work for every learner.
Featured Speakers: Annette Gregg and Rebecca Bates
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET
Reading Comprehension Is More Than Decoding
We know decoding matters—but a student who reads every word correctly can still understand very little. This 30-minute webinar takes educators beyond the "crack the code" view of reading to explore what actually drives comprehension: the rich web of background knowledge, vocabulary, inferencing, and language understanding that readers bring to a text.
Featured Speakers: Misty Sailors and Annette Gregg
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET
