Brian O’Neal, Board President; Michael Matsuda, Superintendent; Jaron Fried, Assistant Superintendent Educational Services; Manuel Colon, Chief Academic Officer Educational Services; Renae Bryant, Director English Learner and Multilingual Services
The Anaheim Union HSD Summer Language Academy was created four years ago as a part of the board’s vision and Local Control and Accountability Plan goals to increase language acquisition for English learners, biliteracy and college preparedness. The four-week academy is a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning program established to meet the needs of the growing numbers of English learners new to the United States. The academy is significant because it helps students (near 500 from 2016–19) explore who they are and how to become part of their new communities without giving up their identity, culture and language. In its fourth summer, the academny has four years of data on how it has positively affected students and led to replication in other districts. The program meets the needs of our students, families and community, and the board’s vision and LCAP goals.