This is the final MSAN Minute for the 2017-2018 school year. We will pause for summer break, and resume ourMSAN Minute newsletters in the fall.

As a reminder, the 2018 MSAN Student Conference will be held October 24-27, hosted by the team at The Public Schools of Brookline. The theme for this year’s event will be “Deeper the Roots, Stronger the Tree.” Watch the conference website at msan.wceruw.org/conferences/studentConf.html for updates, and email us at msan@wcer.wisc.edu to be added to the email list for Student Conference planning.

Thank you, MSAN colleagues, for all of your work on behalf of our children this school year. See you in September!

---

RESEARCH YOU CAN USE

Math as a Lever for English Learner Equity
Researchers at The Education Trust-West have released a study in which they describe strategies for using “math as a lever for English learner equity.” Click here for an Executive Summary, and here for the full report. The study outlines four key practice areas that support math learning for English learners:

1) Honor and leverage English learner students’ backgrounds, cultures, and home languages, as assets for math learning.
2) Integrate English language development with math content instruction.
3) Offer sustained teacher professional learning opportunities to simultaneously support English language development and math achievement for English learners.
4) Ensure equitable access to rigorous academic coursework with appropriate support.

---

EQUITY-FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Teaching Tolerance Learning Plan Builder
Have you visited the Teaching Tolerance website lately? In addition to hundreds of reports, articles, and monographs on equity, their site now includes a FREE tool called the “Learning Plan Builder” that can be used to create lesson plans as well as to guide learning for educators. The site includes a short instructional video on how to use the tool!

---

FOCUS AREA: ADVANCED LEARNING

Dual Enrollment Resource--Search for Your State
Advanced learning for secondary students often focuses on honors classes and the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. But one advanced learning strategy for older students which is often overlooked is that of dual-enrollment--allowing high school students to enroll in college while they are still in high school. Check out this story of a New Jersey teen who will graduate high school this month, but not before he has earned a college degree! Use this resource from the Education Commission of the States to find information on how your state supports dual enrollment.

---

EQUITY IN ACTION

Deconstructing the Concept of “Summer Slide”
As educators, we work hard to make sure that students continue learning over the summer. This report from our colleagues at Great Lakes Equity Center deconstructs the idea of summer learning loss, often termed “Summer Slide.” The report digs into the research foundations of summer learning loss and the ways that policy and practice around this issue devalue the experiences of students of color and other underserved groups--and offers a list of action steps for transforming the summer learning paradigm.

---

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Brookline Superintendent Affirms Support for School Name Change, Inclusive Process to Identify New Name
The town of Brookline, Massachusetts recently voted to change the name of K-8 Edward Devotion school, named for a slave owner. Following the vote, MSAN Superintendent Andrew Bott of The Public Schools of Brookline penned a letter to the community, stating, “We can and should name our schools for people of whom we are proud, and whose accomplishments and example we can ask our children to emulate… Brookline now has a unique opportunity to choose a name that children and community members can honor and use as an example of the lifelong lessons we want children to learn and connect to.” Check out this story on the debate from Boston’s NPR news station, and click here to read the full text of Superintendent Bott’s letter and watch a video of the meeting. Thank you for your leadership, Superintendent Bott!