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Newcomers in Your School: Cultural Connections and Instructional Strategies 

December 2, 4, 9, 11, 2025
December 2 - December 11

Learn effective strategies and activities to increase your newcomer students’ inclusion and learning in the classroom. 

By attending CAL’s four-day virtual institute, build a more inclusive and responsive learning environment for newcomer students. This interactive professional learning experience offers research-based strategies and tools to support the academic success and cultural integration of multilingual learners new to U.S. schools. 

It is critical to address the unique cultural, social, and academic needs of newcomer youth entering U.S. schools to help them succeed in the classroom and beyond. Building on CAL’s decades of experience working with newcomers in educational and community settings, this institute focuses on two key components for optimizing success for newcomer students in the classroom: 

Participants will receive proven strategies and practical resources they can use right away to create a welcoming environment for newcomer students and facilitate their learning. Designed for PreK-12 teachers, administrators, and other practitioners who work in educational settings with newcomer students and their families, such as social workers, counselors, and after-school specialists, CAL encourages teams of colleagues to attend. 

Learning Outcomes 

Participants will learn how to: 

  • Identify and respond to the unique backgrounds and learning needs of newcomer students 
  • Reflect on and adapt cultural assumptions to foster stronger relationships 
  • Use instructional strategies that promote content access and oral language development 
  • Support students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) 
  • Implement schoolwide systems for welcome and engagement 

Who Should Attend 

PreK-12 educators, administrators, counselors, social workers, and out-of-school time staff who work with newcomer students and families. School and district teams are encouraged to attend together. 

Questions? Email CAL with any questions you may have about our offerings. 

Agenda 

December 2, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 pm & 1:30–3:00 p.m. ET 

Cultural Perspectives, Influences, and Key Resources 

  • Building awareness of the diversity of newcomer students in the school, including special populations such as unaccompanied minors and students with limited and interrupted formal schooling 
  • Identifying our own perspectives and how these influence our interactions 
  • Learning more about our students and their families, and what they contribute to the school and the learning environment 
  • Fostering connections among your school’s students, families, and teachers, immigrants, and non-immigrants alike 
  • Determining how to apply resources in your school setting 

December 4, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 pm & 1:30–3:00 p.m. ET 

Adapting Content Instruction for Newcomer Students 

  • Analyzing how to adapt content instruction and materials to meet the needs of newcomer students 
  • Determining how to promote oral language development and begin to bridge oral language skills to literacy development 
  • Designing classroom activities that allow newcomers to participate in grade-level content 
  • Analyzing the application of the college and career readiness standards (such as CCSS) for optimal achievement by all newcomer students 

December 9, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 pm & 1:30–3:00 p.m. ET 

Adapting Content Instruction for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)  

  • Analyzing Assumptions of Western-Style Formal Education 
  • Analyzing cultural differences using the Intercultural Communication Framework (ICF) 
  • Determining how Schema Theory relates to Cultural Dissonance 
  • Designing lessons using the Components of MALP® 

December 11, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 pm & 1:30–3:00 p.m. ET 

Content for Day 4 is currently being finalized. This session will continue to build on previous topics with a focus on deepening implementation strategies and supporting newcomer students through schoolwide systems. A full agenda will be posted soon. 

Self-Paced Content 

  • Participants will be expected to complete 4 hours of self-paced, asynchronous work as assigned by the Institute facilitator 

Schedule 

  • Four interactive live sessions held on December 2, 4, 9, and 11, 2025, from 9:30 AM–12:30 PM and 1:30–3:00 PM ET each day 
  • Approximately 4 hours of self-paced, asynchronous learning to be completed between sessions 

Cost 

  • Early bird pricing (individual or group of 2+): $1,265 per person if registered by November 11, 2025 
  • Standard individual rate: $1,470 per person for registrations after November 11, 2025 
  • Groups of 2 or more qualify for the early bird rate of $1,265 per person through the early bird deadline 
  • Cost includes all digital training materials and one-year access to course content 
  • Register early—space is limited 
  • Registration closes on November 11, 2025. 

Cost includes the following materials*: 

  • A downloadable workshop packet with practical tools and strategies to foster a welcoming environment for newcomer students 
  • Access to a curated collection of digital activities and classroom-ready resources 

Venue 

This institute will be held fully online, combining interactive live Zoom session. 

Certificate of Completion 

Participants will earn a digital badge for 22 hours of participation issued through the Credly platform, recognizing full participation and engagement in the institute. This badge serves as a verifiable digital credential that can be shared across professional networks and includes metadata outlining the scope of learning. 

CAL-Credly badges offer a secure and portable way to showcase your professional development. 

For questions about digital badging at CAL, contact us at credentialing@cal.org or call 202-362-0700, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET. 

Policies 

Registration  

Seats are confirmed only after payment is received. To register, complete the online form and have participant names, titles, schools, and emails ready (for group registrations). Early registration is recommended, as space is limited. 

Payment  

CAL accepts credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx), checks, and purchase orders. Credit card payments confirm registration immediately. For POs or checks, seats are tentatively held until payment is received. Upload POs during registration or email them to payables@cal.org. Mail checks to: Center for Applied Linguistics,
Accounts Receivable,
4646 40th Street NW, Washington, DC 20016

A $15 fee applies for returned checks. 

Cancellation Policy  

You may cancel and receive a full refund up to 3 weeks before the institute by emailing solutions@cal.org. After that, refunds are not available, but you may request materials by mail, transfer to a future institute, or substitute another participant up to 3 days before the start date. 

CAL may cancel or reschedule events due to low enrollment or unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, full refunds will be issued.  

Fair Use of Materials  

Participants may use CAL materials for internal school or district training. Use for fee-based services is not permitted. Contact CAL for clarification if needed. 

Questions?  

If you have questions, please contact us via email at solutions@cal.org or call 202-362-0700, Monday-Friday, 9 am – 5 pm Eastern Time. 

Newcomers in Your School: Cultural Connections and Instructional Strategies 

December 2, 4, 9, 11, 2025