Frequently Asked Questions about TWI
What are the duties of a TWI coordinator?
The following are some duties that may be taken on by the TWI/dual language coordinator at the school or district level. In some cases, more than one individual will be needed to attend to all of these responsibilities.
- Coordinate the selection (and administration, where appropriate) of assessments in the partner language and manage the analysis and dissemination of findings
- Ensure that teachers understand how to interpret and use data from Spanish language assessments for instructional and program planning
- Ensure that background data on students and families (ethnicity, home language, time in the U.S., etc.) are collected and available for use in data analysis
- Coordinate efforts to standardize procedures and policies across the program, such as a scope-and-sequence, policies regarding referrals and retention, student recruitment and lottery procedures, and so forth
- Participate in curriculum review and materials adoption committees at the school and district level
- Work with teachers to monitor new curriculum mandates and changing student needs, and to adapt new curriculum and materials, ensuring they are articulated within and across grade levels
- Stay current on research and best practices related to second language acquisition, dual language education, ESL and foreign language teaching and learning, and pedagogy
- Convene regular TWI staff meetings to discuss new research, study student work, articulate the curriculum across grade levels, and develop priorities for evaluation or professional development initiatives
- Oversee the coordination of the curriculum with support services, and create and monitor procedures for program teachers to collaborate and articulate instruction with support service staff
- Work with school and district administrators to create criteria for teacher recruitment and hiring, and serve on interview committees (where appropriate)
- Create a comprehensive professional development plan that aligns competencies necessary for TWI staff with school and district priorities
- Organize ongoing professional development activities, coach program teachers, and mentor new staff
- Develop and implement a training program for all new teachers and other staff on the school’s model and approach and on the fundamentals of dual language for staff who are also new to dual language.
- Work with other instructional coaches and leaders (as appropriate) to observe and coach teachers in specific areas relevant to their individual professional development plans and school-wide initiatives in professional development
- Engage in networking with staff from other district and regional TWI schools
- Communicate with school, district, and state administrators to advocate for the needs of the TWI program and linguistically and culturally diverse students
- Train and mentor new leaders for the program
- Work with the parent/family liaison (where applicable) to develop parental understanding of and support for the programs’ goals, assist parents in finding community resources, and help families support their students’ academic growth (e.g., facilitating cross-linguistic homework-help networks and sending educational materials such as books and dictionaries home with students)
- Organize activities to bring parents together to reinforce the cross-cultural goals of the program
- Ensure that all communication with parents and families is in both program languages and that meetings and events are conducted in both languages (by purchasing translation equipment, hiring translators, training staff in simultaneous translation, etc.)
- Develop a list of community language resources (e.g., available speakers, venues for field trips) that can facilitate authentic use of the partner language
- Write (or participate in writing) grant applications for additional funding for materials, teacher training and other professional development, evaluation, assessment, and so forth
- Ensure that program communications are up-to-date (website, video, brochure)
- Ensure that school-wide facilities (library, computer lab) have adequate, up-to-date materials in both program languages
- Coordinate with feeder elementary/middle and continuation middle/high school administrators to ensure articulation of program design and curriculum across K-12 TWI programs or to communicate the needs of TWI students to secondary administrators when no continuation program is available.
- Engage professional evaluators from the district or outside agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of the TWI model and instruction
- Advocate for bilingual and dual language education at the local, state, and federal level