To further support students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) contracted CAL to conduct research about the education of SLIFE through three distinct research phases:

1. A comprehensive literature review of best practices in identifying and educating SLIFE and a survey of Massachusetts English Learner (EL) coordinators’ SLIFE identification and monitoring practices;
2. An analysis of DESE’s existing SLIFE data; and
3. Research about current SLIFE and educators working with SLIFE in Massachusetts through focus groups, surveys, interviews, shadowing, and classroom observations

The four-year project will culminate in a comprehensive written report that synthesizes findings across research activities and highlights key recommendations and best practices. Overall, CAL’s work will support DESE in better understanding SLIFE and how they are educated in Massachusetts, how state-level practices compare to national trends, and what resources are needed to best meet the academic and social-emotional needs of SLIFE throughout the state.