• Overview
  • Mission, Goals, and Program Portfolio

Early Academic Language Pilot


Community Impact

Between 2008 and 2010, the Sobrato Foundation has invested approximately $2 million toward a five-year commitment of $6.5 million dollars in direct service support to two regional school districts and 16 select school sites (see Pilot Schools list below).

Our capacity building and technical assistance support includes:

  • Teacher release time to engage in professional development, planning and collaboration
  • Instructional coaches and a full-time school on-site Facilitator
  • Classroom materials and equipment needed for bilingual and enriched language development approaches
  • Science and art enrichment
  • Professional development

School
Program
Redwood City School District - San Mateo County, CA
  • Hoover Community School
    Elementary school
  • Hoover Child Development Centers
    State funded programs 1 full day program, 4 half-day programs
  • Community Education Center
    Community-based preschool - 1 full day program
San Jose Unified School District - Santa Clara County, CA

Pilot Evaluation
SEAL includes an external evaluation of impacts on students conducted by Dr. Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, Professor in the College of Education at San Jose State University and nationally recognized researcher on dual language education. The evaluation provides data and analysis on each student who enrolls in the SEAL preschool classrooms, and follows those students longitudinally as they progress through the grade levels. Using three different assessment measures including standard assessments relied upon by school districts and the state, the evaluation analyzes growth in language development and academic achievement.

Major findings of the first year evaluation based on 284 children who attended SEAL preschools in 2009-2010 school year showed highly significant gains in both English and Spanish, and the impact was even more profound in bilingual classrooms. Specifically:

  • Sobrato Early Academic Language Pilot children entered preschool with very low levels of proficiency in Spanish, the primary language of most students. They made highly significant gains in Spanish. Gains were particularly high in measures associated with pre-literacy or literacy (such as reading, writing and story retells).
  • Children began as preschoolers with low scores similar to the comparison groups, but by kindergarten entry:
    • had scored higher than a non-SEAL comparison group in Spanish,
    • had scored comparably to a first grade comparison group at a successful dual language school, and
    • were no lower in overall English proficiency than comparison children and were much higher in English reading and writing than district and state averages or comparison groups.
  • Children in the bilingual program:
    • scored higher in Spanish and in English and made greater gains in Spanish compared to SEAL children in all-English instruction, and
    • scored as high and made similar gains in English.

A five-year pilot initiative final evaluation is scheduled for Fall of 2014.

Community Involvement
SEAL partners with regional institutions to bring enrichment and educational resources into the pilot school sites. These partners include:

BeGLAD Colibri Guitars in the Classroom National Hispanic University San Mateo County Office of Education's Early Childhood Leadership Development Institute Schmahl Science Workshops Teatro Vision Triton Museum of Art Young Audiences of Northern California

 

SEAL also participates in the Redwood City School Readiness Task Force and the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Biliteracy Consortium.


Who to Contact
Sobrato Early Academic Language Pilot questions can be sent to Laurie Olsen at LOIsen@Sobrato.org