Making Education More Than a Grade
In December of 2013, I published an article in Language Magazine entitled, “Making Education More Than a Grade”. This article examined the positive effects of service learning for English language learners (ELLs) – now updated to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students. Engaging CLD students in meaningful community service not only helped them to gain proficiency in English, but it also fostered personal growth, confidence, and created a sense of belonging. Each Friday morning, the CLD students would come together to write “Dear Hero” letters to injured veterans and “Dear Friend” letters to those in an area senior living center. The overarching theme of the article centered around the need for education to focus on more than standardized testing or grades on report cards.
Twelve years later during my doctoral research, I had the opportunity to interview eight of my former CLD students. Now in their early 20’s, they had additional life experience and insights to be able to reflect on what the service-learning experiences meant for them as compared to more traditional instruction. Even though more than a decade had passed, the former CLD students readily recalled their experiences from middle school, both positive and negative, and hoped that others could learn from their experiences.
This update to that original article will highlight four of the key findings and will include quotes from the former CLD students. One of the most powerful takeaways that emerged from my research was the impact that connection has on students both during school and in the years beyond. Opportunities for connection can be transformative for the CLD student’s experience.
Not Invisible, Connections to Self
The silent period that many of our CLD students experience should not equate to them becoming invisible within our classrooms. Many former students spoke about teachers that made no attempts to get to know them or include them in the class. They reflected that this sent a message that they didn’t matter or were viewed as not capable of joining in on what was happening in the classroom. This lack of inclusion often caused them to doubt themselves. Over time, it was hard to remember their own strengths as they continued to feel diminished and less than their non-CLD peers.
“I remember being kind of scared because I’m from a different culture, I speak a different language and there’s a bunch of students that don’t look like me.”
Regardless of a student’s English proficiency level, as educators, we are responsible for each and every learner feeling seen and valued within our classrooms. We are charged with helping all of our students discover their strengths and interests and to see themselves as capable learners. These connections to self are the foundation for learning both language and academics. We should honor the time some students may need to try and use their new language, known as the silent period. However, we need to make every effort for them to feel like they belong and to help them to continue to discover their strengths, which contributes towards a positive self-image.
One student said it was easy to tell which teachers never had training in working with CLD students. He shared that in some classes he was able to fade into the background and didn’t really know what was going on. He said that teachers who made attempts to say some words or phrases in his heritage language went a long way to keeping him engaged.
Action Steps: Administrators and teacher leaders need to ensure that all teachers have the professional development needed to help every CLD student feel welcome and capable. Teachers can show CLD students that they are valued by greeting students in their heritage language, learn and use the correct pronunciation of each student’s name, and check in frequently both on their general well-being and their learning. Provide opportunities for all students to share about their traditions and experiences. Include time in your lessons to highlight students’ talents and strengths and embed self-reflection so students can see their growth and progress over time.
The Need for Community – Connections to Others
All of the participants spoke about the value of having some less-structured time in their school day where they had a chance to get to know each other better. The time spent collaborating on service projects created an environment where they could talk to each other far more than they could in more traditional classes. Many former students shared that just hearing that other students were going through similar experiences of trying to acquire English and navigate a new culture helped them to feel less alone.
“It also helped me make friends in the service-learning club because we were in the same boat, so we could understand what was happening, and we were helping each other, even to this day.”
Providing students with time during the school day where they could get to know each other requires far more than a think-pair-share or answering questions during a morning meeting. Having some less-directed time together as they completed projects was a key aspect to students being able to find a supportive community. The former students shared that the once-a-week time set aside for service-projects was something they looked forward to and helped to get them through the week. They shared their appreciation of the teachers taking a genuine interest in them and getting to know them as individuals while collaborating on service projects. Schools need to step back and consider how they can build in opportunities for genuine conversations to take place during the school day and to build in structures so that all CLD students are able to participate.
Action Steps: Schools can consider an “audit” of a CLD student’s school day. How often do they have the opportunity to engage in conversations with peers? Even when provided time at lunch, students may feel shy or uncomfortable trying to use a new language. Building time within instruction that includes collaborative projects or learning through friendly team competitions can provide a focused task for students to work on together while they also have the chance to get to know each other better along the way.
Raising Expectations – Connections to Learning
All of the former CLD students spoke about understanding the reason that their families left their homes and why they underwent the hardships they experienced through immigration.
“The main reason I would say, my parents moved here was for a better education. That was the main goal. A better education, safer environment for us, and that was something that was very much known in our household that you are here so that you can get as good an education as possible.”
Imagine knowing that your family was making tremendous sacrifices for your education, only to enter school and feel that your academic expectations were being watered down and were less than the expectations for your non-CLD peers. A former student from Albania spoke of having been in advanced math classes before arriving in the United States, only to find herself being placed in lower-level math based on her language proficiency. She had to advocate for herself and insisted on being placed in upper-level math courses to continue her academic growth. She understood that she would have to work harder due to her English level and she did. She became one of the top students in that class. Over a decade later, the frustration she experienced was still present.
We are responsible for CLD students having access to a high-quality, rigorous education. We need to ensure that there is professional learning and systems in place so that all teachers can provide comprehensible academic content that includes critical thinking and problem solving. We need to have high expectations for our CLD students, show that we believe in them and what they can achieve, and then begin to connect their learning with a wide range of potential career pathways.
Action Steps: Hearing from these former CLD students how easy it was to tell which teachers knew how to work with CLD students and which did not was very telling. Districts and schools need to build the capacity of all staff to meet the needs of CLD students. When teachers are unsure of how to work with this group of students, they often allow them to fade into the background which, by default, diminishes expectations for their learning. Every teacher needs to know best practices for providing comprehensible, rigorous grade level instruction for students at all levels of English proficiency. Use of visuals, gestures, realia, and modeling to introduce new concepts should be seen in all classrooms. Explicit teaching of academic vocabulary, use of structured language support including word banks, sentence starters, and bridging from heritage languages should be leveraged to provide entry points for all learners.
The Impact of Service: Connections to Community
The former CLD students shared that they gave more energy and effort to the projects related to service-learning than assignments that were for a grade. Several participants shared that knowing they were working on something that was going to be read by another person outside of school really motivated them to try their best. The former CLD students spoke about how empowered they felt by making a difference for others at a time when they felt diminished by not yet being proficient in the dominant language of English. Many former students shared that connecting with the community had a lasting impact on them.
“I know it really kind of motivated me going forward. I remember we went to the nursing home and I volunteered several hours on my own after that.”
One of my former CLD students, now an attorney, spoke about how her initial exposure to service in middle school led her to join the Interact Service Club at her high school and then to donate her time for underserved populations as a law student. She shared that many of the families she met with were new to the country and she remembered being in their shoes. She appreciated the opportunity to support them through her chosen field and acknowledged that those first experiences in middle school started her on a path of service.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, M.D. (2020) emphasizes that acts of service are powerful remedies for loneliness, strengthening bonds with the community and providing personal fulfillment. Several former students spoke about not feeling like they fit in and the struggle to know what to wear, what to bring for lunch, and the constant challenge to try and understand what the people around them were saying. Many spoke of feeling alone before connecting with others through the service projects. All schools should embed these meaningful opportunities within the school day. For our CLD students, having a positive impact on others builds a sense of empowerment and belonging while simultaneously promoting growth in English. As one former CLD student said about the need to work together to complete service-projects.
“This certainly helps them (CLD students) be more open to having a conversation with other kids, and working as a team.”
Through correspondence about the initial school day embedded service club, Stephen Krashen pointed out that the CLD students became so engaged in completing the meaningful projects, that they gave less thought to language production and, instead, focused on using language to complete the task at hand. The students experienced growth in their English language development level not only from the frequency of language use but their investment and belief in the projects they considered worthwhile. The former students shared that working on something that would be received by an authentic audience was far more motivating than anything being completed for a grade.
Action Steps: There are many ways for schools to build service-learning opportunities into the school day. Each grade level can collaborate for a cause, or monthly service-learning afternoons can be added into the schedule. Teachers can also embed service projects that directly build on the grade level content standards that are being taught to provide students with authentic reasons to apply what they have been learning. Building a culture of connecting with the community through service increases students’ sense of belonging and civic responsibility. Additional benefits include increased confidence, social-emotional growth, and increased academic engagement. These opportunities foster civic engagement, broadens students’ understanding of the world around them, and help them realize their potential for making an impact.
Improving Outcomes through Connection
The lessons learned from my former students underscore the profound power of connection in education, highlighting its enduring impact on students’ academic and personal growth. Twelve years after their initial experiences, these former CLD students emphasize that meaningful connections—to themselves, to others, to learning, and to the community— were foundational to their success. When they spoke about the negative experiences they had with teachers who either didn’t have training for supporting CLD students, or those who didn’t put best practices into action, the hurt was still evident. We need to do better.
By shifting our educational practices to consistently value each student’s identity, foster authentic community building opportunities, maintain rigorous academic expectations, and integrate meaningful service experiences, we can significantly enhance outcomes for CLD students. As educators, administrators, and policymakers, we hold the responsibility of creating inclusive environments where all students feel valued and empowered. Prioritizing these essential connections within our classrooms is not merely an educational best practice, it is an imperative that has the potential to transform lives, ensuring education truly becomes focused on more than just a grade but building the skills and supports our students will need to successfully navigate their way through life.
Reference
Murthy, V.H. (2020). Together: The healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world. Harper Wave.
Dr. Anne Paonessa is an experienced educator, administrator, author/consultant, and speaker. Her focus is helping educators build inclusive, connected, and engaging learning environments that create a lasting impact for students and educators alike. She is co-author, with Jeff Zwiers, of Essential Connection Skills: Strategies for Integrating Social Connections into Core Content (Corwin, 2025).