Adelante
What to Expect
English learners (ELs), students who speak a language other than English at home, are the fastest and largest growing population in U.S. schools. ELs, often called the “silent minority,” now represent one out of every four children in America’s schools. The Adelante Conference 2025 will focus on this growing population of students and will take place on the beautiful campus of the University of Notre Dame, June 16-18, 2025. The theme for this summer’s conference is Powerful Practices for Serving Multilingual Learners. Sessions will focus on transformative pedagogical strategies that educators can use to support and empower multilingual learners.
- Conference Start: Monday, June 16, 2025 at 5:00p.m.
- Conference Conclusion: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at Noon
This year’s Adelante Conference also marks the 20th anniversary of the English as a New Language (ENL) Hernandez Fellows program. Conference participants and Hernandez Fellow graduates are welcome to extend their stay and participate in the ENL 20-Year Celebration, featuring special events. The 20-year Celebration will kick off following the conclusion of the traditional Adelante Conference events. You will be given the opportunity on the registration form to sign up for the celebration.
- 20-Year Celebration Start: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 1:00p.m.
- 20-Year Celebration Conclusion: Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 10:00a.m.
Learn with Us
Under the theme of Powerful Practices for Multilingual Learners, the conference will focus on three key areas:
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Unmasking Best Practices: Super Strategies for Language in the Content Areas
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Power-Up Your Partnerships: Strategic Planning, Accountability, and Advocacy for your ELs
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To Infinity and Beyond: A Look Forward at the Field
Keynote and breakout sessions will offer tangible and effective ways to creatively meet the needs of English learners across all content areas and grade levels. Engaging topics include:
- Title funding and language learners
- School leadership
- Identification of ELs
- School choice
- Assessment of ELs
- AI
- Social-emotional learning
- Home visits
- Science of reading
- Oracy and listening
- Dual language
- Community and parent involvement
- Parish support
- Newcomers
Conference Goals:
- Share best and powerful ESL practices
- Regardless of the grade level or language of instruction, sessions will focus on academic language acquisition and literacy
- Sessions will model highly effective teaching strategies, instructional routines and observational protocols that help teachers “amplify, not simplify” standards-based learning
- During your time on campus, you will encounter a wide variety of presenters and educators, coming from many different parts of the country, with profound and varied classroom experiences, language backgrounds, and expertise
- Sessions will also focus on data-driven school decisions, as well as diocesan-wide initiatives to serve language learners
- Sessions will also address Pre-K language learners, newcomer students, and dual language program models
- Results of the national study of English learners in Catholic schools will be shared
- Inspirational spiritual focus on multilingual and multicultural saints