literacy practices for ELLs or others with Language Deficiency (LD), they must commit to initiating, implementing, and sustaining conditions that support efforts to create this kind of environment. This can only be achieved with the development of a professional-parent-community partnership that fosters shared knowledge, skills, and responsibility for the educational success of these learners. Parents of ELL students must be viewed as capable advocates for their children and as valuable resources in school improvement efforts (Cummins, 1994). Being involved with the families and communities of English language learners, schools gain better understanding of the social, linguistic, and cultural factors affecting ELL students which can be used as basis to improve instructional strategies and techniques. Involving families and the community in the educational process has a dual benefit for English language learners. First, it brings into the school community the parents of children who otherwise might be left out due to linguistic and cultural barriers. Second, it allows for teachers and students to integrate cultural and family knowledge directly into the curriculum.
My second objective is to foster family and community collaboration as schools connect ELL families with community resources and agencies upon the student’s enrolment. This is followed by making existing and future community-building programs in school accessible to ELL families through such activities as family nights, informational meetings, school involvement, homework assistance after school hours, etc. With the help of the community, schools encourage ELL families to maintain and develop their native language skills by educating them on the importance of native