English as a Second Language (ESL)/Bilingual Committee

The UFT’s English as a Second Language/Bilingual Committee is comprised of K-12 educators in New York City’s public elementary, middle and high schools. Our members are an accomplished, vibrant and diverse cross-section of the UFT, including both Fulbright scholars and National Board certified educators.

We believe that ESLand bilingual approaches to education hold an important place in the New York Cityschool system. Our goal is to provide our members, both new and experienced, with educational strategies and tools that will help them to prepare English language learners (ELLs) in their schools to function as full members of our society.

To that end, we invite speakers, both in-service UFT members and education specialists from other organizations, to discuss educational resources and materials that can be incorporated as cross-curricular tools in the ESLor bilingual classroom. Presenters demonstrate the strategies and techniques that will best serve our diverse student populations and help them become mainstream students.

When called upon, we also advocate for our ELL students, the institutions that serve them and those programs, strategies and techniques that have proven most effective in educating them.

In addition to our regular monthly meetings held on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays, the committee regularly visits and participates in professional development activities at the GuggenheimMuseum, the Jewish Museum, the China Institute, the Museum of the City of New York, the WhitneyMuseumand El Museo del Barrio. We have also partnered with the Discovery Channel and UNICEF to provide techniques that will allow teachers to use educational tools more effectively with ELL students.

Every March committee members attend a dinner and symposium at the Museumof Jewish Heritage– A Living Memorial to the Holocaust at which lessons in tolerance and mutual understanding are shared. We have also participated in the Celebration of Teaching and Learning and in programs at Ellis Islandthat explore ways to relate the history of immigration to the United Statesto students' own personal experiences of immigration. 

One of the highlights of the year is our annual “Show & Tell” workshop at which committee members present their own ESLand bilingual lessons. Join us to learn what works – and what doesn’t – in ESLand bilingual classrooms!

The committee is headed by Josie Avellanet Levine, a veteran ESLteacher and award-winning educator and media literacy specialist who has presented ESLeducation techniques and strategies to audiences nationally and internationally. Read more about Josie here – and don’t hesitate to contact her at samjosiel@aol.com or to call the committee at 212 598 7772 for more information about our meetings and activities!

We welcome your support, ideas and contributions.