Ensemble Learning's Impact

During its tenure, Ensemble Learning has worked with over 120 schools and CMOs across the nation improving instruction for over 50,000 students.

After working with Ensemble Learning for seven months, 30% more respondents agreed with the statement, "My school has a good plan to support English learner success."

After working with Ensemble Learning for seven months, 30% more participants agreed with the statement, “My school has a good plan to support English learner success.”

12% increase in 7 months diagram.

After working with Ensemble Learning for seven months, 12% more participants agreed with the statement, “My school has the knowledge necessary to support English learner success.”

98%
of participants agree.

“After meeting with Ensemble Learning, I have a better idea of how to incorporate complex texts into English learner instruction.”

“Working with Ensemble Learning deepened research-based knowledge of school culture and instructional best practices for English learners.”

98%
of participants agree.

“I feel I’ve gained a better understanding of the needs of our campus. This was a great opportunity to be able to discuss possible solutions for these problems.”
- 2018 Central Texas program participant

Testimonial: Tierra Encantada

Santa Fe, New Mexico


“Tierra Encantada Charter School (TECS) is a small charter school of approximately 300 students in grades 7th-12th. TECS was developed as a charter with an intent to be a Dual Language, Project Based, College Prep school.

Over the years, one of the greatest challenges TECS encountered was how to develop the academic English proficiency of children whose native language was other than English (English Language Learners). We recognized that while students were developing some language skills (basic interpersonal skills if you will), they were struggling to achieve academically alongside their native English-speaker peers. While TECS has had deliberate focus on professional development and teacher training towards the goal of supporting EL learners, by far the best collaboration and “develoment into practice and achievement experience” has been via the partnership established with Ensemble Learning.

The small team of Ensemble Learning lead by Leigh Mingle, Ph.D and supported by Rocio Figueroa and Patricia Jimenez-Latham, Ed.D. have been an excellent and invaluable resource for the administrative and teaching staff at TECS. The Ensemble team was flexible with their curriculum to customize training and development specifically to our school and our students. They helped us dig deep into our data, examine our student population and assess our actual needs around development of our EL population. Our teachers now have foundational skills and a spring board from which they can take off towards meeting the needs of EL Learners.

Over the course of the 2018-2019 school year, a representative group of TECS teachers participated in a series of EL workshops with Ensemble and recently had the benefit and privilage of having Rocio present directly to all teachers during a summer 2019 in-service. The Ensemble team helped us dig deep into our data, examine our student population and asses our actual needs in order to help our EL population reach their fullest academic potential. Our administrative team has a better understanding of what our assessment data is telling us and how best to educate our EL population. Our teachers now have a better understanding of what it means to be an EL Learner and have a focus not only helping students learn English, but to develop academic English language proficiency. The pedagogy, concepts and skills presented will help our teachers focus on the common core standards, rigor, and deliberate and intentional practice to ensure that students are engaged, connecting their learning to their lives, and developing the skills they need not only for communication on a day-to-day basis but for application towards success in college and career.

We continue our work with Ensemble Learning with a plan for walkthroughs and with Ensemble not only delivering information to us, but working directly with and observing our practice in real-time in our actual setting. We look forward to continuing this collaboration! As a team/staff we feel anchored and empowered with Ensemble Learning’s guidance and support and we look forward to seeing student achievement and growth as a result!”

—Principal, Angela Esquibel-Martinez, MA. Ed 

Testimonial: Aspire Public Schools

California


“One of the things I love the most about the Learning While Leading program is the prioritizing of the work.  [The program] sets aside a learning container for teams to shut off the other distractors in order to focus on English learners.  I think it’s nice to also frame that if we put our English learners first then it’s in service of all students.  This lowers the affective filter of folks who are afraid of leaving schools behind and being fully dedicated to the work.  I [also] really love that there’s a nice balance of social-emotional aspects of learning for Els and the cognitive and intellectual work we’re doing, including the actual teacher pedagogy. 

The Learning While Leading Program is calendared over a two-year period, which gives schools a realistic timeline to actually engage in hypotheses about what’s happening with their English learners.  It gives time to develop a plan, implement treatments, progress monitor, revise, and repeat. For me, that really allows schools not just to have a superficial plan, but rather a plan that can live in other places like LCAP and overarching school action plans. It makes the [English learner] work achievable and sustainable.

I’ve really enjoyed the two-way communication with Ensemble staff.  I’ve started to expand my network because of the work with Ensemble.  I’ve been able to seek out precise information when I have really specific questions, which has been amazing.  I really know how to support my schools as I work directly with them to implement their English learner work.”

—Director of Language and Culture, Lily Garcia 

Testimonial: Uplift Meridian

Dallas, TX


“My experience has been extremely positive and I have learned a lot about how I can better support instruction at Meridian in and outside the classroom.  I have thoroughly enjoyed [working] with my principal coach, JC Contreras, to develop myself as an instructional leader focused on increasing the positive experience and achievement of our English learners at Uplift Meridian. The support I’ve received has also supported my leadership development overall, as JC has supported me through several campus situations and decisions that I’ve made this school year.

I feel I have grown as a leader by using my voice.  I have learned to be more comfortable naming our challenges, where we have improved, and where we need to grow as a campus.  Some of the challenges that I’ve been able to name have been barriers to measurable growth at Meridian, however, the awareness that has come out of the Learning While Leading program has placed us on a positive trajectory to better service our English leaners. I am excited about the future growth we’ll experience at Meridian.”

—Academic Director, Sha’Lon Campbell

“The activities were engaging and allowed me to understand the content being presented well. The [Ensemble] staff was great and attentive to our needs.”
- 2019 Learning While Leading program participant