SIATech high schools’ mission is to provide high quality education for all students. The SIATech schools located across California serve more than 300 students learning English, making it a top priority for SIATech staff to ensure they are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to succeed.
Coordinator of English Learner Programs Katie Chenu is continuously working to better the program. One way this is being done is understanding best practices by attending professional development opportunities to enhance the learning experience for students. Most recently the team attended the California Association of Bilingual Education conference held March 2025 in Long Beach. The purpose of attending the event was to support English Learner (EL) advocacy as well as to understand how to better provide instructional services and strategies to uplift student engagement amongst English learners.
Eight SIATech independent study high school students were also invited to attend the 2025 California Association of Bilingual Education conference in Long Beach. These students were given the opportunity to expand their knowledge and build connections.
SIATech El Centro Independent Study High School student Hector S. expressed that the conference magnified the importance of education and how it creates beautiful minds. He went on to share his appreciation: “SIATech is one of the only schools where they prioritize connection over curriculum.” Hector went on to express how grateful he is for his teachers as they demonstrate that they care, making him feel comfortable to speak up during class and ask questions.
SIATech Indio Independent Study High School student Natalie T. expressed how valuable it was for her to see students come from various areas with differing perspectives and hear their stories. “At the age of 17 it's the time to have new experiences. Going to places like these are ways we can practice the things we are learning. It's difficult to envision a life or career outside of where we've always been, especially when we don't know what's out there for us,” said Natalie.
SIATech staff diligently work to implement the best approaches and practices for its English Learners. This includes understanding the Assets of English Learners which are:
In addition, the SIATech school organization has developed an English Learner Task Force. This multidisciplinary and multi-location team works to support academic and career development of young English learners. The Task Force is working to demo a new curriculum to help better support students by providing courses and training modules to assist in English language acquisition and improvement. In addition, the team is in the process of building an English Learner Advisory Committee to include families in order to support the needs and empower students and their parents / guardians.
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SIATech high schools provide an excellent learning program that has helped the network thrive for more than 25 years. Record numbers of students are gaining the literacy skills they need to graduate and finish high school with a WASC-accredited diploma. Creating positive outcomes for all students is the goal so that they can be successful in careers and their communities. As Ms. Chenu stated: “We are building culturally and linguistically responsive systems at SIATech. We want to work past our students learning English and really focus on empowering them.”
