About Us
Californians Together is a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups committed to improving policy and practice for educating English learners. It is a non-profit organization that mobilizes communities to protect and promote the rights of 1.3 million English learners (25% of California students K-12). Californians Together has served for 13 years as a statewide voice on behalf of language minority students in California public schools. For 5 years Californians Together has been working with schools districts statewide to develop and implement the Seal of Biliteracy.
We encourage all schools, districts and county offices of education to contact us for help in developing a local Seal of Biliteracy.
- Shelly Spiegel-Coleman
- Executive Director
- 562-983-1333
- shelly@californianstogether.org
- www.californianstogether.org
Velázquez Press sponsors schools and districts by providing seals and award medals for Seal of Biliteracy graduates. Many bilingual students drop out of school because they don't see the tangible benefits of academic achievement. Our goal is to help students recognize that being biliterate is an asset and to provide motivation for them to succeed in school.
Another important objective is to connect bilingual students with potential employers. Being biliterate can often translate into tangible employment benefits. Many employers take language abilities into consideration when hiring and may offer a stipend or "differential pay" for employees who speak more than one language. After receiving the Seal of Biliteracy, we invite recipients to register through our site so that we can verify their award with potential employers. For more information on the Velázquez Seal of Biliteracy or how we can sponsor your school/district, please Contact us.