Grand Pacheco

In today’s increasingly diverse global society, schools serve as places for cultural exchange and understanding. These educational spaces offer an opportunity to embrace immigrant contributions and leverage their strengths for collective growth. As an educational leader committed to equity and inclusion, I conducted a study as part of my doctoral research to better understand the practices of culturally responsive and transformative school leaders. I analysed the experiences of secondary principals (grades 6–12) working with immigrant communities. In this article, immigrants include first-generation (foreign-born) and second-generation (native-born) students with at least one immigrant parent, whether documented or undocumented. This is a...

Writing has always been among the most challenging language domains for secondary students in Grades 6 through to Grade 12. Unlike speaking, listening or reading, writing requires a complex set of skills and a multistep process. Students must plan their writing and draft an initial version, revise it multiple times and then carefully edit it to create a polished final piece. Each step requires unique skills and places different demands on students’ speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities. Writing can feel overwhelming for many students in their L1, especially for those with learning differences. When learning English, extra challenges like...

The article covers upskilling and developing professionally to meet the needs of changing teaching situations and learner needs.