To date, Bridges has served over 10,000 students and 1,000 educators at more than 50 schools across New York State.
Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, French, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Russian, S’gaw Karen, Somali, Soninke, Spanish, Swahili, Woloff
Bangladesh, Burma, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gambia, Guatemala, Honduras, Senegal, Syria, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Yemen and more.
The Bridges curriculum, in conjunction with the Bridges staff developers’ coaching and support, has given our teachers the assurance that guided reading instruction is an essential practice for the acquisition of academic language at the early stages of language development. During classroom visitations, I have observed many “year 1 SIFE” students using sophisticated English language words and sentences. They want to participate in class discussions, are eager to share their connection with the content presented and look forward to teach each other. Our teachers see the value of the Bridges lessons and we are grateful for the support the Bridges team has provided us. We have built a “symbiotic relationship” and our students have benefited the most! As we know, it is all about the children.
(Wanda, Administrator)
Because every people are of the community because everybody are one single family. Because I think I have a part in the community because I can express my feelings and I can talk English.
(Student, ICHS)
When I am helping others, I help the other classmates….when my partner doesn’t know how to say a word or how to write a word, I help.
(Student, Brentwood)
I am proud that I am learning more, that I am understanding more of the class and bringing home good grades. I am feeling better about the class. I feel like I am learning more than I learned in my home country.
(Student, Brentwood, translated from Spanish)
When there’s a problem in the school, I feel like teachers listen and will help me.
(Student, Brentwood)
I now realize that SIFE are capable of using higher-order thinking skills, and that allowing students to use their home language allows students’ to communicate more sophisticated responses.
(Teacher, Brentwood)
Before Bridges when I talked to these students I would recommend they find a job or a trade. When they didn’t understand in class they would make trouble, some of them. Bridges helps them and makes all the classes more manageable.
(Hugo, Assessment Coordinator, ICHS)
