Educators, community leaders, parents and others will come together 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, for the United for Literacy Roundtable on strategies to integrate English language development curriculum into local classrooms and the best practices in supporting English language learners.

Presented by United Way of Santa Barbara County, the free event will be at Santa Barbara Public Library’s Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu St.

Eugenia Mora-Flores, associate professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, will be the keynote speaker during the roundtable, which is open to the public.

“Language barriers can represent significant hurdles for English language learners in our schools, but they aren’t insurmountable,” said Steve Ortiz, UWSBC president and CEO.

“Dr. Mora-Flores has done amazing work, and we can’t wait to bring her together with our frontline educators to find solutions to this very real issue. Please join us for this important evening,” he said.

Mora-Flores’ research centers on effective practices in developing the language and literacy skills of English language learners in grades K-12. She also teaches courses on first- and second-language acquisition, Latino cultures in schools, and literacy development for students.

Mora-Flores is the co-author of Balanced Literacy for English Language Learners K-12 and an educational consultant for schools focusing on English Language Development, Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English, and writing instruction for ELL students.

For more information, contact Melinda Cabrera at mcabrera@unitedwaysb.org.

— Angel Pacheco for United for Literacy Roundtable.