Californians Together

For almost twenty-five years Californians Together has been at the forefront advocating for equitable education policy for California's English learners, which includes the 10,284 English learner students who make up nearly 15% of students enrolled at Long Beach Unified School District. Our advocacy is driven by the belief that students deserve an education that honors their home language and culture.

We are proud to be headquartered in Long Beach and offer programs to all members of Long Beach public schools through our various programs such as Support for Immigrant and Refugee Students (SIRS) which aims to create safe and inclusive learning environment for students of all backgrounds and to support best practices for immigrant students in PreK-12 and the English Learner Roadmap Implementation for Systemic Excellence (EL RISE!) that works to ensure that educators, administrators, and school districts are equipped to meet the goals set forth in the visionary California English Learner Roadmap policy adopted by the California Department of Education in 2017.

As an organization that also works statewide, we are proud of the impact we have had on the students in the Long Beach Unified School District. Californians Together sponsored, through legislation, the development of, the first in the nation, State Seal of Biliteracy. This is a state recognition program for all graduating seniors who meet the criteria for proficiency in English and another language. For the last 4 years 2,489 graduating seniors have received this state recognition.

We continue to reach out to teachers, parents, administrators and students to support their efforts and the achievement of students in multiple languages.

Testimonials

"I support Californians Together because this trailblazing organization is working earnestly to advocate for policies and opportunities that support multilingual learners in a world class city like Long Beach and across the Golden State." -- Feliza Ortiz-Licon, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, Latinos for Education

"I really appreciate the important work that Californians Together has always done and continues to do. I am honored to be part of supporting that powerful work. In fact, I intend to include Californians Together in my trust so it's work will always continue. Thanks to everyone at Californians Together for making California a better place for English learners and their families." -- Lauri Burnham-Massey, loyal Californians Together donor