An experienced education administrator, Caitlin Franco is the Founder and Executive Director of Equality Charter School in the Bronx, New York. With a middle school that opened in 2009 and a high school that opened in 2014, Catilin Franco provides her diverse student body with an inclusive and innovative learning environment at Equality Charter School.

1. WHAT IS THE
SHELTERED
ENGLISH
INSTRUCTION
APPROACH FOR
ELL STUDENTS?
C A I T L I N
F R A N C O

2. INTRODUCTION
• An experienced education administrator, Caitlin Franco is the
Founder and Executive Director of Equality Charter School in the
Bronx, New York. With a middle school that opened in 2009 and a
high school that opened in 2014, Catilin Franco provides her
diverse student body with an inclusive and innovative learning
environment at Equality Charter School.
Equality Charter warmly welcomes English Language Learners (ELLs)
into the community. In fact, approximately 10 percent of the
school’s students are ELLs. Using a research-proven “sheltered
instruction” approach, the school helps ELLs develop grade-level
academic skills while simultaneously improving their English
proficiency.

3. ELL STUDENTS
• Sheltered English instruction gives ELL students access to grade-
level instruction while adapting the delivery of the content to
support their acquisition of English as a second language.
Sheltered English instructors speak in clear, concise, and simple
English and use tiered supports known as scaffolding strategies
to help students engage with content and classroom activities in
meaningful ways. Sheltered instruction may include strategies
that encourage students to make connections between new
lessons and their prior experiences, as well as collaborative
activities where students learn from their peers.