Moving into a new community and starting at a new school can be challenging for students. For immigrant and refugee students, challenges often exist because of cultural and language differences. Cultural navigation is a model for providing linguistically and culturally relevant support to English Learners and their families. The team of cultural navigators and advisors understand key components of the cultures of the families they serve and are equipped to enhance communication and trust among students, families, and schools, and provide supports to bridge home, community, and school.

PaTTAN educational consultant, Maria Ronneburger, and IU13 community education supervisor, Joshua McManness, joined PaTTANpod to discuss how the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13’s team of cultural navigators works with the School District of Lancaster and local community to build partnerships that empower students and their families. Isobel Benites and Jalilah Yacoub shared what cultural navigation means to their families. IU13 cultural navigators, Ahmadullah Falzi, Jeremy Rhoads, and Sunila Safi provided a glimpse into their role and efforts.