As our nation moves toward a more culturally diverse population, both educators and families must find common ground to ensure English language learners succeed academically. All stakeholders must carefully consider the socio-cultural impact on ELL education. The process of growing up bilingual students requires more than a language learned in school and a language learned at home. The transition must have a purpose and an objective. Collaborative Practices of English Language Learners and Schools Educating a student requires a tremendous amount of collaboration between schools, communities, and families. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child and this saying is truer when applied to a child coming to America from a foreign country. Differences in culture, family values, social interaction, and personal education can often leave both students and teachers wondering how to connect with each other. It is precisely for this reason that all factors must be carefully measured when coordinating efforts for limited English literate students. Schools across America have seen an increase in the cultural diversity of their student populations. Census results from the 1990s indicate that more children from other countries have immigrated to the United States than ever before. The findings seem to indicate that the current movement and increase in cultural diversity will soon lead to more than 50% of the student population being culturally diverse, according to Mid-continental Research for Educational Learning. This increase in a diverse population should certainly push us to develop educational practices that respond to the needs of these students. English Language Learners (ELL) is very different from our...... middle of paper ...... Works Cited Broekhuizen, L (nd). Bilingual parents and students. Retrieved from http://www.prel.org/products/paced/nov02/re_bilingual.htm December 20, 2009Genesee, F. (n.d.). Bilingual acquisition. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=38 December 16, 2009Including culturally and linguistically diverse. (9). Retrieved from http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/Diversity/5997IR_DiversityRT1.pdf December 20, 2009 Lundeen, S. (n.d.). Influences on ESL students in school. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2077563/influences_on_esl_students_at_school.html?cat=25 December 17, 2009Rosenberg, M. (n.d.). Raising bilingual children. The American School in Japan Alumni & Community Magazine, Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Rosenberg-Bilingual.html December 17, 2009