Supporting students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE): Effective policies, practices, and programs

2. Background To effectively define, identify, and support the growing and diverse number of SLIFE in Massachusetts K-12 schools, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education contracted the Center for Applied Linguistics to conduct a four-year research study on best practices for the education of SLIFE. The research presented in this summary comes from a 2022 literature review and state policy analysis and will be followed by an analysis of Massachusetts’ SLIFE data and qualitative research with Massachusetts SLIFE and the educators who serve them. This research is grounded in an assets-based, culturally-responsive approach that recognizes and promotes the value and integration of students’ bilingualism, social language abilities, and authentic ways of learning into the learning norms and standards of their schools.