Oak Bluffs School principal Laury Binney will be showing a short film and speaking about his recent travels to Brazil on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. It is free and open to all.

Mr. Binney, who took an unpaid sabbatical last year, and his wife Marcy, a reading teacher, spent six months visiting elementary schools in Brazil in an effort to gain insights into addressing the needs of Brazilian-born students on the Vineyard. The talk takes place at the Oak Bluffs School.

“Our original goal was to better understand how the Brazilian system of education, and comparably the culture of Brazil, impact those families who have immigrated to Martha’s Vineyard over the last 15 years, and, most especially, the students who attend our schools,” said Mr. Binney.

“We videotaped hours of interviews with teachers, students and administrators. These interviews provided some interesting information that helped us to better understand and address the educational and social issues of our Brazilian [English Language Learner] population,” said Mr. Binney.

“The one invariable response to our question regarding how we might best serve our Brazilian students on the Vineyard, was to be sure to preserve their cultural heritage.

“We have a concern that we are not adequately addressing the deeper linguistic and cultural needs of our Brazilian [students] based on our response to the new bilingual education legislation passed in 2002. How we can succeed in this important mission, while also achieving English language fluency for our ELL students, is a demanding quest, but an achievable one.”

Call 508-693-0951. This talk is sponsored by the Oak Bluffs School PTO.