Transcript Changing Times – New Challenges - CEHD

Changing Times – New
Challenges AND
Opportunities!
Marjorie Hall Haley, PhD
George Mason University
[email protected]
703-993-8710
The Changing Landscape
 The 2000 US Census recorded that out of
281.4 million people, 31 million were
foreign born including at least 276 ethnic
groups.
 According to Education Week, during 20002001, more than 4 million students or
almost 10% of students enrolled in prekindergarten through 12th grade were
limited English proficient.
The Changing Landscape
 The National Center for Education Statistics
reported that 47 states reported how many
enrolled students who were ELL students
and were receiving English language
services.
 In 2001-2002, one-fourth of all students in
California, or 1.5 million, were ELL students
who received language services, while the
number of students who received ELL
services in Texas was more than half a
million or one in seven students.
 (nces.ed.gov/fastfacts, 2004).
The Changing Landscape
Most ELL students are found in larger,
urban schools, NCES (2004) also
reported from its 1993-1994 Students
and Staffing Survey that of the
schools with LEP students, one third
provide either English as a Second
Language or bilingual programs and
71% of students determined to be
LEP attend those schools.
The changing Landscape
Forty-two percent of all public school
teachers had at least one LEP
students; 30% of the teachers
instructing LEP students had received
training to teach ELL students while
only 3% actually held a degree in ESL
or bilingual teaching (NCES, 2004).
The Changing Landscape
ELLs are projected to compose 40% of the
school age population by the decade of
2030 (Collier & Thomas, 1999).
All long term research studies of ELL students
found that it takes a minimum of four years
for these students to reach grade level
performance in their second language
(Thomas & Collier, 2002).
42% of all public schools have at least one ELL
student, yet only 30% of the teachers
instructing these students had any ELL
training (NCES, 2004).
ELL/ LEP Students
 4,416,580 students enrolled in public schools
(PK -12). 1999-2000 school year.
 9.3% of total public student enrollment.
 Some 400 different world languages.
 76.6% are Spanish-speakers.
 Some 40 percent never graduate from high
school.
What Are the Most Common Language Groups for
LEP Students?
Anneka Kindler, NCBE
 In 1999-2000, states reported over 400 languages spoken
by ELL/ LEP students nationwide.
 Spanish (76%);
 Vietnamese (2.3%);
 Hmong (2.2%);
 Haitian Creole (1.1%);
 Korean (1.1%);
 Cantonese (1.0%).
 All other language groups represented less than 1% of the
LEP student population.

http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/askncbe/faqs/05toplangs.htm
Black & Hispanic: Growth

1990 Census
Millions
2000 Census
30
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
35.3
35.4
22.4
35.2
Millions
35
34.7
34.8
34.6
34.4
Race / Ethnicity
Black
Hispanic
Racial / Ethnicity
Black
Hispanic
Academic Needs of
L2/Bilingual Learners
Content
Literacy
Language
U.S. Challenges in L2 Education
 Teacher preparation &
professional
development
 Program selection,
design and
implementation to fit
local goals & needs
 Second-language and
academic content
instruction based on high
academic standards
Hispanic/Latino Population
 Now number 37 million (2002)
census
 During the 1995-2050 period, the
percentage of residents aged 524 is projected to increase by
222%
A word of caution
 Latino/Hispanics are:
An unusually diverse community;
Share a common language;
But there are many differences –
Socioeconomic and academic
Culture and ethnicity
Nationality
Latino/Hispanic HS Completion
Rate
 In 2000, the HS completion rate
was 64.1% [1972, was 56.2%]
 Trend has been fairly similar over
the past three decades
Changing Times – New
Challenges
 Empowering Parents: Expanding
beyond traditional parental
involvement
 School Culture: Barrier for Change or
Bridge for Improvement?
 Broadening US schools’ community
partnerships: Engaging people from all
cultures and walks of life
Changing Times & New
Challenges
 The parents of ELLs often find it
difficult to guide their children
through the US educational
process
 Many parents do not understand
the process
 Communication problems with
teachers and administrators are
often due to linguistic barriers
Community-based Organization
School Partnerships
 Existing Hispanic/Latino CBOs
can be invited into partnerships
with local schools
 When schools partner with these
organizations, it can be a catalyst
to developing parental
involvement
CBOs and School Partnerships
 Groups may already exist in your
community:
 A men’s soccer group, a quilting
group, a group that teaches
national dances…. These are real
resources waiting to be utilized!
Examples of CBOs in the Metro
Area





Mi Casa (Affordable housing)
Spanish Education Development
Latino Student Fund
Neighbor’ Consejo (Homeless)
Salomon Zelaya (Rehabilitation
Center)
Expanding Beyond Traditional
Parental Involvement Activities
Schools must give all parents –
including those from culturally
and linguistically diverse groups –
the power to become involved in
the schools their children attend.
Building Bridges
Parental Involvement in
Schools
 Parents can participate in both
formal and informal ways
 Parents can serve as classroom
aides or work on fund-raising
projects
 Parents can also be involved at
home by providing a learning
environment for their children
Exploring Cultural Experiences
Diverse Schools and
Classrooms
 Educators should explore their own
cultural experiences, values, and
attitudes as they relate to child rearing
practices in school
 Educators should learn as much as
possible from parents about their
cultural experiences, values and
attitudes (i.e., image of authority
figures, views about school, etc.)
 Schools knowingly or
unknowingly often assume that
parents know how to interact
with school personnel
 However, because many
Hispanic/Latino parents come
from different educational
traditions, many may feel
powerless to participate in school
Is this a cultural issue?
 Hispanic/Latino parents tend to
separate the school system and home
and treat them as different domains
 The role of the school is to instill
knowledge and teacher their children
 The role of parents is to provide
nurturance, and teach morals, respect
and good behavior
Successful Parent/School
Partnership Issues
 School Environment: Creating a
friendly, welcoming environment
 School Culture: Valuing home and
community culture
 Teachers as Cultural-brokers:
Overcoming misperceptions and
stereotypes
Successful Parent/School
Partnership Issues
 Overcoming linguistic and
cultural barriers: Disconnect
between home, community and
school
 Parents: Educational level and
previous experience
Best Practices
 Establishing community networks
and partnerships with other CBOs
 Building trust and personal
relationships
 When publications are translated,
making sure they are culturally
acceptable. Attention to literacy
is important.
Theme 1: Community
Involvement
 How can community leaders and
faith-based organizations
 Inform and educate parents about
the educational opportunities
available for every child?
 Encourage their local officials to take
advantage of all federal, state, and
local educational opportunities?
Theme 2: Developing
Partnerships Community
 Where can schools look for CBSs
and informal groups?
 How can they engage them?
 How what the CBO is already
doing can be of benefit to the
school and children?
Theme 3: Developing Policies
 How can State Educational
Agencies (SEAs) develop policies
that encourage and enable their
school districts and schools to
promote successful schoolcommunity partnerships that are
responsive to the diverse
populations they serve?