Here’s another example of how the needs of our school districts have increased. English Language Learner programs and staffing are required to meet the needs of students in ways that didn’t exist in the past.
“If current trends continue – and officials think they will – Wichita’s enrollment will rise again by at least 300 students, and Hispanic families will continue to drive that growth. This year or next, the number of Hispanic students could exceed the number of non-Hispanic white students and become the largest ethnic group in the district.
“Over the past decade, the percentage of Hispanic students in Wichita schools has more than doubled – from 15 percent in the 2000-01 school year to more than 33 percent today.
“’We are diverse already and just becoming more diverse,’ said Dalia Hale, director of the district’s Multilingual Education Service Center. ‘Hispanics are a part of that, but only a part.’
“For nearly a decade, Wichita schools have provided Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters for parent-teacher conferences and other events. A staff of translators regularly records Spanish and Vietnamese versions of school newsletters, e-mails and phone messages about weather cancellations.
“This year, because of the growing variety of languages spoken in Wichita homes, the district began contracting with Propio Language Services, an over-the-phone interpreting service, which lets teachers connect by phone with parents in any language in just minutes…
“Suburban schools are seeing demographic shifts as well, though not to the same extent as Wichita and other urban districts. Most report increases in Hispanic students and those who identify as multiethnic.
“In Maize, just west of Wichita, total enrollment increased by 33 percent from 2000 to 2014, while the number of Hispanic students nearly tripled. State data for Derby, Goddard, Andover and Haysville show similar trends.
“’When I first started in this position we had just hired our first (ESOL) teacher, and she had eight students,’ said Marsha Beard, associate superintendent for the Maize district. ‘Most of those were from families where they knew some English.
“Today, about 100 Maize students receive ESOL services; another 65 qualified but parents or guardians waived services.
“’In the last five years, we have seen a lot of students who come in, and no one in the family speaks English,’ Beard said.
“They’re mainstreamed into regular classrooms, she said, but may be pulled out for intensive instruction or get help from a paraprofessional.
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/education/article2184257.html#storylink=cpy