Reporter Jackie Burrell has an excellent series in the Contra Costa Times on the numbers of English language learners in the California school system, and how the system is reacting.
Some 1.6 million children -- a quarter of the state's public school students -- are still learning English and the number grows larger every year. There are 300,000 more English learners now than 10 years ago, and those soaring numbers are reflected in every school district across the state....
"The success of (English learners)," said [California state analyst Paul] Warren, "is a critical issue for the state's K-12 system and for the state's economy."
California's future hangs on the success of these public school programs, for which state and federal agencies spend $630 million annually. Ultimately, these programs will determine whether children become well-educated, productive members of society -- the state's future taxpayers, doctors and engineers.
The alternative is unthinkable, say California education leaders, policy makers and economists. Failure to properly educate a quarter of the state's future work force will not just cripple California's economy. It will strike at the pocketbook of every retiree and baby boomer banking on Social Security and social welfare systems fueled by a younger generation's earning power.
What it is like:
Some teachers end up juggling as many as 10 or 20 languages -- Mandarin, Farsi, Punjabi or Urdu -- in a single classroom. Others teach just one. Some have the required teaching credential; others do the best they can despite the lack of specialized training.....
"The need is always great," [bilingual para-educator Zonya del Castillo], said. "So much is vocabulary. That's what they really start with. I sing a little bit, teach them the verbs with rhythm. We march, we point. I make it like a little rap."
"We assume everyone knows what a pitchfork is, a custodian, a principal," said Las Juntas principal Susan Mirkovich. "We assume they've had the same background and they haven't. They can function on the playground, but academic vocabulary?"
The public tends to think of English learners as a demographic group, but these are children, struggling to make themselves understood in an unfamiliar environment. On any given day, said Mirkovich, one of those children will arrive in the school office in tears, unable to explain what's wrong. The staff members dispense tissues and hugs, and try to figure out the problem -- is it a tummyache, a playground tussle or something more serious?
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