ESL advances will help future

This school district in California, changed their ESL program and are very successful. Hundreds of students have been reclassified from English learners to English speakers. DP

By Editorial staff

dailypilot.com: IIllegal immigration is often blamed for having drastic effects on the loca economy and especially the school system

The children of immigrants often have parents whose first language is not English and who do not speak it at home. Parents can’t read to their children in English or help with reading homework, as native speakers can.

From the start, children who speak English as a second language begin their education with a marked disadvantage that native speakers don’t have.

Such was the norm in Newport-Mesa schools for many years. The large influx of Spanish-speaking or ESL children taxed the educational resources, mostly in the predominantly Latino Westside of town. The result was weaker test scores and school standings.

But the district addressed the problem by creating a program specifically for English-language learners.

Led by program director Karen Kendall, the efforts to boost English language learning in Newport-Mesa schools has been, by all accounts, a roaring success.

Hundreds of students have been reclassified from English learners to English speakers. Nearly all district teachers are now qualified to teach English learners.
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