Early intervention efforts try to prevent future dropouts

In the past, the immigrant children's parents did not speak much English, now they do but it is not always changing the kids' success.    - - Donna Poisl

By Maureen Hayden, CNHI Statehouse Bureau

INDIANAPOLIS — At the kindergarten round-up this spring at West Goshen Elementary School, teachers and administrators noticed something different: There seemed to be significantly more Hispanic children with parents who spoke both English and Spanish. For a school that has seen a steady influx of Hispanic students for more than a decade, it was notable: school staff have long been used to teaching children of Hispanic immigrants who spoke little English.

School Principal Alan Metcalfe sees it as a hopeful sign but one that also carries a challenge: Many of the students have no solid footing in either language, so they may face increased difficulty not just in learning how to read but in making the critical transition to reading to learn.
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