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Discover Lowell Public Schools' approach to English Language Education Programs for immigrants, refugees, and SLIFE students. Explore community partnerships and family engagements. Presentation on November 2, 2018.
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Responding to Diverse Learners Fall Federal Grant Programs ConferenceMarlborough, MA Phala Chea, Ed.D, Coordinator of English Language Education Programs Lowell Public Schools November 2, 2018
Presentation Outline • Our Lowell Public Schools’ Story • Demographics • Immigrants and Refugees • The Students’ Stories - Film Screening: Hard Truth, Levity and Hope • English Language Education Programs • Supplemental Federal Grants • Community Partnerships • Family and Community Engagements
Demographics Lowell Public Schools’ 2017 Enrollment Data (PreK-12) • 14,436 Students • 3,496 (24%) are ELs • 560 are ELs with Disabilities • The three most spoken languages are Spanish (37%) Khmer (31%), and Portuguese (8%)
Languages Spoken Low incidence languages: Vietnamese, Gujarati, Lao, Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Dari, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Kinyawandu, Lingala, Luganda, Nepali, Somali, and Swahili
Immigrant Student Data (PreK-12) 999 Immigrants (Born outside the U.S. and have not attended more than 3 full academic years of U.S. school) Countries of Origin: Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, India, Portugal, Laos, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, China, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Ghana, and Nigeria
Refugee Student Data (PreK-12) 160 Refugees (Have refugee status and have been here less than 5 years) Countries of Origin: Iraq, Burma/Myanmar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Nepal/Bhutan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, Namibia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Syria
Our Students’ Stories Film - Hard Truth, Levity, and Hope Released June 2011 Hard Truth, Levity and Hope is a touching short documentary film that explores the lives of refugee teens that have settled in Lowell, Massachusetts. This film follows the stories of six refugee teens who have come to Lowell with their families. We watch as they struggle to find their place in a world that is foreign to them, and ultimately succeed. http://crosbystudios.com/movies/hard-truth-levity-and-hope/
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) • SLIFE students typically come from cultures where learning is pragmatic and hands on. • Learning in their countries often happen communally. • Goals of learning often focus on the success of the group or community. • Independent learning is not always encouraged. • Interaction with text is limited.
Title III, Refugee School Impact and Other Federal Grants Supplemental Support • Newcomer ESL Teacher • ESL Tutors • Parent Liaisons • Social Workers • Professional Developments in the areas of trauma, mental health, refugee experience, social justice, social justice, culturally responsive teaching and learning, mindfulness/yoga, and art therapy. • Extended Time – After school and summer enrichment programs • Instructional Materials • Fieldtrips
Thank You Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself is at the core of our humanity. It is the essence of compassion, and it is the beginning of morality. ~Ian McEwan, Novelist Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be. ~Rita Pierson, Educator and Antipoverty Advocate