Many are Spanish speakers. Others call Russian, Polish or Portuguese their mother tongue. At Clifton Avenue Grade School, people of different backgrounds gather in the evenings for a shared purpose — to learn English. Domingo Marcial, who works all day in Lakewood as a landscaper, says his reasons for studying are simple. “My work. I need to shop. For everything,” said Marcial as he struggled through a composition exercise on the first day of class. For five years, the Lakewood Community Services Corp. has been holding free English classes for Lakewood’s bustling immigrant population.

There’s a couple reasons for the program’s success, Weisberg said. Chief among them: the classes are held in the heart of downtown, they’re conducted in the evening, and they’re intensive. The classes are divided into four levels, and for the next couple weeks registration will remain open. “Through word of mouth it gets much bigger,” said Ada Gonzalez, LCSC’s director of ESL services. “We have people from different cultures all in one room and it works.” Grants pay teachers’ salaries, and the school district donates the classroom space. (more…)

search for : Clifton Avenue Grade School, to learn English, ree English classes, immigrant population, ESL

A Harvard political scientist published a book in 2004 claiming that massive waves of Latin American immigrants threaten the dominance of the English language and America’s core identity. In “Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity,” Samuel Huntington also theorized that second- and even third-generation immigrant families may still retain Spanish as their language of choice.

Last week, however, three sociologists released the results of a decade-long linguistic study refuting that claim and going so far as to say the United States is a veritable “graveyard for foreign languages.” “English has never been seriously threatened as the dominant language in America, nor is it today — not even in Southern California, home to the largest concentration of Spanish-speaking immigrants,” concluded Rubén Rumbaut, Frank Bean and Douglas Massey in their joint study through the University of California at Irvine and Princeton University. (more…)

search for : Latin American immigrants, English language, Spanish as their language, Spanish-speaking immigrants

The U.S. Department of Education is honoring two Utah elementaries as Blue Ribbon Schools for closing achievement gaps and high scores on tests used for No Child Left Behind, the department announced Friday. Granger and Castle Dale elementaries are among 250 nationwide honored. This is the first wave of awards; the second will come when more data is available next month, the department reported. “All of these schools have students from all subgroups who’ve made impressive test gains or who scored in the top tier on state tests,” U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in a prepared statement. “They are outstanding examples of how all students can achieve to higher standards.”

Statewide, 20-point to 30-point achievement gaps exist between some ethnic and socio-economic groups. Granger receives Title I money from the federal government, set aside for high-poverty areas. Two-thirds of its 660 students are low-income, and half are learning English as a second language, Williamson said. The school has 40 students in its preschool, which helps the school see early on where children need help in preparing for kindergarten. It has English as a second language teachers in every grade level, 20 aides (all considered “highly qualified” by the federal government), regularly tests student abilities, and splits them into small groups for individualized instruction. (more…)

search for : U.S. Department of Education, Blue Ribbon Schools, No Child Left Behind, Title I, English as a second language teacher

The growth of the Hispanic civilian labor force is exploding, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a projection of nearly 23.8 million workers by 2012. At the same time, statistics show how this demographic is no longer just settling in Sunbelt states such as California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Additionally, states including Wisconsin, Iowa, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia are experiencing a huge jump in their Hispanic populations.

Clear communication in the field can make a difference between life and death. Knowing the right words in Spanish will enable your field force to tell workers (whether they are yours or those of another trade working on the same project) that they are in immediate danger. Learning your workers’ language can also go far in terms of improving employee morale and building relationships. It’s important to remember that fluency isn’t necessary. Just the effort to communicate will be highly appreciated, as it shows that you care about your workers and their culture. At the same time, Hispanic workers should be encouraged to improve their English skills. Many apprenticeship programs across the country include English-as-a-Second Language classes as a standard part of their curriculum. ESL classes can also be found through universities, community colleges and some training firms. (more…)

search for : Hispanic civilian labor force, U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hispanic population, Spanish, Hispanic workers, English-as-a-Second Language

In Michelle Rzewski Copeland’s perfect world, every parent would take the time to read to their children after school. However, the Potowmack Elementary School librarian realizes many Loudoun County parents can’t read to their children after school for a variety of reasons. For many parents, it is hard to find the time to sit down with their son or daughter with a book after a long work day, before supper and in between chores. For some, they do not speak the language.

ven though Copeland realizes parents’ packed schedules and the language barrier, she said it is still important for children to be read to, especially those learning English. It gives them a chance to listen,” Copeland said. “It is important to promote reading at home and to build listening comprehension skills.” n an effort to promote reading at home and overcome the various obstacles, the librarian came up with “HEART: Hear Excellent Audio-books Today.” Once she came up with a solution, she needed a way to fund it. WHILE SURFING the Internet over the summer, Copeland stumbled upon the National Education Association (NEA) Web site. There she applied for a $5,000 Student Achievement Grant to purchase cassette players, books and books on tape. (more…)

search for : learning English, Student Achievement Grant

McKay High School sophomore Monique Guajardo, two generations removed from her family’s arrival from Mexico, has a difficult time speaking Spanish. Fifteen-year-old Whitney Peña, on the other hand, can’t speak a word of Spanish. Her ancestors immigrated three generations ago. According to a recent study, their difficulty with their native language is part of a national trend. Spanish dies out within three generations, and English becomes the dominant language.

The study, conducted by the University of California at Irvine and Princeton University, found that native language-expertise tends to disappear among descendants of Hispanic immigrants at a rate similar to that of other immigrant groups, such as Asians. The findings were published in the September issue of the journal “Population and Development Review.” Third-generation descendants of immigrants such as Peña are U.S.-born with U.S.-born parents and three or four foreign-born grandparents. (more…)

search for : Mexico, Spanish

The endless debate about ESL teacher certification and accreditation has been completely muddied by the self-interest of money making organizations. The confusion is further amplified by the slick frauds who dash into the market and run away with the hard earned funds of their victims with little fear of prosecution. The finger pointing and claim-making upsets prospective ESL teachers who are looking for career training and leaves the victims of fraud angry and frustrated.

Accreditation is a validation statement by a group of persons who are, theoretically, impartial experts in higher education, that a given school, or department within a school, has been thoroughly investigated and found worthy of approval. To offer recognized accreditation, an accrediting agency must meet at least one of the following three criteria: Recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation in Washington, DC, Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, Recognized by (or more commonly, a part of) their relevant national education agency. Schools they accredit are routinely listed in one or more of the following publications: the International Handbook of Universities (a UNESCO publication), the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook, the World Education Series, published by PIER, or the Countries Series, published by NOOSR in Australia. (more…)

search for : ESL teacher certification, ESL teacher, Council on Higher Education Accreditation, U.S. Department of Education

It’s shortly after 10 a.m. at Conard High School and Duan Laoshi is ready to start class. Students mingle. Then they quiet down. And, more important, they stop speaking English in favor of a language entirely foreign. The class begins to review for a quiz and starts a series of pronunciation, character memorization and writing exercises in Chinese, the newest addition to the school’s foreign language department.

Languages such as Spanish and French give students familiar words, sounds and a similar alphabet on which to base their learning, but Chinese introduces different sounds, tones, pronunciations and an entirely different written language to begin to master. Chinese One students will learn between 200 and 300 characters, Mandarin Chinese conversation, writing and reading and will begin to master sounds based on the pinyin (or “spell sound”) Romanization system this year. (more…)

search for : Conard High School, English, Chinese, foreign language, Spanish and French, Mandarin Chinese