Parents Learn English With Their Kids
Voices filled a crowded classroom at Eastside Elementary School as Rebecca Booth led her class in a chant of the alphabet. Booth, an English as a Second Language teacher in the Rogers School District, teaches families on Tuesday and Thursday nights. About 20 parents learn English alongside their children, who are classified as English-language learners within the district’s schools. Rogers offers the classes at four sites, serving about 80 families.
It plans to add an additional site in the summer to meet increasing demand. The program is part of a national trend that’s taken root in Northwest Arkansas as its population of immigrants has grown. School districts are finding ways to draw parents of English-language learners into the classroom in hopes of increasing student achievement.
