\

Public schools across the county are employing English as a Second Language tutors to help students who enroll with limited English skills. Their ability to speak, read and write English may not be at their grade level.

One such ESL program, which serves 498 students in the Hamilton School District, costs the school district $650,000 a year, with $410,000 of that coming from its general fund.

Data consistently shows a wide gap in educational achievement between students whose first language is Spanish and those whose first language is English, resulting in higher dropout rates and lower academic performance levels for the ESL students.

click here for article

search for : ,