Trenton school district to expand its bilingual education program
TRENTON — According to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the city’s Latino population grew by more than 50 percent over the last decade, swelling to nearly 29,000.
The change is apparent not only in many of the city’s neighborhoods, but also in the Trenton Public School District, where educators are working to keep up with the increasing numbers by expanding its bilingual education program.
With a three-year plan released to the public earlier this month and due to be approved by the Board of Education soon, officials in the district’s office of curriculum, instruction and assessment say they are instituting initiatives that will not only provide more bilingual programs but also train general education teachers how to work with students whose native language is not English.
“We have seen a big increase and that’s why we’re trying to provide them with the services they need,” said Mildred Miranda, supervisor of the district’s ESL (English as a second language) program. “We’re trying to train the teachers in sheltered instruction, which equips teachers with strategies and techniques to help English-language learners.”
According to the district’s three-year plan, a requirement under state Department of Education regulations, there were 1,034 Spanish-speaking students enrolled in full-time, bilingual programs in the district this year. An additional 279 took other high-intensity or part-time ESL courses.
Miranda said the number has grown slowly over the last decade, and bilingual programs have expanded to 13 out of 21 schools in the district. She said the number of full-time bilingual centers in the district has doubled from four to eight.
The district hired nine new bilingual teachers last year to help meet demand and created an additional six spots going into the 2011-2012 school year, she said.
And while she said it was important to provide enough full-time bilingual slots for young students who have little other exposure to English, she added that it was equally important to ensure that non-native English speakers who are proficient in the language, if not completely fluent, don’t fall behind when placed in the district’s general education program.
Called “sheltered instruction,” the technique calls for training teachers in strategies that help make content more broadly accessible to students who don’t have strong English skills. “We’re trying to train as many of the teachers as possible,” Miranda said. “So far, we’ve trained 178. We’re also conducting refresher courses during the summer.
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You won't understand acronyms in the teacher's lesson plan -- DEAR, ELL, HO -- and you'll think, WTF? The nighttime janitors will have switched the TV/VCR cables, so when you pop in the Eyewitness Volcanoes DVD, nothing will happen as you press remote
The ESL instructors also work with the regular teachers to help develop lesson plans and curriculum. The new three-year plan, which would expire after 2014, also includes a parent advisory committee. The committee, which would include one parent from
It was designed so that most ELL students could become proficient in 1 year. Districts cited various challenges to complying with the model, including finding and training teachers and ensuring that lesson plans meet the four-hour requirement.
Based on a “Train-the-Trainer” model, the essence of this year's program is to capture how technology can be embedded into the content of lesson plans. Kraemer stressed the importance of prioritizing content, among other things.
“I really had to advance my lessons plans so they wouldn't be bored,” said Boehlke. “They definitely have an interest in learning the language.” Boehlke, a native of Paraguay, is an ESL (English as a second language) instructor, translator and
Topic: Affirmative Action (Upper-Intermediate ESL Lesson Plan ...
Affirmative action is defined as positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in the areas of employment, education, and business. These steps are taken as redress for past discrimination. Affirmative action is known as positive discrimination in the U.K. and employment equity in Canada. When adopted as a policy requiring preferential selection, affirmative action generates intense controversy. Affirmative action practices have been adopted in China, Japan, and South Korea to assist minorities pursuing higher education. In Malaysia, preferential treatment policies for ethnic Malays have led to segregation between Malays and non-Malay minorities. Furthermore, a requirement for 30% of corporate assets to be Malay-owned has hindered economic growth. In France, females will be required to make up 20% of the boards of all stock exchange listed or state-owned companies by 2014. In Slovakia, affirmative action has been declared unconstitutional. One identified drawback of affirmative action is a phenomenon called mismatching. This occurs when students are placed in academic programs that are too difficult for them, resulting in higher dropout rates. Critics also argue that affirmative action devalues the accomplishments of those who belong to groups it is intended to help, therefore making it counterproductive . (247)
redress – compensation, reparation, repayment persecution – cruel and unfair treatment inception – establishment, start envision – imagine, intend level playing field – situation in which one person's gain is another's loss segregation – separation of people based on race, religion, or sex inhibit – hinder, impede comprise – make up, constitute counterproductive – having the opposite effect than intended The new plan was designed to increase representation of women in the government. African Americans demanded redress for over a hundred years of slavery. Financial assistance was given to Greece as a remedy for their economic problems. Kennedy's policy was established to create a level playing field. Minorities felt like they were excluded from the political process. Affirmative action policies have caused segregation in Malaysia. The policies have also hindered the growth of the economy. Women make up 35% of the population in my town.Ell Lesson Plans - Bookshelf
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