Districts seeing success despite budget cuts and ESL teacher shortages

By GINA SMITH
 gnsmith@thestate.com

Four percent of South Carolina’s 2010 high school graduation class was Hispanic. By 2022 — when this school year’s first-graders are seniors — that number will be 22 percent, according to data from the Southern Regional Education Board.

Three S.C. schools are majority Hispanic. Others are trending in that direction. Many S.C. teachers and principals say they are doing a good job meeting the demands of these students — now.

But state budget cuts and an unrelenting recession mean schools are not prepping for the oncoming increase in Hispanic students, many of whom will need help learning English and acclimating to a new culture.

Some in South Carolina do not want more Hispanic students, if they’re here illegally. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has said Congress should reexamine the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to any child born in the country.

Some state lawmakers are backing an Arizona-style immigration bill that would give law enforcement new powers to deport illegal immigrants.

And a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center is sure to raise the ire of some. That review of census data found that 8 percent of U.S. newborns have a parent who is an illegal immigrant even though illegal immigrants make up only 4 percent of the adult population. That’s likely to mean many more Hispanic students for the nation’s schools.

By law, schools must figure out a way to teach students, whether they’re in the country legally or not. Educators cannot question whether a student is here legally.

“Federal law requires that we educate all children that come to us regardless of immigration status,” explained Fatiha Bencheikh who runs Richland 1’s International Welcome Center in Columbia, a unique one-stop shop for international families enrolling their children in school. “It’s not our role to enforce immigration law or to report it. We try to be very inclusive and break down any obstacles that would prohibit a child from getting an education.”

HOW ONE SCHOOL IS MEETING THE NEED

Chuck Bagwell, principal of Arcadia Elementary in Spartanburg 6, takes lots of phone calls from stressed S.C. principals, seeking his advice on how best to teach the growing number of Hispanic students at their school.

How do they help these students succeed in the classroom, they ask Bagwell. What program can they buy? What did Bagwell do?

It makes Bagwell, who runs one of three S.C. schools that are majority Hispanic, smile. Hispanic enrollment this year at Arcadia Elementary is about 60 percent — up from about 25 percent when Bagwell first became principal seven years ago. Total enrollment is now about 360 students.

“I tell them it’s not about buying a program,” Bagwell said. “It’s about people — establishing relationships with people in your community. Then, the learning will come.”

Bagwell and his team have fostered relationships in their community, transforming a once-typical school that operated during regular school hours into a year-round community center.

Parents come to the school for free parenting classes to learn how to survive in their new American community. Often, it’s little things they need to learn, Bagwell said, like where’s the closest doctor’s office, details of the school calendar and the importance of bringing students to every single school day — a stark difference from how many schools operate in their native countries.

English classes also are offered for free to parents and community members. Those who are working and can’t make the class can use the school’s computer lab every day using Rosetta Stone software to learn the language.

Churches and local businesses keep a food pantry and a clothes pantry going on campus.

A partnership with the Boys & Girls Club funds an after-school program at the school that runs until 6 each evening, when parents are getting off work. There, students can get homework help and learn new school material.

“Our parents love their kids as much as anyone,” Bagwell said, “but if you don’t know how to speak or write English, you can’t help your children with their schoolwork. The after-school program helps the kids get all of their homework done with all the help they need. So by 6 o’clock, they’re all done with schoolwork, and parents don’t have to worry with it.”

All these programs mean the school building is buzzing from about 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday.

During the summers, a free all-day program offers art, music, dance, character education and more, making learning a year-round experience. The Boys & Girls Club, along with grant money the school has, pays for it.

And don’t even get Bagwell started on how good the Mexican food is the families bring in each year during their annual Cinco de Mayo celebration or the fun they all have during the monthly family movie night.

The school’s test scores are pretty impressive, too. The school’s Hispanic students and its students with limited English proficiency met federal education goals this school year in both English language arts and math.

South Carolina’s Hispanic students are shining overall. The state’s nearly 17,000 students with limited English, 80 percent of whom are Hispanic, also met federal goals in math and language arts this year.

“Many of the (Hispanic) families have come here after great personal sacrifice,” said Bencheikh, who works with dozens of international students each school year in Columbia. “They value education. They’re really pushing their children to get the most out of their education.”

BUDGET CUTS

But challenges remain for many S.C. school districts that have long suffered from poverty-related issues.

In Jasper County, Hispanic students and students with limited English proficiency failed to meet federal education goals in math and English language arts in 2010. They did meet some of the goals in 2009.

The district is 23 percent Hispanic. Most of the students have limited English proficiency, say district officials.

“We don’t have enough teachers, but what we’re doing is still phenomenal considering,” said Joyce Gerald, the Title I coordinator for the Jasper County school district. Gerald would like five more English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers to add to her current eight-member team.

“The Hispanic population has grown significantly in the last three or four years. At the same time, the budget cuts have hit us in the past three or four years,” she said. “Districts everywhere are struggling.”

For most of the day, Jasper County students with limited English are in regular classes with other English-speaking students.

But up to 45 minutes a day, four days a week, they’re pulled out of regular class and put in intensive language classes.

ESL teachers speak only English to their students.

“We discourage (teachers) from speaking Spanish to the children,” Gerald said. “Because the students will rely on that language rather than learning the new language. We’re here to teach English.”

Using flashcards, hand gestures, books and other tools, students are taught English vocabulary that matches the corresponding curriculum being taught in their regular classes. For example, if a student is learning about volcanoes in science class, they learn vocabulary including “volcano,” “lava” and “smoke” in their language class.

Regular classroom teachers and language teachers meet on a regular basis to ensure each student is progressing.

“This group (of Hispanic students) is getting remediation and enrichment in the same content area,” Gerald said. “They’re getting extra help. It’s being reinforced and reinforced and reinforced by the ESL teacher.”

That extra help may explain why the district’s Hispanic students are sometimes outshining other ethnic groups on standardized tests. In many subcategories of this year’s PASS test, the state’s standardized test for third- through eighth-graders, a higher percentage of Hispanic students than African-American students met the state standards. In some instances, Hispanics outperformed black and white students.

WELCOMING NEWCOMERS

Other districts, such as Richland 1, are getting efficient in helping Hispanic students.

Since 2004, the district has operated an International Welcome Center, where, in one day’s time, an incoming child is registered for school and tested to determine how much help with English he will need once enrolled. It’s the only such center in South Carolina.

“In many cases, a child can go to school the same day that we see them at the welcome center,” said Bencheikh, who runs the center.

Three bilingual staffers make the process run smoothly and also provide families with information about the closest grocery store, how to make doctor appointments and other general information about life in Columbia.

When a Richland 1 school is in need of an interpreter, the welcome center staff steps in.

Despite budget cuts, the center was moved to a bigger space on Covenant Road this year in anticipation of more international students.

“We’re seeing more students. We’ve not cut positions, but we’ve not increased the number of teachers even though the demands have increased,” she said.

Bencheikh said she’s not worried about more students. She welcomes them.

“We’re very open to diversity and addressing the needs of our diverse population.”