La combinaci贸n de las inversiones p煤blicas en el sistema de la Universidad de California y la actitud hospitalaria del estado hacia la inmigraci贸n han creado una econom铆a din谩mica y dotada de tecnolog铆a que es la  de todos los estados norteamericanos. Su  tambi茅n refleja ese dinamismo, y atiende a . En 2021, California matricul贸 a m谩s estudiantes EL en grados de K铆nder a 12 que .

Sin embargo, de 1998 a 2016, en medio de , las escuelas del estado contradijeron su reputaci贸n cosmopolita, promulgando una normativa para que se ense帽ara exclusivamente en ingl茅s a los estudiantes EL. Como era de esperar, la pol铆tica hizo poco para cambiar la trayectoria demogr谩fica del estado y .

Por esa raz贸n, en el a帽o 2016, los votantes de California aprobaron la Proposici贸n 58 en un refer茅ndum que volv铆a a plantear la posibilidad de la educaci贸n biling眉e para los EL de California. Los partidarios promovieron la medida como una oportunidad para que el estado ofreciera un sistema escolar multiling眉e acorde con su reputaci贸n de sociedad plural y diversa que preparara a los estudiantes para prosperar en la econom铆a global.

Este art铆culo es el primero en una serie de 麻豆精品 sobre los esfuerzos de California por construir un sistema educativo biling眉e digno de su reputaci贸n de diversidad cultural. 

Ocho a帽os despu茅s de la aprobaci贸n de la Proposici贸n 58, es. La eliminaci贸n activa de idiomas en las aulas del estado durante casi dos d茅cadas ha dado lugar a innumerables desaf铆os. Aun as铆, la adopci贸n del biling眉ismo por parte del estado ha acercado la narrativa p煤blica . California lanz贸 el , que ahora se ha extendido a nivel nacional, y que otorga reconocimiento p煤blico a los graduados de K铆nder hasta el grado 12 que demuestren competencia en m谩s de un idioma. Esfuerzos de este tipo son los que est谩n cambiando el discurso p煤blico en California sobre los idiomas y aumentando la demanda de oportunidades de aprendizaje biling眉e.

Reductos biling眉es en una era monoling眉e

En 1998, cuando California adopt贸 la Proposici贸n 58 y su pol铆tica de ense帽ar 煤nicamente en ingl茅s,  daban a entender que aproximadamente la mitad de los votantes latinos apoyaban el mandato. Las encuestas a pie de urna posteriores suger铆an , pero la medida se aprob贸 igualmente.

El n煤mero de estudiantes EL en aulas de educaci贸n biling眉e . Aunque la nueva pol铆tica de ense帽ar s贸lo en ingl茅s permit铆a a las comunidades ofrecer educaci贸n biling眉e si un n煤mero suficiente de padres de estudiantes EL optaban por no participar en una educaci贸n exclusivamente en ingl茅s, s贸lo una peque帽a parte de las  pudo alcanzar ese umbral. El espa帽ol, el coreano, el japon茅s, el canton茅s y otros idiomas que no fueran el ingl茅s desaparecieron de las escuelas.

Pero la decisi贸n del estado no borr贸 el deseo de muchos californianos de que se reconocieran y se trabajaran en la escuela las habilidades biling眉es que sus hijos empezaban a demostrar. La persistente demanda de los padres latinos puso en marcha y/o mantuvo programas biling眉es y de inmersi贸n en dos idiomas, como el campus en Burlington del Camino Nuevo Charter Academy de Los 脕ngeles.

La escuela abri贸 sus puertas en el a帽o 2000; el inter茅s de la comunidad por el biling眉ismo empuj贸 a los l铆deres a dar prioridad al desarrollo de los alumnos tanto en ingl茅s como en espa帽ol. 鈥淩ecib铆amos ni帽os que ven铆an de programas que estaban por toda la ciudad鈥�, dice la ex directora general de Camino Nuevo, Ana Ponce. 鈥淵 los padres quer铆an que sus hijos mantuvieran su lengua materna. No est谩bamos sujetos a las limitaciones de la Proposici贸n 227 porque 茅ramos una escuela ch谩rter, as铆 que nos embarcamos en la exploraci贸n de diferentes modelos de educaci贸n biling眉e鈥�.

La escuela opt贸 por un modelo de inmersi贸n en dos idiomas (o DLI, por sus siglas en ingl茅s) que comienza con la mayor铆a de la ense帽anza en espa帽ol y aumenta paulatinamente la ense帽anza en ingl茅s hasta que los dos idiomas est谩n equilibrados en los 煤ltimos grados de primaria. D茅cadas m谩s tarde, el campus del centro de Los 脕ngeles bulle con conversaciones que cambian del espa帽ol al ingl茅s. Los alumnos de cuarto grado practican en parejas problemas de divisi贸n en su clase de matem谩ticas jugando a Piedra, Papel o Tijeras para decidir qui茅n va primero.

鈥淥jal谩, Dios quiera que no, que no desaparezcan estas escuelas, 驴verdad? Porque les ayuda mucho a nuestros hijos de verdad鈥�, comenta Maribel Mart铆nez, una madre de Camino Nuevo desde hace 13 a帽os. 鈥淣o hablo mal de las [escuelas] del distrito, s茅 que tambi茅n ense帽an bien, pero pues el 煤nico error es de que pues quitaron el biling眉e鈥� los dos idiomas valen mucho y m谩s鈥�.

Parte de ese valor es de car谩cter acad茅mico. Las investigaciones sugieren que los programas de inmersi贸n en dos idiomas son la mejor manera de apoyar a los j贸venes que no son hablantes nativos de ingl茅s en las escuelas de Estados Unidos. Pero los padres de la escuela Camino dicen que 茅sta es s贸lo una de las razones por las que valoran las destrezas emergentes de sus hijos en espa帽ol e ingl茅s. El primer hijo de Gloribel Reyes empez贸 en la escuela hace veinte a帽os y el menor est谩 matriculado en cuarto grado. 鈥淓s muy importante que los ni帽os pues siempre tengan ese aprendizaje de lo que es el espa帽ol y el biling眉e鈥�, precisa, 鈥減orque si ellos aprenden nada m谩s el ingl茅s, pues se les va olvidando [el espa帽ol], que es lo que hablamos los pap谩s, porque si unos pap谩s no hablamos[鈥 ingl茅s, entonces 驴c贸mo nos podemos comunicar con ellos?鈥�

Mart铆nez est谩 de acuerdo, y se帽ala que el biling眉ismo de la escuela facilita a las familias hispanohablantes el contacto con los maestros y el personal. Es decir, el esfuerzo de Burlington por contratar a personal para el programa DLI durante d茅cadas ha dado lugar a una plantilla totalmente biling眉e.

Tras a帽os de servicio como escuela al frente de la educaci贸n biling眉e, Camino Nuevo se ha convertido en una cantera biling眉e de la que otras escuelas pueden sacar provecho. Kylie Rector, Directora de Biliteracidad y Estudiantes EL de Camino Nuevo, dice que 鈥渆l entusiasmo por invertir m谩s en educaci贸n biling眉e鈥� ha atra铆do a la escuela administradores de distintos distritos, desde San Diego hasta el norte de California.

No obstante, aunque se est谩n reanudando programas biling眉es y de inmersi贸n en dos idiomas por todo el estado, en ning煤n lugar est谩n creciendo lo suficientemente r谩pido como para cumplir con  de construir un sistema de al menos 1.600 programas de DLI para hacer que 鈥渓a mitad de todos los estudiantes de K铆nder a grado 12鈥� participen en programas que lleven a la competencia en dos o m谩s idiomas鈥�. El a帽o pasado, el estado dedic贸  para poner en marcha nuevas escuelas de DLI; el estado calcula que con este dinero se crear谩n  nuevos.

Esto se debe, en parte, a que la prohibici贸n durante dieciocho a帽os de la mayor铆a de los programas biling眉es en California pr谩cticamente elimin贸 el mercado laboral para los maestros biling眉es. Es por eso que los sistemas escolares de K铆nder a grado 12 produjeron m谩s graduados monoling眉es, cuyo idioma dominante fue el ingl茅s, y por esta raz贸n tambi茅n los programas de formaci贸n de maestros biling眉es del estado cerraron en gran medida.

Esto supone para los dirigentes de California el problema de la gallina y el huevo. No pueden aumentar las aulas biling眉es en todo el estado sin m谩s profesores biling眉es, pero el sistema estatal de ense帽anza primaria y secundaria sigue siendo mayoritariamente s贸lo en ingl茅s y no est谩 produciendo suficientes graduados biling眉es para aumentar r谩pidamente la diversidad ling眉铆stica del profesorado del estado. Como resultado, el cuerpo docente de K铆nder a grado 12 de California es mucho m谩s blanco y monoling眉e en su lengua materna, el ingl茅s, que la poblaci贸n estudiantil primaria y secundaria de California.  los alumnos de K铆nder a grado 12 de California.

El aumento de la demanda de educadores biling眉es tambi茅n ha hecho que el personal de Camino Nuevo sea muy valioso en el sector de la educaci贸n p煤blica de California. Algunos antiguos empleados de Camino Nuevo han acabado fundando sus propias escuelas biling眉es, como , fundadora de Yu Ming Public Charter School. Otros  en  y otros  de . Y otros trabajan en defensa de la educaci贸n en organizaciones sin fines de lucro como ,,, y la  Chavez.

La polinizaci贸n cruzada del biling眉ismo en el condado de San Diego

A s贸lo diez millas en carro del cruce fronterizo de San Ysidro entre Estados Unidos y M茅xico, el campus de Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School (CVLCC) es otro hervidero de biling眉ismo. La escuela fue fundada por el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Chula Vista en 1998 como una forma de mantener las opciones biling眉es una vez que lleg贸 el mandato estatal de ense帽ar exclusivamente en ingl茅s.

Eddie Caballero se incorpor贸 a CVLCC un a帽o despu茅s como profesor de quinto grado. 鈥淔ue un comienzo dif铆cil鈥�, asegura, ya que la escuela luchaba por centrar sus enfoques de instrucci贸n acad茅mica y ling眉铆stica. Pero ya para 2004, la escuela se hab铆a unido en torno a una visi贸n: poner 茅nfasis adicional en las habilidades b谩sicas de alfabetizaci贸n temprana en ambos idiomas .

En 2005, Caballero se traslad贸 al Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego para trabajar en puestos administrativos. En 2008, varias familias de estudiantes EL se estaban organizando para firmar exenciones con el fin de iniciar un programa de educaci贸n biling眉e en Sherman Elementary, en la zona este de San Diego. La escuela necesitaba un educador biling眉e con experiencia; Caballero encajaba a la perfecci贸n. Estaba ansioso por utilizar lo que hab铆a aprendido en CVLCC para replicar la educaci贸n biling眉e de alta calidad, pero ahora a nivel de distrito.

Al igual que en CVLCC, 鈥渘o tuvimos 茅xito inmediatamente鈥�, dice Caballero. Avisa que cualquier programa de educaci贸n biling眉e no tendr谩 茅xito autom谩ticamente por el mero hecho de ser biling眉e. Con demasiada frecuencia, advierte, los responsables de los distritos piensan que pueden 鈥渞einventar鈥� sus escuelas lanzando programas de DLI, 鈥減ero no, hay que implementarlo con cuidado鈥�. Esto requiere una planeaci贸n cuidadosa en torno al plan de estudios, la dotaci贸n de personal, los esfuerzos de participaci贸n familiar y mucho m谩s. Es por eso que, en 2016, Caballero contrat贸 a Nicole Enriquez, ex maestra de CVLCC, para ser su subdirectora; ella asumi贸 el papel de directora cuando 茅l dej贸 el Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego.

Ahora, en 2024, Caballero est谩 de vuelta como director general de CVLCC, que sigue sirviendo como motor para el ecosistema local de educaci贸n biling眉e. Precisa que los maestros biling眉es suelen acudir a su escuela desde distritos cercanos con el objetivo de desarrollar su experiencia ense帽ando en entornos biling眉es o de inmersi贸n en dos idiomas. Sin embargo, muchos se van al cabo de cinco a帽os, porque quedarse m谩s tiempo les costar铆a la antig眉edad contractual en los distritos donde empezaron su carrera.

鈥淐VLCC es una escuela biling眉e ejemplar que no s贸lo tiene un plan de estudios cultural y ling眉铆sticamente sensible, sino que tambi茅n prepara la conciencia cr铆tica global de los estudiantes a trav茅s de enfoques innovadores e impactantes鈥�, precisa Cristina Alfaro. 鈥淓n sus inicios鈥� la llam谩bamos la Escuela de los Sue帽os鈥�.

搁别肠辞苍蝉迟谤耻肠肠颈贸苍

En los 26 a帽os transcurridos desde que los votantes de California inauguraron la era monoling眉e en su estado -y ocho a帽os despu茅s de que acabaran con ella- est谩 claro que el terreno de la opini贸n p煤blica ha cambiado. Las encuestas realizadas antes del refer茅ndum de la Proposici贸n 58 de 2016 revelaban que . 

 que tuvo lugar en el 2023 encontr贸 que el 65 por ciento de las familias latinas 鈥渋nscribir铆an a sus hijos en un programa biling眉e si estuviera disponible鈥�. En otra encuesta realizada en 2023 entre californianos mayoritariamente hispanohablantes,  el 59 por ciento de los encuestados consideraba el 鈥渁cceso a programas biling眉es鈥� una prioridad 鈥渆sencial鈥� o 鈥渁lta鈥� para sus familias.

Baluartes biling眉es como CVLCC y Camino Nuevo son recursos esenciales para ayudar a que esa esperanza sea realista para m谩s de esas familias. 鈥淪oy chicana de segunda generaci贸n鈥�, dice la directora Enr铆quez de la escuela Sherman. 鈥淵 esta generaci贸n de padres dice cosas como: 鈥榊o nunca tuve esta oportunidad cuando era ni帽o. Ojal谩 pudiera hablar m谩s espa帽ol. Quiero que mis hijos puedan ser biling眉es, que tengan la oportunidad que yo nunca tuve鈥�. 隆Y yo tambi茅n soy as铆! Yo traje a mis hijos aqu铆, a trav茅s de Sherman, para que pudieran ser biling眉es鈥�.

California is, by almost every measure, one of the United States鈥� most diverse and vibrant states. The country鈥檚 , it also has . 

The combination of public investments in the University of California system and the state鈥檚 welcoming approach to immigration have created a dynamic, technology-infused economy that is the of any U.S. state. Its also reflects that dynamism, serving . In 2021, California enrolled more K鈥�12 ELs than . 

And yet, from 1998 to 2016, the state鈥檚 schools belied its cosmopolitan reputation, enacting an English-only mandate for ELs amid a . Unsurprisingly, the policy did little to change the state鈥檚 demographic trajectory 鈥� and . 

That鈥檚 why California voters passed Proposition 58 in 2016, a referendum that reopened the possibility of bilingual education for California鈥檚 ELs. Supporters sold the measure as an opportunity for the state to deliver a multilingual school system befitting its reputation as a plural and diverse society preparing students to succeed in the global economy. 

This is the first in 麻豆精品‘s series on California鈥檚 effort to build a bilingual education system worthy of its culturally diverse reputation. 

Eight years after Prop. 58鈥檚 passage, . Nearly two decades of actively subtracting languages from the state鈥檚 classrooms created myriad challenges. And yet, the state鈥檚 embrace of bilingualism has brought public narratives closer to . California launched the now-national , which provides public recognition for K鈥�12 graduates who demonstrate proficiency in more than one language. Efforts like these are changing California鈥檚 public discourse around languages and increasing demand for bilingual learning opportunities. 

Part 1: An 18- year ban on Bilingual Education in California begins

When Proposition 227 made California an English-only state in 1998, suggested that roughly half of Latino voters supported the move. Subsequent exit polls suggested, but the measure passed all the same. 

The number of ELs in bilingual education classrooms . While the new English-only policy permitted communities to offer bilingual education if enough ELs鈥� parents 鈥渙pted out鈥� of English-only education, only a small fraction of were able to meet that threshold. Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Cantonese, and other non-English languages vanished from schools. 

But the state鈥檚 decision didn鈥檛 erase many Californians鈥� desire to have their children鈥檚 emerging bilingual abilities recognized and cultivated at school. Persistent demand from Latino parents launched and/or maintained bilingual and DLI programs, such as Los Angeles鈥� Camino Nuevo Charter Academy鈥檚 Burlington campus. 

The school opened in 2000; community interest in bilingualism pushed leaders to prioritize students鈥� development in both English and Spanish. 鈥淲e were getting kids that were coming from programs that were all over the city,鈥� says former Camino Nuevo CEO Ana Ponce. 鈥淎nd parents wanted their kids to keep their native language. We were not bound by Proposition 227鈥檚 limitations because we were a charter, so we embarked on exploring different bilingual education models.鈥� 

The school settled on a DLI model that begins with a majority of instruction in Spanish and gradually increases English-language instruction until the languages are evenly balanced in later elementary grades. Decades later, the Central Los Angeles campus effervesces with chatter swinging from Spanish to English. Fourth-graders pair off to practice division problems in math class to decide who goes first by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors or Piedra, Papel, Tijeras. 

鈥淚 hope that God keeps these schools from disappearing, because they really help our children,鈥� says 13-year Camino Nuevo parent Maribel Martinez in Spanish. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to talk down the district鈥檚 schools, they also teach well, but their big mistake was cutting bilingual education鈥wo languages are worth so much.鈥� 

Some of that value is academic. Research suggests that dual language immersion programs are the best way to support young, non-native English speakers in U.S. schools. But Camino parents say that this is only one of the reasons they prize their children鈥檚 emerging Spanish and English skills. Gloribel Reyes鈥� first child started at the school twenty years ago and her youngest is enrolled in fourth grade. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important that the children learn both Spanish and English,鈥� she says in Spanish, 鈥渂ecause if they only learn English, they forget their own language, the language their parents speak. Some of their parents don鈥檛 speak English鈥攈ow can we speak with them?鈥�

Martinez agrees鈥攁nd notes that the school鈥檚 bilingualism makes it easier for Spanish-dominant families to engage with teachers and staff. That is, decades of hiring to staff Burlington鈥檚 DLI program have produced a fully bilingual staff. 

After years of serving as a bilingual outpost, Camino Nuevo has become a bilingual quarry for other schools to mine. Kylie Rector, Camino Nuevo鈥檚 Director of Biliteracy and English Learners, says that 鈥渢he buzz to invest more in bilingual education鈥� has brought administrators from districts from San Diego to Northern California to the school. 

Still, while bilingual and dual language immersion (DLI) programs are relaunching across the state, they are not growing anywhere fast enough to meet of building a system of at least 1,600 DLI programs to have 鈥渉alf of all K鈥�12 students鈥articipate in programs leading to proficiency in two or more languages.鈥� Last year, the state devoted for launching new DLI schools 鈥� the state estimates it will produce . 

This is partly because California鈥檚 eighteen-year ban on most bilingual programs also flatlined the job market for bilingual teachers. This meant that K鈥�12 school systems produced more monolingual, English-dominant graduates, and it meant that the state鈥檚 bilingual teacher training programs largely shuttered. 

This presents California leaders with a chicken-and-egg problem. They cannot grow bilingual classrooms around the state without more bilingual teachers, but the state鈥檚 K鈥�12 system remains mostly English-only and is not producing enough bilingual graduates to rapidly grow the linguistic diversity of the state鈥檚 teaching force. As a result, California鈥檚 K鈥�12 teaching force is much whiter and more native English-speaking monolingual than California鈥檚 K鈥�12 student body. . 

The increased demand for bilingual educators has also made Camino Nuevo staff valuable across California鈥檚 public education sector. Some erstwhile Camino Nuevo employees have gone on to launch dual language schools of their own, like Yu Ming Public Charter School founder . Others are in and other . Still others are working in education advocacy at non-profit organizations like , , , , and the . 

Cross-Pollinating Bilingualism in San Diego County

Just a ten mile drive from the U.S.-Mexico San Ysidro border crossing, Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School鈥檚 (CVLCC) campus is another hotbed of bilingualism. The school was founded by the Chula Vista Unified School District in 1998 as a way to maintain bilingual options once the state鈥檚 English-only mandate arrived. 

Eddie Caballero joined CVLCC a year later as a 5th grade teacher. 鈥淚t was a rough start,鈥� he says, as the school struggled to focus its academic and linguistic instructional approaches. But by 2004, the school had coalesced around a vision 鈥� putting extra campus emphasis on foundational early literacy skills in both languages . 

In 2005, Caballero moved to San Diego Unified School District to work in administrative roles. In 2008, a number of families of ELs were organizing to sign waivers to start a bilingual education program at Sherman Elementary, on San Diego鈥檚 east side. The school needed an experienced bilingual educator; Caballero was a natural fit. He was eager to use what he鈥檇 learned at CVLCC to replicate high-quality bilingual education 鈥� now in a district setting. 

Just as at CVLCC, 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 see success immediately,鈥� Caballero says. He warns that just any bilingual education program won鈥檛 automatically succeed just by virtue of being bilingual. Too often, he warns, district leaders think they can 鈥渞ebrand鈥� their schools by launching DLI programs, 鈥渂ut no, you have to implement it carefully.鈥� This requires careful planning around curriculum, staffing, family engagement efforts, and much more. That鈥檚 why, in 2016, Caballero hired former CVLCC teacher Nicole Enriquez to be his assistant principal; she stepped in as principal when he left San Diego Unified. 

Now, in 2024, Caballero is back as CVLCC鈥檚 CEO, which continues to serve as a flywheel for the local bilingual education ecosystem. He says that bilingual teachers often come to his school from nearby districts with the goal of developing their expertise teaching in bilingual or DLI settings. However, many leave after five years, because staying longer would cost them contractual seniority back in the districts where they began their careers. 

鈥淐VLCC is an exemplary dual language school that not only has a culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum鈥攂ut also prepares students鈥� global critical consciousness through innovative and impactful approaches,鈥� says Cristina Alfaro. 鈥淎t its inception鈥e called it the Dream School.鈥�

Building Back

In the 26 years since California voters launched their state鈥檚 monolingual era 鈥� and eight years since they ended it 鈥� it鈥檚 clear that the ground of public opinion has shifted. Polling before the 2016 Proposition 58 referendum found that .

found that 65% of Latino families 鈥渨ould enroll their children in a bilingual program if it were available.鈥� In a separate 2023 poll of mostly Spanish-dominant Californians, 59% of respondents listed 鈥渁ccess to bilingual programs鈥� as an 鈥渆ssential鈥� or 鈥渉igh鈥� priority for their families. 

Bilingual strongholds like CVLCC and Camino Nuevo are essential resources for helping make that hope realistic for more of those families. 鈥淚鈥檓 second-generation Chicana,鈥� says Sherman principal Enriquez. 鈥淎nd this generation of parents says things like, 鈥業 never got this opportunity as a kid. I wish that I could speak more Spanish. I want my kids to be able to be bilingual, to get the opportunity that I never had.鈥� And I鈥檓 that parent too! I brought my kids here, through Sherman, so they could be bilingual.鈥�

Teachers say Struggly, available for at-home or classroom use, is a game changer for K-8 students discouraged by math or having a hard time with traditional tasks because of language barriers or learning disabilities. In game-like tasks aligned with common core standards, students manipulate shapes, animals, and algebraic formulas to build foundational understanding. 

The platform鈥檚 potential reach is hard to overstate as educators urgently search for ways to address the : On average, only one in four kids are proficient in 8th grade math; the number hovering between 9-14% for Black, Native and Latino children.

In approximately 340 schools across 28 states and 21 countries, Struggly has become the go-to supplemental learning platform for some educators whose students had difficulty socializing or collaborating after missing in-person learning in early childhood during the pandemic. School sites range from gifted programs and large to smaller private schools serving students with special needs and juvenile detention centers. 

, 鈥減ut the student in the driver’s seat, don’t make them reliant on any sort of literacy, but also don’t make them rely on an adult to tell them what to do,鈥� said Tanya LaMar, CEO and cofounder, adding its unusual design was intended to 鈥渁llow all students to have access to math regardless of language, socioeconomic status or any kind of diversity markers.鈥� 

Many educators have found the platform via conferences across the U.S. At SXSW EDU, the platform won this year鈥檚 Community Choice Award for the , celebrating digital innovations helping to bridge learning gaps. 

Levels designed to become more challenging as students go on can be solved multiple ways, encouraging learners to talk to each other about their strategies and challenge common misconceptions that math is more about memorization than reason or logic. The video game-like design, with no time restrictions, also keeps students calm and engaged longer, teachers say. 

After using Struggly for one month 鈥� 20 minutes, three times a week 鈥� 63% improved scores on state tests and 68% felt more engaged in their math classes, according to independent research from WestEd. Teachers have also noticed fewer outbursts and negative self talk, more confidence and less .

One district survey revealed students were more likely to agree with statements like, 鈥渋f I work really hard, I can become very good at math鈥� and to disagree with 鈥減eople can’t change how good they are at math.鈥�

Struggly was originally imagined by designer Alina Schlaier, whose daughter came home from first grade one day saying, 鈥淚 hate math.鈥� Schlaier found Stanford math expert Jo Boaler鈥檚 resources online, but knowing that it wasn’t sustainable for her to prep each lesson for her daughter, the designer reached out to Boaler with the idea of forming a company that would blend their skills. 

Boaler鈥檚 former PhD student Tanya LaMar joined the effort, bringing an educator鈥檚 lens to its creation, once a Los Angeles Unified teacher. There, she had faced compounding challenges: teaching math while teaching kids to see math beyond the narrow way they鈥檇 been taught it must look 鈥� facts, procedures to be memorized.

鈥淢eanwhile, neuroscience research tells us that there’s no such thing as math brain 鈥� I felt like I was up against a lot trying to convince my students they could be math people, when struggling in math is seen as a sign that something’s wrong,鈥� LaMar said. 鈥淪o Struggly is about supporting students to embrace struggle as an integral part of the learning process.鈥�

Such a shift has been transformational for educators like Gregg Bonti, a math group teacher at Mary McDowell, a quaker school in Brooklyn serving students with language-based learning disabilities.

Typically, his 4th and 5th graders arrive with some 鈥渞esistance to learning and school.鈥� At the start of the year, as soon as something felt challenging, many would shut down or push back on tasks, or start to talk to themselves disparagingly. Many also struggle with impulse control, but the games鈥� design has helped them 鈥渟low down鈥� and 鈥渟trategize.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 really rare and challenging for us to find websites that meet students where they鈥檙e at with their language skills,鈥� Bonti said. Removing language from the tasks and letting them dive in has 鈥渘eutralized鈥� the playing field for his students, who come to class with a range of reading abilities. 

Since introducing Struggly in December, he鈥檚 finding students are more eager to persevere in math tasks and ask each other questions like 鈥渨hat if we tried this?鈥� It鈥檚 also helped their teachers distinguish between their conceptual misunderstandings of math versus difficulties with language. 

Across the country in California鈥檚 central valley, one rural educator has been finding similar impacts. 

At Semitropic, a small school of predominantly Latino, multilingual students living in poverty, 3rd grade teacher Jennifer Fields was looking for platforms that would encourage and engage 鈥� they felt burnt out by Prodigy, but she needed something standards based. 

The first day she introduced it, one student went home and played on their own for three hours. It鈥檚 become so desired she can use it as a motivation for them to finish their other in-class work. 

Conceptually, it鈥檚 helped them grasp onto geometry concepts like manipulation and transformation easier than in traditional workbooks. They鈥檙e learning how to better communicate math concepts verbally, something she worried about seeing the difference in this group of children who had the equivalent of Zoom kindergarten. 

鈥淭hat in itself has been my biggest success for the year is the fact that now they will work in cooperative groups with each other 鈥� they’re being more verbal and realizing it’s OK to talk about, 鈥榦h man, I didn’t get it.鈥� They go find that person and they immediately go to try to help them out instead of just having them just sit there, freak out, suffer and get mad,鈥� she said.  

And because the platform is so visually and sonically engaging, teachers are finding it鈥檚 helping students learn independence and staying on-task. That has enabled Shelly Anderson, a 4th grade teacher in Salt Lake City, to be able to conduct small groups with students who need more specialized support; the others are able to work on Struggly independently, helping each other, as she provides more individualized attention. 

One student, who had a tendency to swear and give up, sometimes leaving the classroom, is now self-regulating his anger and frustration better. He no longer says he 鈥渃an鈥檛 do this鈥� or that 鈥淚鈥檓 dumb at math,鈥� even during usual instruction.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just refreshing to have something for the kids to do where they can untether from the teacher more,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淭hey can start to get some of their own confidence and build their identity as math learners rather than just thinking, 鈥榳ell, either I have a math brain or I don’t.鈥� Everybody has the ability to seek out patterns, look at problems and look at logic.鈥�

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation sponsored SXSW EDU’s Launch Startup competition and provides support to 麻豆精品. 

But when she saw that her K-8 school district in rural Appalachia was quietly becoming a refuge for families from Mexico, Central America and Asia, she shifted gears and became an English as a second language teacher, pushing to smooth her students鈥� 鈥� and their families鈥� 鈥� transition to life in the U.S.

Her students鈥� English acquisition is key because many become their family鈥檚 translators, not just in school but elsewhere. 鈥淪o their exposure to the language and their learning the language actually opens up doors and possibilities for their families,鈥� she said in an interview.

Testerman on Wednesday was named the by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

As Teacher of the Year, she鈥檒l spend a year traveling the U.S. as an ambassador to the teaching profession, telling The74 that she鈥檒l urge other teachers to become advocates for their students 鈥� and for their fellow educators.

Testerman was selected from a field of three other finalists for the award: Alaska鈥檚 Catherine Walker, a high school science and career and technical education teacher; Georgia鈥檚 Christy Todd, a middle school music technology teacher; and New Jersey鈥檚 Joe Nappi, a high school history teacher who writes a blog on teaching about the Holocaust.鈥�  

All of the finalists, as well as the other state-level teachers of the year, on Wednesday learned from First Lady Jill Biden that when they visit the White House later this year, as is customary, they’ll also be the guests of honor at a , the first time that diplomatic nicety will be reserved for a group of educators, the Associated Press reported. Typically state dinners are used to woo foreign heads of state. 

Testerman, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education and a Master of Arts in reading education from East Tennessee State University, teaches in , a K-8 school in a small farming town of about 4,500, located 250 miles east of Nashville. And she serves as the Rogersville district’s ESL specialist and ESL program director. She also coordinates the system鈥檚 summer programs and is a mentor teacher and member of the teacher leadership team.

She鈥檚 not the first ESL teacher to capture the top-teacher honor 鈥� in 2004, it went to Rhode Island鈥檚 , who designed the ESL program for the North Kingstown, R.I., school district. And in 2018, the recipient was , a Washington state ELA teacher who worked at a 鈥渘ewcomer school鈥� for new immigrants. Other recipients have also worked with English language learners, even if the designation wasn鈥檛 in their formal title.

Here are five things to know about Testerman:

1. She has taught her entire career in a single school in rural east Tennessee.

The 53-year-old Testerman is a lifelong teacher, having put in 33 years in the classroom, all of it Rogersville. 

鈥淚t’s a beautiful place,鈥� she said in an interview. 鈥淚t looks like it’s a Hallmark postcard.鈥�

She admits that her long career is 鈥渒ind of unusual 鈥� teachers, as you know, tend to leave the field as soon as they’re able to do so. But I still find a lot of joy in teaching, and I feel like I’m as energized to keep teaching as I was years ago.鈥�

2. Before working in ESL, she had a long career as a classroom teacher. 

Testerman spent most of her career, about 30 years, working as a first- and second-grade teacher before enrolling in Tennessee鈥檚 program and adding an English as a second language (ESL) endorsement to her resume. She has said she wanted to ensure that immigrant students and families in Rogersville had an advocate. 

鈥淚 try to make sure that my children and their families are assimilated here, that they鈥檙e participating in sports and everything, because if they assimilate, people will accept them more easily,鈥� Testerman told when she was named a finalist.

3. While Rogersville is isolated and rural, her students are from all over the world.

Testerman has a full-time case load of 21 students, a mix of Spanish, Arabic and Chinese speakers, as well as a few who speak Gujarati, a language from the western Indian state of Gujarat. It accounts for a of Indian immigrants to the U.S. 

鈥淚t’s a pretty interesting breakup of situations and languages,鈥� she said. 

Her students are divided between first-generation Americans born here to immigrant parents, and newcomers 鈥� many of whom have arrived in the U.S. 鈥渨ithin the past year or so,鈥� she said.

Testerman said her students occasionally face 鈥渟ome unpleasant situations鈥� around discrimination in the mostly white community of Rogersville, 鈥渂ut that’s basically the rarity. My school has embraced them, has embraced their families. I think that I have the luxury of being in the role to kind of be the ambassador, to make that happen.鈥�

She said most people in the area also embrace the newcomer families once they get to know them 鈥渂ecause they see that they’re just like every other family. They love their students. They want them to do well and achieve so that they can create a good future for themselves.鈥�

In her application for the award, Testerman wrote, 鈥淪imple gestures such as sitting with my students鈥� families at high school graduation or a school play goes a long way in helping them find acceptance in our rural area, since I have belonged to this community for decades and others trust my lead.鈥�

Former student Nadeen Aglan told AP that Testerman goes out of her way to develop close ties with the families of her students. 鈥淗er kindness shows. Her compassion is really deep.鈥�

4. She wants teachers to realize their own power 鈥� and fight for change.

Testerman said she is looking forward to advocating for teachers over the next year.

鈥淭here are 3.5 million dedicated teachers all over this country who invest time, energy and love into helping our students create the best possible future for themselves,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I want to empower teachers by getting them to understand that they are their best advocates and their students’ best advocates. Teachers are the experts.鈥�

Testerman said many times teachers must abide by policies that are 鈥渘ot made by people who spend a lot of time in classrooms. 鈥淚t’s time for teachers to let their voices be heard.鈥�

She wants teachers to advocate for students not just in their school building but, if needed, in their state legislature 鈥渨hen there is either an implemented policy or a suggested policy that you know is just not what’s best for kids.鈥�  

5. She plans to return to the classroom after her year away.

National Teacher of the Year winners often leverage the honor to pursue big dreams outside of the classroom, including and . , the 2016 honoree, is now a member of Congress representing Connecticut. 

Testerman on Wednesday said her plan after her year away from the classroom is to return. 鈥淚 still find so much joy in teaching,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can’t honestly imagine my life without being a teacher.鈥� That may change, she said, but at the moment she plans to return to the classroom.

Watching a child acquire another language is 鈥渁n amazing, magical transformation,鈥� Testerman . 鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of excitement in a learner when they realize they are able to understand the language they are hearing around them.鈥� 

Picture this: kindergarten students are excitedly discussing the life cycle of a tree. In a whole-class discussion, paired 鈥渢urn and talk鈥� chats with a partner, and responses to sentence stems, they describe bare limbs, falling leaves, and a tree鈥檚 dormant winter season. They compare evergreens and deciduous trees, using vocabulary that reappears in related texts. In this joyful learning community, students at all reading levels practice grade-level oral and literacy skills, grow vocabulary, and gain access to a common base of information.

This is what reading lessons look like today in the Roswell Independent School District, where I oversee elementary education. It鈥檚 a major difference from the not-so-distant past.

In Roswell, more than 75% of students are Hispanic and about one-third are English language learners. More than one-third are from low-income households. For many of our students, kindergarten is their first classroom experience. They haven鈥檛 yet mastered the oral-language skills needed for learning, like answering and asking questions in complete sentences, turn-taking, and following directions. Because these skills form the foundation for academic learning, building oral language and vocabulary are urgent priorities.

Five years ago, teachers would group students and assign texts by skill level and rotate between groups to offer targeted supports. While this approach was familiar to many of our educators, we also recognized that it wasn鈥檛 accelerating learning for the students who needed it most. Learning is a social activity, and students thrive when they can participate fully with their classmates. By keeping students separated, we were perpetuating differences in their levels of preparedness for school.

Today, our teachers are using a new, knowledge-based high-quality reading curriculum and students of all language levels work together with texts on a common topic. Students鈥� interaction with these texts can vary 鈥� some read independently, some in pairs, some in small groups, and some listen as the text is read to them. But they are working with the same vocabulary and building the same knowledge. In these classrooms, it鈥檚 hard to spot students who are working to catch up with their peers, because the entire class is working together on the same grade-level content. 

This transition didn鈥檛 happen overnight. There were three major moves that have helped us to adopt and implement a high-quality, knowledge-based reading curriculum.

Go Grassroots鈥擝ut Be Ready to Leverage Leadership

Before we entertained switching curriculum, we invested in building knowledge and expertise about the science of reading in our district. Along with two-dozen colleagues, I participated in the LETRS professional learning program to learn about structured literacy. Some of those educators had been working to nudge our instruction toward evidence-based practices, but there was little momentum to do so across the board.

When our leadership changed and New Mexico passed a new literacy law, there was an opportunity to reassess current practices. Because we had already built a deep understanding of the science of reading, we were able to make the case for a new curriculum and include a variety of perspectives in choosing the right program for our students. 

Administrators, reading coaches, and teachers worked together to ensure the curriculum we chose, Amplify CKLA, is truly aligned to the science of reading. Better yet, we could base on decision on our earlier studies, not a sticker or marketing slogan.

Begin With the Believers and Share Their Success

Changing teacher practices is hard. But changing teacher beliefs is even harder. Teachers are motivated by seeing evidence of success from trusted colleagues. And so we rolled out the new curriculum in three waves, not all at once, and were intentional in deciding which educators went first. We also established internal communications channels to share their success stories across the district.

Our first group included principals who were fully on board with the switch and teachers who were part of that grassroots science of reading movement. They were excited to shift instruction and share their experiences with colleagues. The second group included educators who were hesitant and looking for someone else to take the first step. The last group included teachers who were not eager to move away from traditional instruction.

We capitalized on the energy and expertise in our first group of curriculum switchers by sharing their experiences with educators in the second and third waves of the rollout. Our internal communications director filmed teacher testimonials, which were posted on our website. I shared these videos with our elementary principals, and they also were featured in grade-level professional learning communities.

Respond to Teacher Concerns

A knowledge-based curriculum is necessarily topic-driven. Some teachers were concerned that parents could object to certain topics. For example, a second-grade unit about early civilizations includes information about archeology and world religions. Teachers flagged that reading about various religious could be a potential point of contention for families.

We reviewed our policies and reassured teachers that they would be fully supported and had established procedures to follow if a question was raised. Teachers could share the curriculum with parents and, if a family objected, did not have to resolve the issue on their own. An administrator could help provide an alternative. We reassured them that their job is to teach the curriculum as it is written. If there鈥檚 a question or concern, a principal or administrator like me is ready to handle it. And we haven鈥檛 experienced this sort of issue to date.

All students deserve to have access to grade-level rigor, vocabulary, and content. But not every child gets to experience holiday travel, weekend museum trips, or other opportunities to build their knowledge about the world. High-quality, knowledge-based curriculum empowers students with new tools to communicate and shared knowledge to speak and write about. If we don鈥檛 provide this opportunity to all students, we are essentially shutting the door on those least prepared to thrive in school. 

Karla Stinehart is the director for elementary education at New Mexico鈥檚 Roswell Independent School District and a member of the . 

Some of these children also struggled with a language barrier 鈥� as did their parents 鈥� making the switch to remote learning even tougher, according to UnidosUS, the nation鈥檚 largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, which released the study July 11 at its conference in San Antonio. 

鈥淭his report comes at a pivotal time as our schools and communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacted Latino students and their families,鈥� UnidosUS president and CEO Janet Murgu铆a says in the foreword. 鈥淲e cannot allow hard won educational gains to be reversed, yet we also know that the pre-pandemic status quo was not working as well as it should.鈥澛�

Latinos make up a formidable percentage of the K-12 population, growing from 9% in 1984 to 28% today. Some 94% of those under 18 are U.S.-born citizens and nearly three quarters are of Mexican descent. Despite stringent and sometimes hostile U.S. immigration policies, their numbers are increasing: Latinos are expected to hit 30% of the K-12 population by 2030. 

First Lady Jill Biden, who spoke at the conference Monday, said the White House stands in support of the Latino community. She touched upon the gun safety laws brought about by the tragic shootings in nearby Uvalde, the diversity of the Latino population as a whole and the goals that unite this group. 

鈥淵es, the Latino community is unique,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut what I鈥檝e heard from you again and again is that you want what all families want. Good schools. Good jobs. Safe neighborhoods. You want justice and equality鈥攖he opportunity to build a better life for your families. It鈥檚 not only what all families want; it鈥檚 what all families deserve.鈥�

Latino students have made substantial gains in recent decades on the education front, UnidosUS notes. Their on-time high school graduation rate increased from 71% in the 2010-11 school year to nearly 82% in 2018-19, an all-time high. Likewise, the number of Hispanic students enrolled in postsecondary programs jumped from 782,400 in 1990 to nearly 3.8 million in 2019, a 384% increase.

But both of these figures took a hit in recent years: The on-time Latino high school graduation rate dropped by .7% from 2020 to 2021, according to a data analysis from 25 states representing 57% of the student population. Even more troubling, Latino freshman enrollment in college shrunk by 7.8% in spring 2021 compared to the year before, marking the first such decline in a decade: The figure rebounded by 4% by the spring 2022 semester, UnidosUS found, but it remained below pre-pandemic levels. 

The trend is in keeping with that of the overall college population, which is down by more than 1.4 million undergraduates.

Not all academic indicators are available and many poor students were not tested during the height of COVID, but at least one critical test shows a lag: Latino students in 3rd through 8th grade saw greater declines than their non-Latino white peers on NWEA鈥檚 Measures of Academic Progress, an interim assessment administered in schools across the country.

But, UnidosUS writes in its report, the loss needs to be put in context. Latino students were more likely to attend high-poverty schools that participated in remote instruction for a longer period of time, often yielding a greater rate of learning loss for students, the organization found.

UnidosUS recommends improved data collection and analysis meant to identify academic weaknesses and improve results. It implores districts to honor student鈥檚 rights to their education 鈥� some schools have been sued for failing to enroll immigrant students whom they feel will not graduate on time 鈥� and include the voices of students and their families in shaping education policies and services. 

It also calls for a major increase in funding, a 鈥渂old and historical investment in Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,鈥� the federal formula grant program intended to support English learners by increasing funding from $831 million to $2 billion. 

鈥淪ince 2001, the population of English learners has increased by 35%,鈥� the report notes. 鈥淗owever, Title III funding has not kept pace. When adjusted for inflation, funding has decreased by 24% since 2002.鈥�

The group found Latino students are more likely than their peers to attend a low-rated school and to have a novice teacher. These children also have limited exposure to educators who look like them 鈥� just 9% of teachers are Latino 鈥� which is an important factor in student success. 

And language access remains a challenge: More than three quarters of the nation鈥檚 5.1 million English language learners are Latino and a similar percentage speak Spanish at home.

Research shows students learning English typically make academic gains at rates similar to or higher than their peers, the study notes, but experience greater learning loss in the summer months when they are not in the classroom. The pandemic, which sent the nation鈥檚 entire school population home for months at a time, worsened this slide for Latino children, who were disconnected from their teachers and the technology their schools offered. Just two years prior to the pandemic, data shows nearly a third of Latino households lacked high-speed broadband internet and 17% did not have a computer in the home.

Despite many schools鈥� efforts to place a device in the hands of every child, Latinos remain at a disadvantage. Two years into the pandemic, 1 in 3 often or sometimes faced one of the following problems: They had to complete their homework on a cell phone, were unable to turn in their assignments because they lacked computer or internet access, or were forced to use public Wi-Fi to complete at-home work, UnidosUS reported.

And their lack of connectivity wasn鈥檛 the only problem, the group found: 50% of Latino parents reported having difficulty helping their kids with unfamiliar coursework and 58% had problems communicating with teachers, possibly because of a language barrier and schools鈥� failure to employ translators.  

Today Sayavong is the principal of Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language (MACL), a Milwaukee Public School (MPS) just a half mile west of Marquette University. MACL is also home to the International Newcomer Center (INC), often the first stop for refugee children who arrive in Milwaukee. His school is preparing for the first wave of Afghan children who will soon be coming to town from Fort McCoy. 

Thousands of Afghans who were airlifted to the United States are now housed at the military base in west central Wisconsin. MPS officials say that federal officials have told them that approximately 500 of them will ultimately make Wisconsin their home, but the last count given was 399. We do not know exactly how many school-aged children will be in that settlement group. 

MPS officials believe that the majority of those Afghans settling in Wisconsin will find their way to the state鈥檚 major cities for several reasons. 

First, larger cities like Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay have the necessary infrastructure to help refugee children transition socially and educationally. City school systems have gone through this process before, most recently with children coming from Somalia and the Rohingya from Myanmar (Burma). 

Second, refugees from the same countries tend to cluster together. Along the interstate highway between Minneapolis and Milwaukee, in every large community there are Hmong families. 

Finally, many Afghans here are from larger urban centers. The capital city, Kabul, has a population of over 4.5 million, so larger cities might feel more like home. 

MPS is preparing for an unknown number of children to arrive. 

Retired Green Bay school board member Mike Blecha recalls the language challenges faced by Somali parents and students when they first entered his school district. No one in the district spoke Somali; no Somali parents spoke English. Finally, the school system found one Somali high school student who spoke French鈥攁 language widely spoken in Somalia, where France was a colonial power. That student became the translator.

Kourosh Hassani is the ESL Teacher Leader for MPS and speaks Persian Farsi. About 78% of Afghans speak Dari Farsi, so Hassani and others who came from Iran should be able to speak to Afghans in their native language. In addition, many of the Afghans coming here worked as translators to U.S. military and government officials and are fluent in English. While Somalians and Rohingya came to the U.S. not knowing anyone, many Afghans have contacts with U.S. soldiers they worked with, often fought with, side by side.

Erin Sivek is an English and English as a second language (ESL) teacher at the INC. For three years, she was an ESL teacher at South Division High School, first teaching mostly Spanish-speaking students. But soon her program was overwhelmed with students coming from other countries in Africa and Asia. She was asked to come to the INC by MPS officials because she seemed to have the ability to bridge gaps with students coming from these foreign lands.

She says she wasn鈥檛 sure that she could make the transition from high school to middle school, but now believes it was the right move looking back at the ten years she has been with INC.

MACL is a K-8 school, and refugee K-3 students are mainstreamed into regular classes with additional support from ESL teachers, a psychologist and social worker. The thought here is that, even if refugee children have received little or no formal education before coming to Milwaukee, the younger students are still only a couple of grade levels behind. They can catch up.

But for middle school students, the educational gap may be significant. Sayavong says that they have had students who didn鈥檛 know how to hold a pencil.

Sivek says there is a lot to learn even for students who can read and write in another language. Afghan written language is similar to Arabic script, moving from right to left and using a different alphabet.

Some students at INC come from countries with few computers and not much internet access. The entire MPS system is web-based, and students have to learn how to navigate on Chromebooks to accomplish their educational tasks.

Some students come from educational systems heavily dependent upon memorization and rote learning. Sivek says these students sometimes struggle to make the transition to instruction that centers critical thinking. Not all of these differences apply to students coming from other countries. Students from Zambia and Malawi, for example, have been educated much like students in the U.S.

There are also cultural and religious gaps to navigate.

During recess, a student asked Sivek why she didn鈥檛 wear a hijab because 鈥淵ou鈥檙e Muslim.鈥�

She answered that she is not Muslim. 

鈥淲hat鈥檚 your religion?鈥� 

鈥淚鈥檓 Christian.鈥� 

Other girls responded 鈥淏ut we hate you, no wait, no we don鈥檛.鈥� The girls had to rethink their attitude.

Several years ago, she remembers talking to a male middle-school student: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to listen to you,鈥� he told her. 鈥淢en are in charge.鈥� 

Her response was, 鈥淟et鈥檚 talk about this, if we can.鈥�

Although Afghan children are coming from an ethnically segregated country, most of those coming to America have been exposed to a Western lifestyle, attending classes with both genders and seeing women holding positions of authority at all levels of business and government. Girls and women may wear head coverings but not the burqas that cover women鈥檚 bodies from head to toes.

Says Hassani, 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to be under the burqa.鈥�

Some of Sivek鈥檚 fondest memories are of the students who return to visit her. 鈥淓ven those who were with behavioral issues or who did not feel this was the place for them, we have students come back every year, whether they are visiting from high school or college; they often come back together: ethnic, religious, cultural groups鈥� that is one of the greatest things.鈥�

Many students have traumatic memories of the difficult experiences they had when they were fleeing their home countries, and of living in refugee camps. 

Sayavong remembers that Rohingya refugees could not come to the United States right away because of COVID. In one family, the mother was diagnosed with cancer while the family was in a refugee camp in Malaysia. She died two weeks after her family arrived in Milwaukee. The young father, who had a four-year-old and a second grader, was trying to make a new life in a foreign country without a mother. The four-year-old cried every day in school. It took some time before he could function normally.

For students who experience trauma, the reaction may be one of resignation, says Sivek. She remembers one student who would write about missing home. For a while he stopped participating. Then he stopped coming to school altogether. It took some time to get him back on track. But he is now in college.

The emotional toll on the Afghan children who are arriving in Wisconsin now is still unknown. The experience of being uprooted and whisked thousands of miles away to an unknown land is sure to have an emotional impact.

This year INC will have a dedicated psychologist, a social worker and a parent coordinator who once was a student at INC after fleeing her home country in Africa.

Because many of the Afghans coming to the United States speak English, and some may have college credits or advanced degrees, MPS is looking at the possibility of hiring Afghans as classroom paraprofessionals, and ultimately transitioning them into ESL or classroom teachers. 

Many MACL middle school students go on to high school at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, just a half mile away. MHSA music teachers come to MACL for instrumental music. 鈥淪tudents might not be able to speak English yet but they can play the music,鈥� says Sayavong. Their participation in the instrumental program becomes their audition for MHSA. In turn, the high school has added additional ESL teachers for their support.

But high school students who come directly to MPS without going through the INC program should have a full transition program as they have at MACL, says Sivek. Today, many high school refugee students are at South Division with extensive ESL support, but Sivek believes it is not enough. A more developed transition program was on the drawing boards several years ago but was never implemented. She hopes that the superintendent and the board take another look at creating a high school welcome center.

Sivek reflects on these experiences: 鈥淲e are so fortunate that we do have students from all these different religions and language groups and countries. 鈥� And once they are integrated into the program, learning together, they see all these things they have in common.鈥�

Concludes Sivek, 鈥淲e are really going to have a great year.鈥�

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More than 56 percent of respondents said these students鈥� formal education was significantly disrupted, but they were not the only children to have suffered: Most did not believe they were disproportionately affected as compared to their English-speaking peers, despite evidence to the .

The answers were gleaned from a survey conducted in October by Off2Class, a company that provides curriculum, assessments and professional development tools to ESL teachers. The seven-year-old for-profit is headquartered in Canada but serves more than 90,000 students in 120 countries.

Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents were teachers: The others were tutors. Roughly half live in the United States though many are Americans living and working in other countries. 

Several of the questions were answered on a sliding scale though teachers were able to write their responses to open-ended queries. The results reveal their concerns about the long-term consequences of lower expectations for English language learners 鈥� and about their backsliding, especially in the area of grammar.

Some respondents were concerned about students鈥� mental health and the return of behavioral problems usually seen in elementary school 鈥� getting out of their seat at inappropriate times and name-calling 鈥� while others wondered whether students鈥� enthusiasm for school would return.

鈥淢ost of them just logged in on Zoom, left the computer and pretended not to care,鈥� one educator wrote. 鈥淢y main concern is that it has made them less interested in studying/engaging in future classes.鈥�

Still others focused on the difficulty of learning a new language without close interaction with school staff.

鈥淚 think ESL learning is extremely difficult over the internet when it comes to pronunciation,鈥� another educator said. 鈥淪tudents benefit from being able to mimic mouth movement and that can get lost on video chat.鈥�

More than 44 percent of survey-takers said their schools supplied them with sufficient technology to weather the shutdowns. But more than a quarter disagreed.

It鈥檚 not surprising, then, that more than 62 percent of respondents paid out of pocket for some of the tools they needed to serve their students during the pandemic: They spent hundreds 鈥� or, in some cases, even thousands of dollars 鈥� on additional materials, including books, computers, routers, printers, webcams, headsets and memberships to online educational resources.

But no matter what they purchased, problems persisted. Motivation was a significant hurdle for students learning at home. Not only did they face a massive disruption in their lives because of school closures, but they also wrestled with a faltering economy and in many cases, lost wages for themselves or their families.

Educators said they, too, felt the strain: While many respondents reported an even greater passion for their work 鈥� one said the pandemic, 鈥渉as only increased my desire to improve myself so I can be of further use to my students鈥� 鈥� some were clearly overburdened.

Not all teachers received the help they needed from their schools. While more than 48 percent said they were supported by their employers during the crisis, nearly 20 percent strongly disagreed with the statement. More than 58 percent of respondents said their stress levels rose sharply during the crisis.

鈥淭he way we are treated, the amount of work versus pay, the disrespect and disregard of teacher鈥檚 mental health,鈥� one teacher began, 鈥淚 feel like quitting for good every single day.鈥�

Despite the burnout, there were bright spots: Nearly half the respondents 鈥� 46 percent 鈥� said their confidence in online teaching skyrocketed during the pandemic. Kris Jagasia, CEO and co-founder of Off2Class, was glad to see teachers build their skills in this area.

鈥淟ooking forward, now that ed tech is here to stay, it’s really important that technology be considered very purposefully to make sure the right investments are being made for ELLs,鈥� he said. 

Some respondents were reached through a Facebook group founded by Off2Class while others were contacted by email through the company鈥檚 customer database. Most use its software and were incentivized to participate through T-shirt giveaways and/or a $25 credit toward the purchase of the company鈥檚 goods.

麻豆精品 contributed several questions to the survey, including those on student retention.

The results, collected between Oct. 22-29, were telling: While some educators might have wished for English language learners to have repeated a grade, only 22 percent recommended this for their own students.

Tim Boals is the founder and director of , an organization that provides language development standards, assessments, and resources to those who support multilingual learners. Based out of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, WIDA has 41 member states and territories which use their language standards and follow their guidelines for teaching these children. 

Boals is well aware of the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on traditionally underserved populations, including multilingual learners, but does not believe retention is the answer: He said schools should remember language acquisition takes time.

The real problem, he said, is some educators鈥� lack of faith in these children: If teachers label them unsuccessful, the children themselves will believe they are destined to fail.

鈥淚f we see kids as 鈥榖ehind their peers,鈥� the danger is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that denies them the future opportunities they need,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are plenty of anecdotal examples of people going through most of their school careers at the bottom and then something happens that shows them their potential greatness and they turn it around.鈥�

Success depends on a schoolwide buy-in, with every adult on campus working to create a welcoming and engaging environment for newcomer children and committing themselves to helping them learn English while they master content subjects. All this, Boals said, while respecting and building upon their students鈥� own languages and cultures.

鈥淚t’s a big job, but there are plenty of examples of schools that are succeeding,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to share those examples and ensure that educators have the resources and understanding to create and sustain those learning spaces for multilingual learners.鈥�