SOMETIMES education is simply a
matter of doing the sensible thing.
Some especially good sense has broken out in three elementary schools in the Springdale School District, with some financial assistance from interested outsiders. The program now under way in the Elmdale, Robert E. Lee and Jones elementary schools is an innovative approach to the problems of kids who are considered “English-language learners.” Which means those who aren’t fluent enough in English to hold up their end of a conversation, let alone understand what their teachers and their schoolbooks (written in English ) are trying to teach them. Here’s what makes the program different. It’s not just aimed at the kids. It also involves their parents—directly. The parents sit in on classes with their kids and attend their own night school classes in English.
The program was set up in these three schools for a reason. As many as 69 percent of the kids in the schools struggle with English. And, 71 percent to 94 percent of the kids are from low-income families. Put poverty and language limitations together and they’re an obvious challenge for teachers to do their jobs.
Enter the Toyota USA Foundation. It’s providing the three-year, $ 600, 000 grant to the district to pay for the kid-parent program in the schools. The grants are highly competitive. Springdale is one of only five districts in the country to receive one this year. There were 191 applications.
The growth in the economy and population in Northwest Arkansas over the last 10-15 years brought a lot of workers to this corner of the state. Some of those workers weren’t fluent in English. And when their kids started school, they were at a disadvantage because they often heard another language spoken at home.
It’s especially tough when the parents don’t understand English any better than—or even as well as—the kids. The oh-so-sensible approach is to help them all. The hope is that—as they come to grips with the extraordinarily difficult English language—each helps the other get better at it.
The results from other school districts with the Toyota program prove that the program has been successful: Fifty-four percent of adults raised their literacy scores significantly. Almost all parents report being better able to help their kids with their homework. Kids have shown substantial improvement in their grades, and in motivation, attendance, behavior and classroom participation.
Parental involvement is one of the best indicators of a kid’s success in school. The more this program involves parents, the better the chances for the kids. Toyota USA, the school district, the schools concerned, the parents, and the kids, too—all deserve thanks for doing something important to make a difficult learning process a little easier.
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