Children’s Education Bill of Rights (Cookson 2011 ) We assert that every American child and young person has the right

1. Children’s Education Bill of Rights (Cookson 2011) We assert that every American child and young person has the right to 1. Aneighborhood public school or a public school of choice that is funded for excellence 2. Physical and emotional health and safety 3. Have his or her heritage, background, and religious differences honored, incorporated in study, and celebrated in the culture of the school 4. Develop individual learning styles and strategies to the greatest extent possible 5. An excellent and dedicated teacher 6. Aschool leader with vision and educational expertise 7. A curriculum based on relevance, depth, and flexibility 8. Access to the most powerful educational technologies 9. Fair, relevant, and learner-based evaluations 10. Complete high school “There are bilinguals whom we admire and praise as individuals. They are scholars, diplomats, celebrities, businesspersons, and members of the jet set. There are other bilinguals whom we disparage, pity, or despise. They are members of ethnic groups: Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, French Canadians, Vietnamese, Laotians, ad infinitum…Although we hold the one in awe and the other in disdain, the persons referred to may be equally skillful bilinguals. Still, we feel no sense of contradiction…individual bilingualism is “good” and group bilingualism is “bad”.” -Rolf Kjolseth, sociolinguist

2. Serving Immigrants in a Small Town: A case study of Faribault, MN Isabelle King Multilingualism and Multiculturalism St. Olaf College April 23, 2012

3. Introduction • Synthesis and application of major • Unique opportunity to examine an under-studied population • Outsider • Usefulness for the community?

4. Faribault • Population 23,000 (US Census) • 2.7% Black (Somali) • 8.9% Hispanic • “Blue collar” town • Jennie-O Turkey Store, manufacturing, South Central College • History of special populations • Struggle to provide for immigrants’ needs • Welcome Center • Diversity task force

5. Public Opinion(From Faribault Daily News) • Positive • “Are we not richer in culture today because of the blend of contributions from each group that has arrived here in the past?” • Negative • “this group of people would fit into our community a little bit better if they would accept our way of living, instead of dressing differently.” • “no one trys to become americanized” (sic) • immigrants as a “completely incompatible” ingredient that “spoils the salad” of the Faribault community • Frustration • “no question of need” for a “bridge between cultures” that is currently lacking in the community

6. Semester 1: Adult ESL • PSCI 350: Immigration and Citizenship (Prof. Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak) • ACE class and project • Exploration of adult ESL classes • Community Education (ABE) • Volunteers • Do ESL classes help immigrants to become active (participatory) citizens?

7. From the research literature • Immigrants can become active citizens best when • They are able to participate actively in their communities in a meaningful way • Their culture is respected and understood in the community • Their native language is honored and respected while they learn English

8. Methods • Class observations • Interviews • Examination of teaching materials • Difficulty of collecting data • Complications of real-life research

9. Results State-Funded Volunteer-Based Somali Community Services Challenges Zero resources Mary Ho Innovative Zero resources Rosetta Stone • ABE ESL • Serving majority of immigrants • Waitlists, questions about funding • Teachers well trained • Research-based program • Literacy-based, English-only

10. Conclusions? • Some need for training in language acquisition • Need for conversation skills • Consider literacy • Listen to immigrants • Collaborate (library, schools, colleges)

11. Semester 2: The kiddos • Are immigrant children’s needs being met? How can services be improved? • Holistic perspective • K-12 ESL • Early childhood education • Library • Programs for the whole family • Cross-agency exploration

12. From the research literature • Dual needs: English and content knowledge • Need to develop academic discourse • Immigrant children must have • Meaningful immersion in academic discourse • High-quality early childhood education programs • Schools well-equipped to deal with their needs • Access to “multiliteracies” • Native language supported as they learn English • Parents able to support their children’s schoolwork and language acquisition

13. Method and Scope • 2 parts • Outline available resources, programs, services • Interviews with leadership of school district and library • Limited to schools and libraries • Doesn’t include nonprofits, churches, etc • Why? • Very preliminary research

14. Results: Need for improvement • Achievement gap • 11th grade MCA proficiency • 71% of White students • 11% of Black students • 24% of Hispanic students • 10% of LEP students educated in Minnesota 6+ yearsproficient in English • “…we need to do a better job” (Sesker)

15. Results: Programs and services • ESL • Being changed • Smarter use of resources, benefit all children • Difficulty of illiteracy • Liaisons • Excellent • Sole link between Somalis and school • Early childhood education • Excellent • ECFE programs in English, Spanish • Library • Story hour (English only) • ESL, GED resources • Access to books and technology • Some training (GUH) • “Equal opportunity education center” • Other programs • GUH • Adult ESL • 21st Century Grant

16. Results: Common themes • Somali illiteracy • Liaisons as crux • Need for “systematic and sustainable” solutions • Funding • Programs • Leadership and staff • Curriculum • How to get immigrants to participate? • Need for innovative marketing • Question of what roles/responsibilities • “Is that the job of the school to do all that stuff? Does school become a social services extension?” (Palmer) • “We consider ourselves more of a community center” (James)

17. Conclusions and recommendations • Making efforts to improve • Changes to ESL • ESL taskforce, district visions • Solutions that benefit all students • Feeling overwhelmed • Somali needs overshadowing Hispanic needs • “Hispanics assimilated” • Collaboration necessary • Schools, library, non-profits, colleges, Adult ESL, businesses

18. Conclusions and recommendations • Low-cost and no-cost suggestions • Programs that could be changed • Storytime • Adult ESL • PTOs • School curriculum • Programs that could be added • Homework help • High school/college apprenticeship programs

19. Conclusions and recommendations • High-cost suggestions • Newcomer Academy • Improve transition, especially for Somali adolescents • Obstacles • Bilingual program • Need for educated bilingual speakers • Better outcomes for ELLs • Benefit for English speakers • Mutual understanding • Obstacles

20. Conclusions and recommendations • Barriers and obstacles • Money • High-quality staff • Long-term commitment/sustainability • Lack of volunteers • Much has been done; much more can be done • Need for more research • Esp. immigrant voices

21. Comments? Questions? • Research literature • Method • Results • Ideas • Missing areas • Confusions