ESL AWARENESS WEEK
April 25-May 1, 2005
ORTESOL
has asked Governor Kulongoski to proclaim the week of April 25 to
May 1, 2004 "ESL Awareness Week" in
the State of Oregon. We, as educators, have the opportunity to plan
activities and sponsor events, which promote awareness and understanding
of our ESL and bilingual students and of our profession.
Click
here to view the official proclamation certificate from Governor
Kulongoski
Promoting ESL Awareness
The ORTESOL Board offers the following suggestions for you to promote
ESL awareness:
- Write articles for the school newsletter and/or staff newsletter
demystifying SLA (Second Language Acquisition) and ESL teaching.
Challenge the following assumptions:
- that ESL teachers need to know their students' native languages;
- that the more languages an ESL teacher knows the better the
ESL teacher he/she is;
- that anyone who speaks English can teach English effectively;
- that
learning English won't take very long with the "right" ESL
teacher;
- that ESL students with accents aren't always beginning students
as their accents may disguise their advanced level fluency;
- that ESL teachers do more than teach body parts and have
international potlucks.
- Encourage ESL students to provide information about their experiences
and situations to non-ESL students via posters, panels, classroom
visits.
- Market maps and t-shirts with world flags for educational fund-raisers.
- Contact news providers such as newspapers, TV, and radio.
- Organize brown bag lunches where ESL students are paired with non-ESL
students for short programs each with a specific cultural focus.
- Present at neighborhood association and community meetings.
- Share demographics of the current ESL school population with institutional
faculty, staff, and administration.
- Notify school/student newspapers to interview ESL students and
report on what is done in the ESL department. Encourage the inclusion
of photos.
- Use different media (including web publishing) to publish student
work.
- Organize a culture day with food and entertainment. Invite public
officials to culture day and have them visit classrooms in progress.
- Organize a scrapbook for display of student photographs showing
a history of their progress with past and present pictures.
- Invite K-12 students to create and display artwork that focuses
on their countries of origin.
- Have a social hour with refreshments for invited colleagues and
key people at your institution.
- E-mail messages to colleagues that increase their awareness about
ESL students and teachers.
- Share ESL success stories (e.g. famous Americans who immigrated
to the US, learned English, and became active members of society).
- Share personal testimonies from ESL students regarding their struggles
to learn English.
- Provide information in a daily bulletin and in newspapers.
- Have international students staff an information table in high
traffic areas in the school and on the campus.
- Have ESL students survey non-ESL students, faculty/teachers, and
staff about their knowledge of ESL students in the program.
- Share
cultural "goodies" such
as international food, dress, and entertainment.
- Create a display case and/or bulletin board available temporarily
or permanently to share cultural information, ESL student writings,
and other important offerings.
- Have ESL students write personal thank you letters to Board members
for all that they do offer ESL students at the institution. Include
handouts, testimonies, fact sheets, and the like.
- Develop a link to an ESL web page on the school web page as an
on-going resource. This could be accomplished as a project in a computer
class.
- Have ESL students create murals by themselves or with non-ESL students
regarding the experience of English language learning.
- Organize a K-12 assembly program during ESL Awareness Week.
- Contact community centers, public libraries, and other places to
arrange evening programs or story-times where ESL kids share their
own personal stories or traditional tales with other kids.
- Arrange events or interactions (e.g. musical or dance presentations,
folktale sharing) with retirement homes.
ESL Statistics
Did you know that since 1990, the number of limited-English students
in Portland Public Schools has more than doubled to 5,200? Clifton
Chestnut reports in The Oregonian (7/6/01) that growth in Oregon is
even more impressive with 44,000 students with limited or no English
enrolled in public schools in 2000. Portland is meeting the challenges
with ESL programs as well as bilingual and immersion programs that
teach students in their native languages. For more information about
English programs in Oregon, go to http://www.oneation.org.
Also go to http://www.esl-guide.com/dir/oregon.
Did you know that in 2002, 1,102, 261 adults were enrolled in ESL
programs in the US that received funding through the U.S. Department
of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE)? The
waiting lists reflect the great interest and need for ESL instruction
for adults. For more information about Adult ESL, http://www.cal.org/FAQS.
DATA
FOR ESL AWARENESS WEEK, APRIL 25-May1, 2004
Compiled by Marna Broekhoff
Public Schools (K-12)
Number of native languages represented by students in OR public schools:
137
The seven most commonly spoken languages of these students, in rank
order: Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, Hmong, Ukrainian
Percentage increase of ESL students in the past decade: 30%
Number of students reported in ESL programs reported in 1987: 5,578
1997: 35,296 2001: 40,993
Oregon school districts with ESL students comprising more than 40%
of the total enrollment: Woodburn (65%); Nyssa (52%); Jefferson County
(53%); Gervais (47%); Umatilla (42%).
Growth of the Hispanic population in Oregon in the last decade: 144%,
now 8% of the total .
Growth of the Euro-American population: 12%.
Nationwide
Federal definition of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students:
those who do not possess sufficient English language proficiency to
participate fully in mainstream education classes.
Number
of LEP school-aged children in the U>S. in 2001: 9.9 million
of a total 45 million.
Percentage increase of LEP students since 1980: 35%.
Hispanic population growth in the U.S. from 1980-96: 80%.
Hispanic population in the U.S. in 2000: 12%. Projected 2050: 24%.
White, non-Hispanic in the U.S. in 2000: 72%. Projected 2050 53%.
Black, African-American in the U.S. in 2000: 12%. Projected 2050 13%.
Asian, Pacific Islander in the U.S. in 2000: 4%. Projected 2050 9%.
Conclusion: The United States is undergoing one of the most profound
demographic (as well as social and economic) transformations in its
history, which is shifting our society from Anglo-white, rooted in
Western culture, to a multiracial, multicultural world society characterized
by three large racial ethnic minorities. The implications of this transformation
for the teaching of English cannot be overstated.
Note: Every effort was made to obtain accurate current data, but misrepresentations
are inevitable due to differing institutional reporting methods.
The Current Population Survey done by the U.S. Census Bureau found the following
in 2000:
- 10.4% (28.4 million) of the total U.S. population is foreign born
Among the foreign born:
- 51% were born in Latin America
- 25.5% were born in Asia
- 15.3% were born in Europe
- 8.1% were born in other regions of the world
In 1997-8, of the 4,020,500 adults enrolled in state-administered adult education
programs:
- 32% were enrolled in ABE programs
- 48% in ESL programs
- 20% in ASE programs.
(U.S. Department of Ed., OVAE, Adult Education..., p2)
- Oregon has
the fifth fastest growing immigrant population in the United States [Immigration & Naturalization Services].
- 465,941 Oregonians
are at the lowest level of literacy [22% of 2,117,914,
which the 1990 census gives as Oregon's population for those ages and 18
and older--http://homer.ssd.census.gov/cdrom/lookup/996118772],
but less than 10% of those who need services are enrolled in literacy programs [33,548
adults were enrolled in Oregon's literacy programs, according to the Oregon
Community College 1997-98 Profile].
- 38% (nearly
2 out of 5) of Oregon adults are at Level 1 or 2 [Portland
State University--http://www.casas.org/lit/litcode/Detail.CFM?census__AREAID=38].
The likelihood
of being on welfare is inversely proportional to literacy levels. Three out
of four food stamp recipients performed at the two lowest literacy levels [NIFL--http://www.nifl.gov/newworld/facts.htm].
- Oregonians
who dropped out of high school earned an average of $492/month. Finishing
high school more than doubles the average Oregonian's salary, at $1,077/month.
Attending some college (but earning no degree) raised income to $1,280/month,
while those with Associate's Degrees earn $1,672/month. A Bachelor's Degree
earns Oregonians $2,822 to $4,961/month [Office of
Community College Services].
Title II Adult Education (Information provided by CCWD)
Number of ESL students at higher education institutions in Oregon:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: 13,000 approximately
per year
Number of countries represented at these institutions:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: This data is not collected
Number of languages represented:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: 12 approximately (self-reported
by students)
Number of majors represented by these students:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: This data is not collected
Institution with the largest number of ESL students:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: PCC, Chemeketa CC the
least:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: TBCC
Demographic differences among ESL students at different institutions:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: This is an in-depth
analysis of current data systems/data
Number of community colleges that have waiting lists for ESL classes:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: 10 of 17 CC programs
report ESL waiting lists for 01-02
Ratio of full-time community college ESL positions to part-time:
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs: This data is not collected;
Data collected reflects entire system of ABE, GED, ESL - 454 part time and
157 full time (local colleges determine definition)
Percentage growth of enrollment in basic skill ESL programs since 1988
(or some other year):
Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs:
88-89: 12,033 students (self-reported data; potentially duplicated numbers)
00-01: 13,000 students (unduplicated count)
Census Data for Oregon
Percentage
of the "undereducated" (those
without a high school diploma or equivalent) in OR which indicated that
English is not their native lang.:
Census Data: TBA (not available yet)
Percentage of adult ESL students enrolled in basic skills programs:
Census
Data: TBA (not
available yet)
Public Schools (K-12) (information NOT provided by CCWD)
Number of native languages represented by students in OR public schools: 137
The seven most commonly spoken languages of these students, in rank
order: Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, Hmong, Ukrainian
Percentage increase of ESL students in the past decade: 30%
Number of students reported in ESL programs reported in 1987: 5,578
1997: 35,296 2001: 40,993
Oregon school districts with ESL students comprising more than 40% of the
total enrollment: Woodburn (65%); Nyssa (52%); Jefferson County (53%);
Gervais (47%); Umatilla (42%.
Growth of the Hispanic population in Oregon in the last decade: 144%,
now 8% of the total
Growth of the Euro-American population: 12%
Nationwide Information (NOT provided by CCWD)
Federal definition of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students: those who
do not possess sufficient English language proficiency to participate fully
in mainstream education classes...this is the k-12 definition
Number of LEP school-aged children in the U.S. in 2001: 9.9 million
of a total 45 million
Percentage increase of LEP students since 1980: 35%
Hispanic population growth in the U.S. from 1980-96: 80%
Hispanic population in the U.S.in 2000:
12% Projected 2050: 24%
White, non-Hispanic " " " 72% " " 53%
Black, African-American " " " 12% " " 13%
Asian, Pacific
Islander " " " 4% " " 9%
Conclusion: The United States is undergoing one of the most profound
demographic (as well as social and economic) transformations in its history,
which is shifting our society from Anglo-white, rooted in Western culture,
to a multiracial, multicultural world society characterized by three large
racial ethnic minorities. The implications of this transformation for the teaching
of English cannot be overstated.
Note: Every effort was made to obtain accurate current data, but misrepresentations
are inevitable due to differing institutional reporting methods.
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