Parkway Schools

RATIONALES FOR THE ESOL PROGRAM IN THE PARKWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT

The ESOL program offers intensive instruction to students whose native language is not English and who have limited English proficiency. Students learn to understand, speak, read and write English and are helped to adjust to a new culture. This intensive instruction in a supportive and non-threatening environment, helps students learn English quickly and allows ELLs to make necessary academic and social adjustments. Current federal guidelines require that ELLs receive academic support.

The ESOL program also assists the professional staff by concentrating efforts for helping ELLs in designated ESOL center schools. Certified ESOL teachers work with ELLs in small group settings. These teachers also act as the liaison person between the ELLs, their families and the greater Parkway community.

Every year, more and more students who speak languages other than English and who come from homes and communities with diverse histories, traditions, world views, and educational experiences, populate classrooms in urban, suburban, and rural settings. In the 2003-2004 school year, 5.5 million school-age children were English language learners-up nearly 100 percent from a decade earlier, although total enrollment increased only slightly more than 10 percent during that time. The rapid growth of the ESOL program in Parkway is indicative of this trend.