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EDUCATION REPORT - June 20, 2002: ESOL and Glebe
School
By Jerilyn Watson
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
Millions of students in American schools today
are recent immigrants or children of immigrants. About ninety-percent
of their families come from countries where English is not spoken. To
succeed in school, the students need help to learn English. Many take
part in a program called English for Speakers of Other Languages or
ESOL (EE-sol).
For example, Glebe Elementary School in Arlington,
Virginia, has almost three-hundred students. More than twenty-five percent
of these children study ESOL. Most of the children's families are from
Central and South America. Others are from Russia, the Middle East,
Africa, South Asia and East Asia. Students at the school have families
from more than twenty-five countries.
Some of these students recently helped VOA celebrate
its sixtieth anniversary of broadcasting. They made birthday pictures
and messages that are being shown at VOA headquarters in Washington,
D.C. For example, Damaris Gaitan (Dah- MAHR-ees Guy-TAN) drew a round
world to show that VOA broadcasts internationally. Damaris is in the
fourth year of studies at Glebe Elementary School. Her family came here
from El Salvador.
Pat Nomina (NAHM-in-ah) teaches ESOL at Glebe
Elementary School. Mizz Nomina uses several teaching methods. For example,
she develops study guides about subjects like the seasons, science,
history and the weather. Mizz Nomina says her students enjoy singing
songs with English words. She says songs that repeat words are especially
helpful. Students, parents and educators have praised the school's ESOL
program.
However, education experts say many other American
schools are not helping immigrant children who do not speak English
well. They say not enough teachers are trained to work with these students.
Schools may fail to check on their progress. Children may lose interest
because they cannot understand what they hear and read.
A new group formed by the federal government
may improve this situation. Thirteen experts serve on this National
Literacy Panel. They will examine research about teaching English to
young speakers of other languages. Educators hope the experts' work
will help develop better ways to help immigrant children.
This VOA Special English Education Report was
written by Jerilyn Watson.
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