ERIC Number: EJ767418
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Mar
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1529-8957
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The World of Immigrant Students
Smith-Davis, Judy
Principal Leadership, v4 n7 p44-49 Mar 2004
Language-minority students are the fastest-growing population in U.S. public schools. Between 1991 and 1999, the number of language-minority school-aged children in the United States rose from 8 million to 15 million, and the number of K-12 students classified as limited-English-proficient (LEP) increased from 5.3 million to 10 million (Escamilla, 1999b). Although eight languages--Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Cantonese, Cambodian, Korean, Laotian,and Navajo--comprise 85% of linguistic diversity (Escamilla, 1999a), 350 language groups are actually spoken in U.S. school districts (Escamilla, 2000). An influx of immigrant students in any school--large or small, urban, suburban, or rural--challenges everyone involved in education. Many U.S. schools are experiencing a tremendous increase in students who are not proficient in English. In this article, the results of a pilot study by the author illustrate how meeting the needs of these students challenges many areas of a school system. The author suggests a list of best practices and a wealth of Web resources that can help meet this challenge and serve this population of students.
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Immigrants, English (Second Language), Limited English Speaking, Language Minorities, Public Schools, Minority Groups, Cultural Influences, School Community Relationship, Pilot Projects, Teacher Qualifications, Student Needs
National Association of Secondary School Principals. 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1537. Tel: 800-253-7746; Tel: 703-860-0200; Fax: 703-620-6534; Web site: http://www.principals.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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