Submitted by Jill Koyama, Gary Welborn, Charles E. Massey and Dove Wilson Russo:
Over the past decade the Buffalo Public School enrollment has declined by nearly 10,000 (42,941 in 2001-02 to approximately 33,000 in 2011-12), reflecting general population trends and growth of charter schools. There is only one segment of the school population that has shown dramatic growth - English language learners (ELLs). The number of ELLs has grown by 61% over this period of time and today they make up 11% of the total student population.
Ten years ago the first language of the vast majority of ELLs was Spanish (78% in 2001-02); however, today Spanish is the first language of only 38% and two languages with roots in Burma (Karen and Burmese) account for 24.2%. The majority of the Karen and Burmese speakers have arrived as refugees over the past five years.
Over the past five years approximately 30% of the refugees resettled in New York State have come to Buffalo - more than have been resettled in New York City. Many arrive here from refugee camps in Kenya or Chad or Tanzania or Thailand or Nepal where there have been limited opportunities for education. Over the past five years ELLs at Lafayette have increased from 9% to 60% of the total student population.
A Multilingual Education Advisory Committee (MEAC) spent the entire 2010-2011 school year studying the Buffalo Public Schools ELL programs and the 85 recommendations included in the Council of Great City Schools report that was submitted in May 2010. The MEAC study resulted in a report that was completed in June 2011 and pushed to the side along with many other important matters. Now, with a high level of interest and responsiveness from the newly appointed interim superintendent, the MEAC Report to the Board of Education was presented on November 2, 2011.
When the decision was made a few years ago to move ELLs in significant numbers to Lafayette High School, it was with the assumption that a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of ELLs would be taken and central to this would be the creation of an International School Campus to encompass Lafayette (grades 7-12) and nearby International School #45 (grades PK-6). The MEAC Report encourages the creation and/or expansion of Newcomer programs at School #45 and Lafayette to help address the growing challenges presented by significant increases in the number of refugee students and the ever changing languages they speak.
Before rushing to close Lafayette, let's take time to consider what it could become and who might be willing to step up to help bring about the desired change. Is it too much to think that Lafayette might become a vital part of a vibrant international campus where students and parents engage in rigorous educational initiatives designed to foster the development of involved and active citizens in our increasingly international city? We don't think so and we are willing to engage the energy and resources of the BELL (Buffalo English Language Learners) Network in this effort.
The BELL Network is a coalition with representation from over 70 area agencies, organizations, colleges, universities and the Buffalo Public Schools that is leading efforts to create a seamless continuum of supports to promote educational and professional successes from cradle through college to career for English language learners (including refugees and immigrants) ages 0-25, primarily in the 14213 zip code (home to Lafayette High School and International School #45).
Despite the fact that the majority of the students at Lafayette High School today are English language learners and live in poverty, we believe Lafayette can become a part of that vibrant international campus of which we dream. Three things need to happen to give us a fighting chance: 1) the Buffalo Board of Education must empower and support its Multilingual Education Department and the Multilingual Education Advisory Committee, 2) broad community support must be captured through efforts of the BELL Network and others, and 3) the State Education Department must take a more collaborative and less punitive approach to improving schools serving ELLs (including Lafayette High School). For the sake of us all, let's hope this happens.
Charles E. Massey
Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Office for Urban Connections, Houghton College
BELL Network steering committee member
BPS Multilingual Education Advisory Committee member
Journey's End Refugee Services Board Secretary
Gary Welborn
Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology, Buffalo State College
BELL Network steering committee chair
Faculty Coordinator for Service Learning, Buffalo State College
Jill Koyama
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy,
Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo
BELL Network steering committee member
Dove Wilson Russo
Buffalo English Language Learners Support Coordinator,
Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, Buffalo State College
BELL Network steering committee member
Photo courtesy BECHS: Lafayette High School. William H. Brandel, photographer. cd. 1905
Where is the money? Obviously a group of people have put some thought into this but no mention of funding was made. How about coming to the table with a solution instead of just demands?
Are there cost savings to be had at schools is this campus was turned into an ELL campus for all of the city? Explore that! How much savings could be found at schools if they did not have to staff for ELL? Roll that over.
Why primarily in the 14213 zip code? Buffalo has no problem shipping kids around the city for the thinly veiled attempt at being equal. Why not bus students from all over the city to one campus?
What agencies are involved? What organizations? How much of their funding are they willing to carve out for this project or do they just want to be involved in a new funding source?
Sounds like a productive idea but those are easy. Show me the money.
The more English Language Learners you have in a school, the more likely you can have a program with an integration of language learning and content. That's because there are more ESL teachers there for collaboration and co-teaching.
Plus, immigrants have tended to prefer neighborhood schools because they don't understand the idea of going farther away to another school. This can be an issue sometimes with ELLs gifted enough to go to City Honors.
The problem with funding is that this school is cutting edge in creating an ESL school. There are probably under 5 in the nation that are designed in this manner.
Thanks for the info.
I have no doubts there would be challenges with funding but at the very least they should have been mentioned in the OP. Just as there would be challenges with an innovative program.
But like most of the 'ideas' that get presented on this blog...the entire picture is not presented. This is either due to the presenters not looking at the entire picture or simply ignoring the aspects that do not fit their agenda.
If the goal is to gain support for an idea or movement...you should present all of the facts and allow for people to become informed, rather than try to sell them on your view of the situation.