Governor seeks permanent funds for English language learners
PROVIDENCE — English language learners are the fastest-growing segment of the school population in Rhode Island, comprising 7 percent of all public school students, or almost 10,000 students.
Less than 10 percent of this population scored proficient or above on the latest standardized English test, compared to 40 percent of students who speak English fluently. And 77 percent of English language learners graduated from high school on time, compared to 85 percent of English language speakers.
That's why Gov. Gina Raimondo is asking the General Assembly to set aside a specific amount of money each year for this group of students. The governor last year targeted $2.5 million for these students, and wanted to make this funding stream permanent, but the legislature chose to fund it for only one year.
Prior to this year, Rhode Island was one of only four states that didn't dedicate specific aid to English language learners. Even now, it is not included in the school funding formula, which is based on a community's poverty and its tax capacity.
This year, Raimondo is again proposing to make this aid an annual appropriation, with $2.5 million set aside for fiscal 2018 and $5 million in the following year. The governor hopes the aid will keep pace with the growth of this segment of the student population.
"We know our English language learners have unique needs," said Kevin Gallagher, Raimondo's deputy chief of staff. "We know they need additional support and that they need high-quality services to make a smooth transition into our school systems.
"We know that dual language instruction has proven outcomes. We know that intensive reading interventions help our English language learners. Extended school day helps. As a state, we believe that we should be providing extra funding to help pay for programs that work."
Raimondo also hopes that school districts will tap this money to train more teachers in English as a second language and to hire more certified instructors. A 2013 report by the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University estimated that only 1.5 percent of Rhode Island's teachers are Latino, despite the state ranking 13th in its proportion of Latino residents.
Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, said there was board consensus among members of the governor's school funding formula committee that English language learners deserve their own guaranteed funding source, given both their growing presence in the schools and the considerable gap in skills between this population and students who speak English.
"Without those targeted resources, we are really putting the employment prospects of a growing number of our students at risk and we're holding back our overall educational outcomes," said Burke Bryant.
In Providence, 26 percent of the student body qualifies for English Language Learning services, an increase of nearly 40 percent in five years — and the district expects that percentage to rise.
"Unfortunately, a false perception exists that English learners are interlopers to our state and burdens on our public education system," said Providence Supt. Christopher N. Maher. "Nearly half of all Providence students qualifying for ELL services were born right here in this country. ... I cannot stress enough that these students are not and should not be viewed as burdens. Rather, they are assets. They are our future. If we support these students, we are helping to build a multilingual workforce that will become a real asset in a global economy."
Without additional supports to help them with literacy skills, Maher said these children are less likely than their English-speaking peers to succeed in any subject, not just English.
"Every year that their needs go unaddressed, their learning gaps grow," Maher said.
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