EDUCATION

R.I. districts adapt to rise in English language learners

Burgeoning diversity of students spurs call for educators trained in teaching so many language backgrounds

Linda Borg
lborg@providencejournal.com
Evelyn Guo, a first-grader at West Kingston Elementary School, works in an English language development class. [The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski]

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Long considered an urban phenomenon, English language learners are now enrolling in suburban schools in greater numbers, making it even more difficult to find educators trained to teach them.

In South Kingstown, 74 students speak 14 different languages — a tripling of students since 2014. 

Barrington has more than doubled its English learners in the past four years. They speak 18 languages.

Cranston has 560 English learners, including students from Syria, China and India.

While the growing diversity of Rhode Island's schools is a positive development, it does put pressure on schools to find teachers who are certified in English as a Second Language, a shortage area not only in Rhode Island but across the country.

"It totally caught us by surprise," said Barrington Supt. Michael Messore. Many of his students are the children of university professors from afar.

"Everyone is fighting for the same pool of teachers who have that certification," said Cumberland Supt. Robert Mitchell.

Two challenges — cost and time — discourage many regular classroom teachers from pursuing certification in English as a Second Language, which typically requires another two years of training.

That's why some districts, including Providence, Central Falls and South Kingstown, are partnering with local colleges to fast track this training to put more teachers in the pipeline.

In 2009, when Supt. Kristen Stringfellow arrived in South Kingstown, the system only had one student learning English. Now it has more than 74.

"We look upon this as a gift of diversity, a gift of cultural enrichment," she said. "Our kids are coming from everywhere: The Mideast, Korea, India, Laos, Nepal, Indonesia, Taiwan..."

But it also presents a challenge.

Faced with a shortage of trained faculty, South Kingstown in 2015 decided to "grow its own." In partnership with Rhode Island College, the district offered English as a Second Language courses. The district pays 85 percent of tuition. The teacher pays 15 percent.

"You have to invest in your own," Stringfellow said. "We wanted to make sure that we could create our own highly qualified teachers who are already versed in our culture."

In a first-grade class in West Kingston Elementary School, the students listen intently while their teacher, Katie Nerstheimer, reads out loud. At a separate table, another teacher works one-on-one with a first-grader.

Nerstheimer is actually the English language coordinator and she moves from one classroom to another, teaching children who are English learners and native speakers. Traditionally, English learners were pulled out of class to get intensive language instruction. Now that the district has classroom teachers who are trained in ESL, those students can remain in their regular classroom. The newcomers no longer lose valuable math and English instruction.

Tracey Amalfano, the regular classroom teacher, said her ESL training has had unexpected benefits for her native speakers.

"As first-graders, they are all language learners," she said.  

Cumberland is also seeing an explosion of foreign students, with 27 languages spoken. Whereas in the past, these students arrived in elementary school, now they are coming at all grade levels. Even more challenging, some students enroll with little formal education in their native language.

"All of the colleges are partnering with urban districts," said Linda Iannetta, Cumberland's English language coordinator. "What about us?"

Cumberland is giving teachers a taste of English language training via an on-line course but Iannetta admits it's "only a toe dip." 

"The colleges," she said, "need to do more to prepare these students. Whatever works for ESL students will also benefit every single student. All of our kids are English language learners."

The Rhode Island Department of Education is trying to respond to the demand.

Several colleges, including RIC, University of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University, are partnering with some of the urban districts to offer ESL training. Roger Williams is offering a fast track to ESL training for Providence teachers. The Rhode Island Foundation, in partnership with the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College, has provided almost $500,000 to train teachers from the five districts with the most English learners.   

Wagner said the department is trying to make it easier for teachers to get certification. RIDE is proposing that these teachers have seven years to get their certification.

"With this, districts could find the right person and invest in them and get them up to standard over a seven-year window," Wagner said. "We did this last year with career education and the sky didn't fall in. We're not lowering the standard."

At Rhode Island College, aspiring teachers will soon be able to earn an endorsement in ESL as part of their elementary or secondary education training.

Wagner would like to see this higher education network bloom, with colleges and possibly other nonprofits, offering a wide selection of ESL courses, getting teachers into the classroom faster and in greater numbers.

Help can't come soon enough.

"My advice to other districts is to make the training affordable. Make it accessible," Stringfellow said. "Our teachers feel this training makes them better teachers of English. This is the best investment you can make for all of your students."