Children of the world arriving at our school doors ESL Students Photos courtesy of Immigrant Services Society of B.C. Publication “Faces of Refugees”

Key Role of School Districts To help immigrant and refugee students develop the fundamental skills and knowledge required to be productive and participating citizens School Boards that serve the large majority of immigrant children and youth face a wide range of issues

1. Changing Demographics 15 years ago, most of immigrant children came from Hong Kong, Philippines or Taiwan Most of these learners had previous schooling prior to their arrival in Canada In last 10 years, the mix and countries of origin are very different Less English skills, little or no formal schooling, older arriving students, refugee claimants

2. School Readiness Families need support in preparing their children to start school Children in immigrant families have little exposure to English in the home Children born in Canada, but will have little or no English language skills when they enter Kindergarten Families do not have experience with any education system Don’t know their children should be in school

3. Refugees Mainly in large urban districts Coming from refugee camps, where they may have lived for years Little or no schooling in home language Special education needs and often, a multiplicity of learning challenges Marked increase in # of students with autism, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy or other behavioural or medical conditions Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome

4. Older Age Students Students who are 16 years of age or older at time of arrival Many have very low entry-level English language skills – below grade 3 Students believe that major emphasis on English language development is unnecessary or insurmountable Those hoping to head for post-secondary face major challenges in acquiring the academic language skills required

5. Settlement Services Significant issues that school districts have to respond to that are not within the parameters of education funding School Districts have not been recognized in public policy as one of the key ‘front-line settlement service providers’ The school is the most readily-accessible social agency as they encounter challenges in adapting to life in Canada Turn to the school for assistance and support

6. Teacher Training Teacher training programs with no courses specifically focused on ESL New or experienced teachers struggling to respond effectively to level of diversity and varied language proficiency Teaching English as an additional language, not a second language requires a new pedagogy for student success

British Columbia (BCSTA) PROVINCEMETRO Total student population 655,704256, % Home Language not English 140,503106, % ESL63,72746, % Aboriginal60, % Special Needs58,57625, %

BCSTA ESL FORUM 182 delegates representing over 40 school districts from around the province School trustees, district staff, school based administrators, teachers, parents, government officials and elected officials Presentations by experts, practitioners and youth, as well as discussion groups

BCSTA ESL FORUM cont... GOALS OF THE FORUM: To develop a consensus on the nature and extent of ESL issues To strengthen the public school system’s role in and capacity for integrating new immigrant and refugee students into Canadian society To increase the understanding and importance of ESL

BCSTA ESL FORUM cont... Direct credit for ESL course work Create a unique coding system for refugee students to enable ‘targeted’ funding More flexible time limit for ESL support or school departure Ensure pre-service and in-service ESL training for all teachers Explicit recognition by provincial and federal governments of ESL as an important issue for schools and school districts

Media Awareness

BCSTA AGM MOTIONS That BCSTA urge the Ministry of Education to provide immediate funding (from the date of their arrival at the school district) for refugees and refugee claimant students that recognizes their multi-entry dates into the provincial public school system, and enables school districts to effectively support their complex learning needs.

BCSTA AGM MOTIONS That BCSTA urge the federal government to allocate to school districts sufficient settlement funding to provide for the delivery of appropriate English or French language courses and related services to immigrant and refugee adults following their arrival in Canada.

BCSTA AGM MOTIONS That BCSTA request the Ministry of Education to develop a standardized test for ESL students to provide an efficient and objective assessment tool to measure English language proficiency.

Settlement Workers in Schools 11 districts with the most ESL students Settlement needs assessment Provide newcomer families with settlement orientation, information and referrals to agencies Participate in the school reception and orientation process for newcomer students and their families Orient staff about settlement related issues

Refugee Settlement in GVRD Afghanistan 440Cameroon 3Cuba 3Indonesia 45Rwanda 12 Togo 3 Angola 2China 1Eritrea 40Iran 94Sierra Leone 28 Uganda 9 Azerbaijan 4Columbia 37Ethiopia 54Iraq 11Somalia 36 Uzbekistan 8 Burundi 20Congo 26Guyana 3Liberia 61Sudan 114 Zambia 3

September 2006 Primary Language in the home Languages spoken by more than 200 students Burnaby School District

Parent & Family Literacy Centres First Burnaby centre opened in November ‘04 Provide early literacy skills to pre-school children as well as their parent/caregiver Centres are effective because they enhance the children’s readiness to learn while improving their English-language skills and social skills Help the adults adjust to English, the community and the school system

Refugee classes Small number of students (8-10) Use elementary level trained teachers ‘pre’ ESL levels Very basic level numeracy skills Job readiness skills Work experience opportunities

Youth in Transition Funding by Canucks Family Education Centre Five sessions, 2½ hours For entire family – adults, teens, children Activities, conversation (translators), dinner

Continued Challenges/Issues Funding – Federal equity for Immigrants Quebec $3,800 Ontario $3,400 B.C. $1,006 – Provincial funding upon arrival for refugee students Adult language classes accessibility

Resource Information Photos provided on title page and refugee information courtesy of Immigrant Services Society of B.C. Publication ‘Faces of Refugees’ Presenter Diana Mumford, Director of BCSTA, Trustee SD#41 Burnaby