Charles Solarz

History of Jamaica  Discovered in 1494, settled by Spanish early in the 16 th century (Jamaica, 2014)  Abolition of slavery in 1834 free 250,000 slaves Many became small farmers  Gained full independence in 1962 from the Federation of the West Indies (Jamaica, 2014)

History of Jamaica (cont.)  Economy deterioration in the 1970s led to violence between gangs leading to organized crime  Today, many areas (such as resorts and rural areas) remain relatively safe and help sustain the economy. (Jamaica, 2014)

Education System – Ministry of Education  Government entity responsible for education in Jamaica.  Established in 1953  Comprised of 11 agencies, 5 divisions. 1,000 public education institutions Serving over 100,000 students (MoE, 2014)

Ministry of Education  Common curriculum was introduced in 1993 for grades 7-9.  System requires student to complete through 11 grade.  Honorable Ronald Thwaites, M.P., Minister of Education (USNEI, n.d.)

United States Education  50 Million students in 99,000 public elementary and secondary schools.  United States ranks 35 th in world, based on Math and Reading scores.  Spends $115,000 per student

Jamaica/ United States JAMAICA:  Students must complete through 11 grade  35:1 Teacher to student ratio in preschool  Only group with a lower Teacher student ration is Special Education 8:1 (MofE, 2013) UNITED STATES:  Students must complete through 12 grade  16:1 Teacher to student ratio in preschool (NEA, 2012)  Early childhood and preschool available is available in almost every community.

Migration  300,000 documented immigrants between 1966 and  “Brain drain” in Jamaica, which is lacking a number of professionals, and skilled workers such as doctors, lawyers, and technicians.  Jamaicans migrate to the U.S. because of failing economy, lack of economic diversity, poor land distribution, and increase in crime. (countries and cultures, n.d.)

Jamaicans in Connecticut  7% of Connecticut's Immigrant population is Jamican (Immigrants in Connecticut, n.d.)  ½ of Connecticut’s immigrants are naturalized citizens, compared to 1/3 nationally.  Best-educated workers earn the highest wages, regardless of whether they are immigrants

Jamaicans in Connecticut (cont.)  The population of well- educated immigrants is growing faster than less- educated immigrants in Connecticut  Among men age 25 and over, the number of college- educated immigrants increased 53 percent between 1990 and 2000

Jamaicans in Connecticut (cont.)  Connecticut's immigrants are most heavily concentrated in low-skilled industries, but their numbers are growing rapidly in high-skilled industries In 2000, accommodation and food employed the highest share of immigrants (21 percent)  between 1990 and 2000, the number of immigrants grew rapidly in professional, scientific, and technical (92 percent)

Opportunities in Connecticut for Immigrants  Between 1995 and 2025, Connecticut is expected to gain 337,000 people through international migration, doubling  the foreign-born population (the 12th greatest percentage increase in immigrant population size among the fifty states and Washington DC)  Jamaica ranks 3 in countries of origin for Connecticut’s foreign-born residents.  11% of Connecticut’s population is foreign- Born

Introduction of Material to Jamaican Students  ELL students – recent newcomers to the country. Sit silently in class Adjusting to a new climate and school Adjusting to new culture  Difficulties in vocabulary development and syntax, impoverished or immature writing, and difficulty keeping up and participating in class may all be symptoms of an earlier lack of competence in a first language

ELL Students  Students can gain a basic understanding of academic material by accessing three kinds of knowledge: Universal pragmatic knowledge Language proficiency Background knowledge  Simple vocab and hands On activities to help make Connections to learning Materials  Lab activities (Department, n.d.)

ELL Students – Potential Problems  Students lack confidence and are not ready for a new environment.  Not enough reinforcement of language at home because its not the primary language spoken  Student might have a complex linguistic history with no primary language Makes it difficult to learn a second language  Diagrams, imagines and pictures are helpful in understanding science material.

Keys to Effectiveness  Effective education includes native-like levels of proficiency in English. Effective education includes the maintenance and promotion of ELL students native languages in school and community contexts.  All educational personnel assume responsibility for the education of ELL students.  In Science, verbal language before writing and group lab work.

Bibliography  Jamaica: Introduction. (2014). Central Intelligence Agency. from factbook/geos/jm.htmlhttps:// factbook/geos/jm.html  Miinstry of Education - About us. (n.d.). Ministry of Education. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from  USNEI. (n.d.). U.S. Network for Education Information (). Retrieved April 8, 2014, from  NEA, R. (2012). Rankings of the States 2012 and Estimates of School Statistics Washington, DC: National Education Association.  MINISTRY OF EDUCATION SCHOOL PROFILES (2013). Kingston, Jamaica: Mininstry of Education.  International Organization for Migration. (n.d.). Jamaica -. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from  Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). Jamaican Americans. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from  Immigrants in Connecticut. (n.d.). : Labor Market Experiences and Health Care Access. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from  Meija, R., & Ph.D., P. C. (2007). Immigration in Connecticut: A Growing Opportunity. New Haven: Connecticut Voices for Children.  Fix, M. (2001). THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANT FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES. California: The Citizen's Commission for Civil Rights Biennial Report on Federal Civil Rights and Enforcement.  Department. (n.d.). Who Are ELL Students?. Education.com. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from