1. Fall Federal Grant Programs Conference Marlborough, MA
Responding to Diverse Learners
Fall Federal Grant Programs Conference Marlborough, MA
Phala Chea, Ed.D, Coordinator of English Language Education Programs
Lowell Public Schools
November 2, 2018

2. Presentation Outline Our Lowell Public Schools’ Story Demographics
Immigrants and Refugees
The Students’ Stories - Film Screening: Hard Truth, Levity and Hope
English Language Education Programs
Supplemental Federal Grants
Community Partnerships
Family and Community Engagements

3. Demographics Lowell Public Schools’ 2017 Enrollment Data (PreK-12)
14,436 Students
3,496 (24%) are ELs
560 are ELs with Disabilities
The three most spoken languages are Spanish (37%) Khmer (31%), and Portuguese (8%)

4. Languages Spoken
Low incidence languages: Vietnamese, Gujarati, Lao, Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Dari, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Kinyawandu, Lingala, Luganda, Nepali, Somali, and Swahili

5. Immigrant Student Data (PreK-12)
999 Immigrants (Born outside the U.S. and have not attended more than 3 full academic years of U.S. school) Countries of Origin: Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, India, Portugal, Laos, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, China, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Ghana, and Nigeria

6. Refugee Student Data (PreK-12)
160 Refugees (Have refugee status and have been here less than 5 years) Countries of Origin: Iraq, Burma/Myanmar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Nepal/Bhutan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, Namibia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Syria

7. Our Students’ Stories Film - Hard Truth, Levity, and Hope
Released June 2011
Hard Truth, Levity and Hope is a touching short documentary film that explores the lives of refugee teens that have settled in Lowell, Massachusetts. This film follows the stories of six refugee teens who have come to Lowell with their families. We watch as they struggle to find their place in a world that is foreign to them, and ultimately succeed.

8. Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
SLIFE students typically come from cultures where learning is pragmatic and hands on.
Learning in their countries often happen communally.
Goals of learning often focus on the success of the group or community.
Independent learning is not always encouraged.
Interaction with text is limited.

9. Stages of English Language Development

10. English Language Education Programs
ELE Programs
ESL Instruction/Support
Program #1
ELP
SLIFE
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) – receive at least 90 minutes to a full day of English Language Development instruction and explicit content support
Program #2
Non-SLIFE
Non SLIFE – receive at least 90 minutes of English Language Development instruction
Program #3
ELP
ELs receive English Language Development instruction for at least 45 minutes per day.

11. Title III, Refugee School Impact and Other Federal Grants
Supplemental Support
Newcomer ESL Teacher
ESL Tutors
Parent Liaisons
Social Workers
Professional Developments in the areas of trauma, mental health, refugee experience, social justice, social justice, culturally responsive teaching and learning, mindfulness/yoga, and art therapy.
Extended Time – After school and summer enrichment programs
Instructional Materials
Fieldtrips

12. Community Partnerships
Middlesex Community College
International Institute of New England - Lowell
Lowell Alliance
Lowell YWCA
SayDaNar Community Development Center
The African Community Center of Lowell
New American Center of Lowell
Lowell Community Health Center
Lowell Police
Vanna Howard from the Office of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas

13. Family and Community Engagements
Family and Community Engagement Events
Orientation/Open Houses
Parent Conferences
EL PAC
Academic Nights
Social Nights
Morning Coffees
Resource Fair
English Language Education Award Night (district-wide) to
honor students in the following categories: Distinguished ELE Alumni,
Academic Achievement, Outstanding Effort, Good Citizenship, and Most
Improved Newcomers
Annual Refugee Conference

14. Thank You
Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself is at the core of our humanity. It is the essence of compassion, and it is the beginning of morality.
~Ian McEwan, Novelist
Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be.
~Rita Pierson, Educator and Antipoverty Advocate