Hispanic numbers grow in schools

Hispanic numbers grow in schools
They top blacks for first time
BY SARAH NAGEM, snagem@newsobserver.com

By the numbers

Percentage of total enrollment

2011

White: 61.2

Hispanic: 18.2

Black: 16.3

2001

White: 67.8

Black: 22.6

Hispanic: 5.3

1991

White: 73.7

Black: 23.8

Hispanic: 2.0





For the first time, Johnston County schools have more Hispanic students than black students.

This school year, Hispanics make up 18.2 percent of the school system's enrollment of 32,760 students. That outpaces the number of black students, who make up 16.3 percent of the total.

The number of Hispanic students has climbed dramatically over the years, and school leaders say the change is telling of Johnston County's growth and economy. Twenty years ago, Hispanic students made up less than 2 percent of the school system's enrollment. Ten years ago, 5.3 percent of students were Hispanic.

"I think it's a reflection of the state," said Johnston Superintendent Ed Croom.

While the Hispanic student population has risen, the percentage of black students in Johnston has dipped. Two decades ago, black students made up 23.8 percent of enrollment.

Years ago, Croom said, many Hispanic students didn't stay in Johnston schools for long, partly because their parents were migrant laborers. But now, he said, more of these students are here for the long haul.

That means the school system needs more employees who speak Spanish, Croom said. Most Hispanic students in Johnston already speak English and Spanish. But in many cases, their parents don't know English, so schools need teachers and other people to be able to communicate with them.

Despite a need for more Spanish speakers, the school system took a 10 percent cut from the state for its English as Second Language program this year, said Johnston program director Ana Sanders. At the end of last school year, roughly four department teaching positions were cut, she said.

Johnston has 37 ESL teachers, with some schools sharing teachers, Sanders said.

Even if students don't know much English, they take classes alongside their English-speaking peers, Sanders said. Sometimes a Spanish-speaking teacher will be in the classroom with the regular teacher. And sometimes younger students have 30 to 40 minutes of English tutoring each day.

But for the most part, Sanders said, students learn a new language faster if they're around people who speak it. And Spanish-speaking students in classrooms help expose other students to diversity and other cultures, she said.

"It's positive for both sides," Sanders said.

Students in Johnston schools speak a total of 50 languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic, she said. Still, most students in Johnston are white, 61.2 percent of enrollment. Twenty years ago, they represented 73.7 percent of students.

 

My solution would be different than the one offered by Dr. Croom. The parents of theses children need to learn English to handle the business of raising their children. This would include meetings with children's teachers, interacting in business transactions, interacting with doctors and hospitals, social service, etc. These parents just pack them off to school and then continue the day using Spanish rather than even making an effort. If we didn't cave and give them everything, they would have to learn to speak English to survive.

 

Quote "These parents just pack them off to school and then continue the day using Spanish rather than even making an effort. If we didn't cave and give them everything, they would have to learn to speak English to survive."

AMEN

 

To me this is honestly a BIG problem.

English in this country should not be a second language.

 

The ESL program is for those for whom English IS a second language...so THEY can learn English. It doesn't mean that English is treated second to Spanish. In fact, cutting the program only makes the problem worse for kids who want to learn English.

As for having more teachers who speak Spanish to assist with parent communication, I disagree. I think those who come to this country should speak English.

 

Unenlightened opinion to follow..

If you are here legally we as a nation of immigrants should make every reasonable effort to assist you in your effort to assimilate and make a new home in the United States of America.

If you are here illegally, you and your family have no right to expect any of the benefits earned by legal residents, to include any and all social services.

That said, we (the USA) seriously need to revise our laws re: immigration. If we do in fact have jobs available that US citizens are unable or unwilling to perform, we should allow work visas to people able and willing to do these jobs, and these individuals should have the same protections as any citizen.

By turning a blind eye to immigration violations we, as a society, tacitly allow a sub-caste to exist between slavery and citizenship.

 

my point is that if you are legally in this country and calling it home then ENGLISH is not your second language. I should not have to learn Spanish (or any other language for that matter) just because my company employs alot of hispanics that do not have a comprehension of the English language.

 

I have a little different take on this issue...
I am tired of my kids getting shafted by there NOT being a Spanish teacher at school, and/or not being allowed to take Spanish when there is one available. I specifically requested that my middle schooler be allowed to take Spanish and was denied, and my child was placed into an elective that, last year, was completely lame, and this year, that holds no interest for my child whatsoever. (Why our middle schoolers aren't allowed some input into what electives they take is beyond me, I have never experienced a middle school that is so closed-minded when it comes to this, the only choice is band or no band, so if you don't play an instrument you are SOL for your entire middle school time as far as getting to choose an enjoyable class now and then, but this is a separate issue). I WANT my kids to learn a second language, and right now Spanish is the logical choice in this area as far as usefulness goes. It is much easier for a person to learn a second language when they are younger, so every year that goes by that it is unavailable shafts my kids just a little bit more. If ESL programs are funded by tax payers then why can't SSL (Spanish as a second language) be funded to even the playing fields for MY kids, especially since our family is here legally and pays taxes? Shouldn't MY kids (or yours if you are in the same boat) be the ones to benefit? Knowing how to speak more than one language, especially one that is widely spoken around you, would seem to be a tremendous advantage so I really feel like it is the English-only speaking kids that are really getting left behind, especially until English is made the official language of the country, which doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon, if ever.

 

I agree. My son has been asking for Spanish for the past two years. No go. I guess I'm going to have to buy him Rosetta Stone. :?

Apparently "Exploring Career Development" was more important. Waste of time for a 7th grader. Careers are going to be limited if you aren't bi-lingual.

 

Thanks to the liberals everyone better get used to it. Since politicians won't do anything and Law Enforcement can't do anything, we're only about a generation out before we are the minority.
Sheriff Bizzell was right on. His people are the one's who have to deal with it on a daily basis.

http://www.mexica-movement.org/

 

I can't believe all you people who think you have better thoughts than the Dept of Education, NC Sept of Education, and the curriculum coordinator in JOCO. :jester::mrgreen:

Heaven forbid we make school fun and let students take something they want to take instead of forcing them to take boring classes that no 7th grader cares about.

Who still operates under the mindset that public education is about equipping them with knowledge and skills to function in the "real world"

 

Thanks a lot! Now after looking at that site I am probably on a different potential terrorist watch list. Wonder how many you can be on at one time?


Seriously I will have to look for it, but I remember reading a novel back a few years ago where there was a concentrated effort to "re-colonize" Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. The premise was that it was historically Mexican. The little boys in blue helmets came in enforced the new reunification

 

I had Spanish way back in the 80s, LOL. 4 years of it in a little county in VA, even THEY realized Spanish was going to be very important 20 + years ago. I'm simply amazed that JoCo continues to stick their head in the sand on this issue. The kids should have been having it since K.

One more thing I'm going to to have to take up on my own to deal with.

 

I took French!

Ooo la la.. :lol::lol:

<again, thank god I don't have kids>

 

Funny! Yep, Career Development was the winner for 7th grade. I intermittently referred to it as "Mandatory Study Hell" and "Education Budget Cut Class". If my child learned anything useful in that class I have yet to discover it. And exactly--they really need to learn rudimentary Spanish at a minimum in order to compete in the job market these days so that should probably come first before we start talking about the careers.

 

Once again therein lies part of the problem now days.


But in all actuality you would probably be better off buying the Rosetta Stone program for the entire family to use.

 

I think they would be better off by getting their child out of the public schools.......

 

I can see that to a point. But I don't have the temprament to teach DS and I can't afford the private schools. He goes to RMS, which most of the time I'm happy with. But time wasters like "Career Development" make me a little nuts when he could have been learning something useful. I guess it's good for a break for them, LOL.

Otherwise, he's taking Algebra in the 7th grade, which was not offered to me back in the dark ages.

 

I agree with you!! Just clarifying the name of the program. Maybe they should call it "English as a PRIMARY Language". During my 12+ year stint with the public schools, I taught many kids whose native language was not English and they all learned English and assimilated here just fine. It's the parents who are not learning the language. This is unfortunate because there are free programs available. I teach math to adults from all over the world in my job now and not one of them has ever asked me to learn their language. Sink or swim.

And kdc...wait until high school...the crap courses just keep getting crappier. I have one kid (junior) in AP classes and band year round and his schedule is pretty full of good stuff, but the other kid (sophomore) is not in band and has half of his day in classes with no useful purpose. He can't get the class he wants because of his honors schedule (conflict), so he gets stuck taking useless classes for half of his day. The budget doesn't help this at all. I say we scrap some of the crap courses and hire more teachers in classes that actually teach kids something useful (auto, masonry, electronics, etc.). Most teachers I know who teach these subjects have enough student interest to fill another position.

 

The best way would be charter schools or vouchers. Letting parents decide where the educational money goes it will continue to be problematic. The encroached bureaucracy does not want to change or admit there is a better way. Until true change happens we will continue to see worse results. No matter how much lipstick you put on a pig it is still a pig.