Schools: Help for Kids Who Struggle With English a 'Work in Progress'

Here's the thing about statistical snapshots: They only tell part of a story.

If you were to look at the latest New Jersey School Report Card for Morristown High, you'd see what might be considered an alarming problem: dropout rates for students with limited English proficiency (those students who have great difficulty reading, writing, understanding and speaking English) seem much higher than is typical throughout the state.

In 2008-09 (the most recent year reported by the state; new figures for 2009-10 will be available early next year), 10.2 percent of Morristown's limited English proficiency (LEP) students dropped out; the state average was just 2.7. In 2007-2008, Morristown's LEP dropout rate was even higher, at 13 percent; the state average was 4 percent.

But again, that's only part of the story.

The state's only been collecting data on LEP dropout rates since 2005-06, when Morristown's rate was reported at just .3 percent (compared to a state average of .1). The figures repeated at the same level in 2006-07.

So why the apparent leap in dropouts? Morris School District Administrative Assistant Mary Donahoe said the district's LEP population is small enough that the performance of just a few students can throw the percentages off significantly. Those 10.2 percent of LEP students who dropped out in 2008-09? Just five students, out of a group of 49.

Still, Morris School District Board of Education president Lisa Pollack said five was five too many.

"Our goal is always educational equity for all our students," she said. "We have the most diverse student body going in this area. That requires us to reach across a very large spectrum. That's our commitment."

Pollack said a student's mastery of English depends largely on when he or she is first introduced to the language. 

"Depending on how early they come in, we have more or less time to work with them on that," she said.

The Morris School District has a number of programs aimed at inclusion of all students, including those with limited English proficiency. One of those programs pulls children out of the class and provides them with field training outside the classroom, Pollack said.

Despite these programs and initiatives, Pollack said the district has felt somewhat hamstrung by certain state standards, which have forced the Morris School District to rework certain programs. The state, for example, requires bilingual education.

"We believed it was better to pursue more of an inclusion model," Pollack said. "We felt it was working pretty well, but the state made us close it down and go back to the state model."

"We have not found the magic source yet," she said. "We feel more of an inclusion model is a better route–particularly for the young ones–in getting them to speak English faster. ... We were called out by the state because we felt strongly that not segregating our LEP and bilingual kids was important."

Gloria Lopez-Henriquez, a family therapist based in Morristown and Princeton, said immigration can be "very disruptive in family life and in life of the individuals."

"If I look at kids whose English is not that good, I typically find they came to the country in their teens," she said. "Kids typically pick up the English language very fast. If they haven't done that, it typically means they have arrived more recently."

Educators do not know how much education these children may have received in their country of origin, Lopez-Henriquez said. Levels of education can vary greatly in large cities and small towns.

And students from other countries may receive less supervision here than in their home countries, as their parents and guardians often are working longer hours, Lopez-Henriquez. Additionally, these students often need more assistance outside of regular school hours, as the transition to one standard of education from another needs to be managed carefully.

"A lot of them get into trouble and can get lost in the shuffle," she said.

Lopez-Henriquez said Morristown High School is not only ethnically diverse, it is very competitive, "and I don't know if these children are getting the support they need to make it in this kind of school," she said."Morristown High School has a very strong counseling component and they do a good job. But sometimes the parents don't know how much they have to do, and they don't always know how to support their kids. They just came here, they don't know the language, they don't know the system." 

The choice to give up, to drop out of high school, Lopez-Henriquez said, can occasionally come from parents. But more often, she said, the idea stems from others their own age.

Usually, "they [the parents] tell them to stay, but they don't know the practical steps to help them do that," she said.

Donahoe said the district had a "bilingual day," on a Saturday during the school year, which involves the parents of LEP students, among others.

"Our goal is to try to provide appropriate information so the parents know how to support their children in school," she said.

Although the number of dropouts is low, Pollack said the district is aware of it and does consider it a problem to address.

"It's something we have focused on," she said, noting a redesign committee at the high school that has been meeting to find new ways to make education more engaging to students, LEP and beyond.

"It's a work in progress," she said. "There are many programs in the high school, not just for the dropouts, but to get kids really engaged in education, for the top kids, the middle-of-the-roads and the kids who may be disengaged. Hopefully, we can put them on the road to either more education or vocational training."

Although a lot of different things can have an impact on the decisions any student makes, Pollack said officials want students to see the district as a place offering stability for all.

The small number is "no excuse," she said. "We are not pleased with the results."