The more diverse the country’s population becomes, the more English language learners there will be in the nation’s classrooms. In fact, Education Week reported that between the 1997-1998 and 2008-2009 academic years, the number of these students enrolled in public schools increased by 51 percent.
In Iowa, nearly a quarter of the state’s English language learners are attending classes in the Des Moines Public Schools District, according to The Des Moines Register. More than 5,100 children in the District are receiving help developing their English reading and writing skills. All together, these students speak more than 80 different languages.
Several of Des Moines’ newest residents come from the Asian countries of Bhutan and Myanmar, the news source stated. In some cases, students from these nations cannot even write or read in their native language, which makes picking up English more difficult.
Due to the high number of students in need of language assistance, District officials have considered offering more courses for English language learners, according to the news outlet. The District’s Vinh Nguyen told the news outlet that the longer English language learners remain in the Schools’ English proficiency program, the better their results on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS).
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