Hispanic enrollment keeps S.C. districts busy

By LISA MICHALS

lmichals@thestate.com

The Lexington 2 school district had considered itself prepared for the state’s growing Hispanic population.

Yet, the district still was stunned this year by the rapid increase in the number of Hispanic students. Lexington 2’s Hispanic student enrollment doubled — to more than 450 students in the 8,700-student district.

“We’ve always projected growth, but probably not as much as we’ve had,” said Ingrid Watson, director of Title 1 and academic assistance.

One education research group projects 21 percent of South Carolina’s graduating seniors will be Hispanic in 2018, up from 2 percent in 2005.

So far, many South Carolina districts have shown a tireless commitment to this new and growing group of students, said Catherine Neff, who oversees the state’s English for Speakers of Other Languages programs for the S.C. Department of Education.

But there are going to be serious growing pains, one education expert cautioned.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

S.C. schools enrolled 12,000 Hispanic students three years ago, Neff said. By spring 2005-06, there were 28,249 Hispanic students in the state’s public schools — a 135 percent increase.

Hispanic students account for about 4 percent of the state’s 675,000 students in public school.

About 65 percent of Hispanic students are receiving English for Speakers of Other Languages services, meaning special teachers help them with their language skills. That percentage might indicate that many Hispanic families are recent immigrants, Neff said.

“If the kids have been around (the United States) for a long time, the kids won’t need ESOL services,” she said.

South Carolina only recently started receiving federal money for English for Speakers of Other Languages education, Neff said, adding funding levels are based on Census figures. The state receives about $2.5 million, which doesn’t go very far to educate about 20,000 ESOL students, Neff said.

The General Assembly doesn’t allocate money specifically for the special English-language services, so school districts often supplement programs with their general fund budgets.

Lexington 2, for example, has added services and teachers in recent years, including:

nþHiring a translation service to make important school forms and communications also in Spanish

nþHolding special registration nights at schools for Hispanic families with plenty of translators present, plus pizza and entertainment

nþA newly hired parent involvement-ESOL specialist to support parents and teachers

nþInterpreters for parent-teacher conferences and meetings

nþCourses offered in conversational Spanish, as well as special “school” vocabulary lessons.

“This district is very warm and open,” said Bonnie Mendoza Byrd, Lexington 2’s parent involvement-ESOL specialist. “This district has always recognized that we have all levels of students.”

In Margaret Carson’s kindergarten special English class at Lexington 2’s Saluda River Academy for the Arts, Hispanic students buzzed about Wednesday and practiced their vocabulary. The day’s topic was colors. The students cut out pictures of magazines and glued them to the appropriate collage: blue, green, orange, red, brown.

Skipping back to her seat after adding to the collage, 5-year-old Jasmine Sanchez paused to hug Carson, then sat down with another magazine.

“Green!” she exclaimed, then pointed to another photo. “I found black! There’s black!”

The five Hispanic kindergartners spoke entirely in English during their class — as is the method in most special English classes in South Carolina.

The class has the same bustle and energy of any kindergarten class. Yet these students’ challenge shouldn’t be underestimated, Carson said.

“They are comfortable when they are with three or four or five others, but when they get with their peers, they don’t want to sound funny,” she said.

WHERE WE’RE GOING

State education officials say they can’t predict how much Hispanic enrollments will increase.

However, the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education predicts 21 percent of graduating S.C. seniors in 2018 will be Hispanic, according to a Southern Regional Education Board report.

The uncertainty stems from the heightening national debate about immigration laws, Neff said.

“With tightening the border, we don’t know if that increase can continue,” Neff said.

However, she pointed to case law that said funding could not be withheld from school districts for admitting students who were not “legally admitted” into the United States.

There are already indicators of what kinds of challenges schools might see more of with an increasing Hispanic student population.

For example, Hispanic students — like black students — exhibit an “achievement gap” when compared with white students on standardized tests. Results for the 2006 Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests show:

nþ66 percent of Hispanic students passed the English/language arts tests; 85 percent of white students passed, and 65 percent of black students passed.

nþ66 percent of Hispanic students passed the math tests; 86 percent of white students passed, and 62 percent of black students passed.

“Both groups (black and Hispanic students) are far behind where white students are,” said Joan Lord, the regional board’s director of educational policy.

Hispanic students also have high dropout rates and are more likely to come from impoverished families, she noted.

“That gives you some hint of the struggle you’re going to have,” Lord said.

Most states that don’t already have a large Hispanic population are facing increases, too.

Lord said schools should not be caught up in the controversies over illegal immigration that have surfaced in the political arena.

“The No Child Left Behind act has been very clear that every child in this country will be in school. .æ.æ. That’s the position of the school,” Lord said. “The other issues will be played out as they will be played out, politically and legally.

“From an education standpoint, I think our job has to be to do the very best job for the children.”

Reach Michals at (803) 771-8532.