Newcomer Programs for Linguistically Diverse Students

Abstract

The population of limited English proficient students is growing. Some of these students also lack core academic skills and knowledge in their first language. To assist recent immigrant students, newcomer programs have been implemented. This article describes the rationale for such programs, types of programs available, and their various features.Many school districts face increasing numbers of middle-and highschool-aged immigrant students with limited proficiency in English. Many of these students also have limited literacy skills in their primary language, often as a result of limited formal schooling. Newcomer programs are designed to address the unique needs of these students. The goals of newcomer programs are to help students acquire beginning English language skills along with core academic skills and knowledge, and to acculturate these students to the U.S. school system. Some programs have additional goals, such as developing students' primary language skills and preparing students for their new communities. This article focuses on newcomer programs at the middle school and high school levels.Newcomer programs that have been identified to date vary in their definition of newcomers. Most include students who are recent arrivals to the There is considerable variation in the organization of newcomer programs. Many are programs-within-a-school, often found in the home school (by designated attendance area) of most, if not all, of the newcomer students. Students in these programs may also participate in some regular school activities outside the newcomer program, such as physical education and art. Upon exiting the newcomer program, students often remain at the same school to continue their studies in the regular program. Other newcomer programs are in separate locations; students exiting these programs then transfer to their home schools. Still other newcomer programs are located at district intake centers, where all English language learners are assessed and placed. For those designated as newcomers, the intake centers offer special, short-term courses before the students enter one of the regular schools in the district. In some districts, the newcomer center has been established at a single centralized site that serves all eligible newcomer students; in others, there are several newcomer centers that serve eligible students in designated sectors. In a few districts, not all newcomer students can be served due to limited resources. Theoretical Rationale for Newcomer ProgramsEnglish language learners who are recent immigrants are often at risk of educational failure or early dropout due to underdeveloped first language literacy skills, limited English language skills, or weak academic skills. The needs of these students often surpass the resources of English as a second language (ESL) or bilingual programs. Generally speaking, newcomer programs are designed to prepare immigrant students to participate successfully in a district's language support program. Several specific and often overlapping considerations ...

Emergent bilingual students in secondary school: Along the academic language and literacy continuum

“…(Spaulding, Carolino & Amen 2004: 8) Some SIFE students attending US schools receive specialized instruction focused specifically on their learning needs, typically through attending a one-year or summer program for SIFE, or in SIFE classes set apart from those of other emergent bilinguals. In spite of research highlighting the importance of home language instruction for SIFE (Klein & Martohardjono 2006; DeCapua, Smathers & Tang 2007; DeCapua & Marshall 2010; Lukes 2011), Short & Boyson (2011) find in their evaluation of newcomer programs nationally that the majority of SIFE programs offer only English as a second language (ESL) rather than bilingual education. Thus, instruction within these programs serving SIFE is typically in English only.…”

The New Juan Crow in Education

“… 1. Short and Boyson (2012) detail that newcomer students refer to adolescent immigrant students who have recently arrived to the United States and who need to learn English. A percentage of the newcomer students have gaps in their educational backgrounds or very little previous formal schooling.…”

Language Brokering and Self-Concept

“…However, students who were first-generation immigrants also reported significantly lower happiness and satisfaction scores, suggesting that they experienced lower emotional well-being as compared with U.S-born students. These findings are not surprising considering that many students who have recently immigrated to the United States face a variety of stressful environmental conditions (e.g., family separations, poverty, discrimination, and cultural conflicts between home and school) that place them at an increased risk for negative student outcomes (Short & Boyson, 2012; Suárez-Orozco, Suárez-Orozco, & Todorova, 2008). Given the risk factors that are often present in their environmental contexts, in combination with results from the present study suggesting that immigrant students may experience lower emotional well-being, parents, teachers, and other adults who work with newly arrived students should pay careful attention to their psychological health during this critical adjustment period.…”