Raising the Achievement of English Language Learners in the Buffalo Public Schools: Report of the Strategic Support Team of the Council of the Great City Schools, Winter 2009-10

Council of the Great City Schools. 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 702, Washington, DC 20004. Tel: 202-393-2427; Fax: 202-393-2400; Web site: http://www.cgcs.org

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158

Public Schools; Educational Improvement; Second Language Learning; Limited English Speaking; Research Reports; English (Second Language); Second Language Programs; Improvement Programs; Instructional Improvement; Instructional Effectiveness; Change Strategies; Educational Change; Academic Achievement; Enrollment Trends; Special Needs Students; Educational Assessment; Educational Indicators; Student Diversity

The Buffalo Public Schools have made important strides since the somber days in 2000 when the Council of the Great City Schools concluded that the school district was at a crossroads. The school board and then-superintendent Marion Canedo laid important groundwork for the necessary instructional reforms that were to follow. The school board and superintendent turned to the Council of the Great City Schools to look at how well the district's instructional program was meeting the academic needs of these English-language learners and newcomers. This report is how an otherwise well-articulated academic program that is showing strong overall gains can miss students who are learning English as a second language. In some ways the gaps are understandable in that the city is seeing significant numbers of students whose families are new to the country--students the district is just now turning its attention to. Many of these students come from countries that the community has no experience with and speak languages many people have never heard of. However, the school system didn't seem to notice they were here, didn't think to modify an otherwise successful program to ensure that these newcomers could succeed, and didn't create an effective system to reach out to those communities. This report spells out where the programs succeed and where they fall short in meeting the instructional needs of these students. But more importantly the report spells out a series of strategies that will bring these students into the instructional mainstream and improve their achievement. Appendices include: (1) History of Linguistic Diversity in Buffalo; (2) AYP Status of Schools with ELL Enrollment; (3) English Proficiency Analyses; (4) Seattle's Tiered Coaching Support System; (5) Individuals Interviewed; (6) Documents Reviewed; (7) Schools Visited; (8) Strategic Support Team Members; and (9) About the Council. (Contains 23 exhibits and 25 footnotes.) [This report was submitted to the Buffalo Public Schools by the Council of the Great City Schools.]

ERIC

2010

ED511361