Iowa can't educate ELL students on 'shoestring,' advocate says

STORM LAKE, Ia. — Inside a high school classroom in this northwest Iowa town, teenagers from Central America and Asia gather in a circle, playing a game where they spot a picture and say the English word.

Seeing the outline of a T-shirt, a girl grasps for the right words but falters. She gestures with her hands, and the teacher offers help: "I wear."

Across Iowa, school districts are grappling with how best to serve the growing number of immigrant and refugee children moving to the state. In the last 25 years, enrollment in English language learner programs grew five-fold to more than 27,241 students in 2016.

The biggest challenges facing districts like Storm Lake, where 41 percent of students are still learning English, are the time and attention students need to master English, Iowa educators say. Schools struggle to find enough ELL-trained teachers, and leaders say school districts need more state funding to cover additional years of ELL classes for students who have difficulty picking up the language.

Over the last decade, state funding for ELL programs and services has nearly doubled, from $25.9 million in 2006 to $55.4 million in 2016, according to data requested by the Register.

Part of that increase can be attributed to a 2013 Statehouse decision to expanded supplemental financial support for ELL students, expanding funding from four to five years for each student.

But more recent efforts to increase state funding have failed to gain traction, including legislation introduced this session that would have increased per-student state funding from five to seven years, allowing the furthest-behind students to receive ELL support for more years.

Research has shown it can take up to seven years to learn a new language, especially if students cannot read or write in their native language.

“It’s important for some children to have a longer time in the program,” said Tammy Wawro, president of the state teacher’s union. “For some children who have never seen print (writing), they need more time, up to seven years.”

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A state task force that studied English language learner programs in 2013 also recommended increasing the supplemental support for ELL students that districts receive, increasing additional state funding from 22 percent to 39 percent. But that measure has not yet passed.

"It's very discouraging and extremely shortsighted," said state Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City. "You can't (educate ELL students) on a shoestring." She is the ranking member on the Iowa House Education Committee.

Lawmakers told the Register that it's essential for Iowa schools to prepare the next generation of Iowans for work and life in a mostly English-speaking state. About 92 percent of Iowans speak English, 4 percent speak Spanish and 4 percent speak other languages, according to 2015 estimates from the state data center.

“It’s something we have to deal with in Iowa, as our population becomes more diverse,” said state Rep. Walt Rodgers, R-Cedar Falls, chairman of the House education committee. “We have to continue to look at ways to make sure people are learning English. It will definitely be on the table for discussion next session.”

Ben Hammes, spokesman for Gov. Terry Branstad, said it's crucial for students to become proficient in English as quickly as possible.

"If the Legislature decides to extend state funding from five to seven years, (the governor) would carefully review the language and the implications of the legislation," he said.

Racing against the clock

In Storm Lake and other districts with large immigrant communities, "newcomer" classes for recently arrived students have become the norm. Some students have been in Iowa just a few months, others for more than a year.

For teachers hoping to keep children engaged in school, it's often a race against the clock, especially for teenagers. Not all will learn English or graduate before turning 21, when they age out of the K-12 education system.

"We don't have enough time to catch them up, and we can't let them back into school," said Bob Schaller, an ELL teacher in Storm Lake. "Their next step might be: What's a good job?"

Leslie Elizarraraz, a 16-year-old who emigrated from Mexico, progressed quickly through lessons in Storm Lake. She practices with her 6-year-old niece, who speaks English.

"She laughs," Elizarraraz said. "She tells me, 'It's OK, you try.'"

Not all students are so dedicated.

"It's a challenge because at this age, they're more concerned with people making fun of them, not understanding things," said Norma Behm, an ELL teacher in Storm Lake. "They're more self-conscious and they don't want to make mistakes."

In Storm Lake schools, 979 of its 2,365 students were enrolled in ELL programs during the 2015-16 school year. When you count students who have moved out of ELL programs into regular classrooms, it's closer to 60 percent.

Principals and teachers from smaller districts often visit to gather ideas on how to serve new influxes of immigrants and provide programs for students learning English.

"We have an increasing need to prepare all teachers to work with ELL students," said Lia Plakans, an education professor at the University of Iowa. "How do you support one student while the other 32" are English speakers?

Teacher shortage

Education leaders agree that a key to improving English acquisition is properly trained staff.

Yet some of Iowa's college education programs do not offer coursework or endorsements in English language learning, meaning new graduates may not have learned the best way to teach non-English speakers.

Some advocates believe that as Iowa classrooms become more diverse, more training and college preparation are necessary.

"I think we have a lot of work to do," Plakans said.

Iowa is facing a shortage of ELL teachers for all grade levels, among a growing teacher shortage in the state and nation.

According to 2015-16 data collected on the 25 school districts with the most ELL students, on average there was one ELL teacher for every 54 students, a ratio that does not reflect class sizes but offers a gauge of school programming.

But some districts had student-to-teacher ratios two or even three times the average. In Storm Lake, there are 100 ELL students per teacher, and in Denison, 172 students per ELL teacher.

Urban school districts tend to have an easier time attracting educators. Des Moines had 65 students per ELL teacher, while West Des Moines and Urbandale had the lowest student-to-teacher ratio among the 25 Iowa districts with the most ELL students.

School leaders are often creative in serving their students, however. Storm Lake has more than 50 classroom teachers who earned ELL endorsements, which gives instructors additional training on language acquisition and tailoring lessons to learning English.

The district also created a charter school that offers additional support that benefits native-English as well as English-language students.

"We just look at it as our mission," Storm Lake Superintendent Carl Turner said. "What we need to do is help kids make the transition to being an American."