Contribution: Simple Ideas to Help End English Learners Dropout Rates

 Karen Arely Perez

Department of Education, University of Houston-Clear Lake

SILC 4310: Foundation of Bilingual and ESL Education

Dr. Leslie Gauna

October 18, 2023

Dear UHCL students, faculty, staff, and alumni,

Many of us here at UHCL are just beginning our educator studies, while others are about to graduate. As we go out in the field, we will encounter many English Learners (EL) that will need our support. Recent studies have shown that there has been an increase in dropout rates in EL. As new teachers, it is important to understand the reasons behind EL’S dropout rates, in order to be able to come up with support systems that will help them with their academic success (Rodriguez et al., 2020).

According to Rodriguez et al., (2020), there are several factors that contribute to EL leaving school. One problem that stands out is that the majority of EL are disadvantaged because of their economic status. Many of these students are born from immigrant parents, which results in students not being able to get the academic help from their parents (Rodriguez et al., 2020). There are consequences for not finishing high school such as not developing the necessary skills in life in order to survive in the world. I believe one way of helping low-income students with their economic status so that they can stay in school is providing them all with free meals versus reduced-priced lunch. It’s been noticed throughout the years that some students skip breakfast because they have no access to it (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022, October 2019). Hunger makes children feel tired, irritable and unfocused. We want to alleviate the economic hardships for those that cannot even afford a reduced-priced lunch. It has been proven that food helps students stay energized and alert to keep up with their school course work. When students have access to food that is nutritious, they perform better academically (Minter, 2019, February 12) Furthermore, districts could allow teachers to have their own online websites in English and Spanish providing weekly information and resources on the material taught to students. This could help them have an idea of what their child is learning and possibly allow them to assist their child. When parents know and fully understand what is happening inside their children’s class, they are better able to establish a connection between their child and their school which in turn, supports their development for further learning.

Another problem that contributes to the massive dropout rates and the difficulty EL have understanding the reading material is the coursework that is given to EL over multiple years. When the student does not receive coursework that is age and grade suitable, it will lead to lower states of English proficiency and negative academic outcomes. It is understandable that students will need support comprehending what they are learning but teachers must keep in mind that their proficiency does not prove their intelligence or ability level. Many teachers have stated that when EL have perplexing reading material to comprehend, and immense amount of time is spent trying to process the information, which in turn takes time away from students getting involved in activities that apply to the lesson. A way to help these students is by advocating for “smaller classes, more class time, and more teachers” (Rodriguez et al., 2020)) It would also greatly benefit the teachers to have assistants who can provide extra support to the EL by having individualized group instruction (Rodriguez et al., 2020)

According to Rodriguez et al. (2020), teachers have related that lack of funding is also one of the most major factors that hurt the academic success of EL. Because of this reason, teachers think that not much can be done instead of thinking of innovative ideas to improve the academic results of EL. An alternative option is frequent professional development for teachers. Keeping up-to-date with new teaching innovations and ideas will help the teacher acquire more knowledge that can be used to support all children’s language development. Another very effective option that is sometimes overlooked and does not require funding is linking students’ background knowledge and culture to learning (University of Massachusetts Global, [UMG], n.d.) When students see that their culture is incorporated into a lesson, they feel more motivated and engaged to participate, and in turn, are more successful (Rodriguez et al., 2020)

As educators learn about the many reasons why students drop out of school we realize that there are many creative solutions that we can implement to increase EL graduation rates. For example, students who are challenged to learn very complex content need additional teacher support to have time to participate in all the classroom activities, have smaller classrooms for effective support, and more class time for mentoring. Taking into consideration the families’ economic statuses by providing free access to food in schools will help them learn by increasing their mental capacity to focus and reason. Providing parents online access to their children’s coursework along with additional resources will allow parents to participate in their children’s education. Teachers engaging their students with simple and innovative cultural lessons, rather than focusing on the lack of funding, will provide students with fun and meaningful lectures. As future teachers, we can all put our effort into helping advocate together for EL future wellbeing, our future generation.

References

CDC. (2022, October 19). School meals. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolmeals.htm#:~:text=School%20meals%20are%20nutritious.&text=Research%20shows%20that%20students%20who,overall%20diet%20quality%2C%20than%20nonparticipants.

Minter, B. (2019, February 12). How many kids skip breakfast before school? No Kid Hungry. https://www.nokidhungry.org/blog/how-many-kids-skip-breakfast-school#:~:text=The%20No%20Kid%20Hungry%20campaign,early%2C%20before%20the%20day%20begins.

UMG. (n.d). Innovative strategies for teaching English language learners: UMass Global. www.umassglobal.edu. https://www.umassglobal.edu/news-and-events/blog/innovative-strategies-for-english-language-learners

Contribution by Karen Arely Perez