Migrant Students Struggling in California Schools
Posted on: Monday, 12 May 2008, 18:00 CDT
By Kim Minugh, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
May 12--California's migrant students are struggling to meet high school graduation requirements for math and English -- if they enroll in high school at all -- and at all ages tend to learn English at a slower rate than other English-language learners, according to a report released Monday by the California Department of Education.
The report assesses the progress and needs of the state's migrant student population -- children whose parents work in the fields or in other agriculture-related jobs, and who tend to change school districts as a result of their parents' work.
California has the largest such population in the country, with more than 240,000 migrant students enrolled in public schools.
According to the report, migrant students are acquiring English more slowly than other English-language learners. They are less likely than other students to enroll in preschool, and 23 percent of migrant students in kindergarten are overage.
In high school, migrant students struggle to meet graduation requirements for math and English, and they rarely enroll in college-preparatory classes, the report says.
A "significant portion" of high school-aged migrant students who come into California don't even enroll in high school. Those students make up the fastest growing population of migrant students, according to the report.
To read the report, visit www.cde.ca.gov/sp/me/mt/cnareport.asp.
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Source: The Sacramento Bee
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