Pennsylvania Hosts National Leaders to Enhance Education of Migrant Students
Posted on: Thursday, 2 November 2006, 09:00 CST
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- State and national migrant education leaders are gathering in State College today to address the challenges and strategies affecting the future education of migrant students in Pennsylvania.
"Governor Rendell's vision is focused on all students - regardless of circumstance and without exception - so they can become academically proficient, graduate from high school and be ready for post-secondary education and a career," said Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak, who is speaking at a conference held by the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Migrant Education Program.
"Our Migrant Education Program delivers specialized support for migrant students facing extraordinary barriers to their education. It is an important tool in our strategy to ensure all students receive the necessary support to be successful in school and beyond. This conference is an opportunity to learn from state and national experts to enhance our efforts to help migrant students succeed."
The two-day conference, "Education Without Barriers," features workshops to give people the chance to share ideas, explore new research-based school improvement strategies and discuss ways to collaboratively ensure every migrant student has the support and tools necessary to achieve academically.
Conference speakers include nationally-renowned experts, including Len Rieser Esq., co-director of the Education Law Center; Roger Rosenthal Esq., executive director of the Migrant Legal Action Program; and keynote speaker Francisco Garcia, director of the Office of Migrant Education for the U.S. Department of Education.
Topics of the conference include the legal rights of English language learners and the status of the immigration policy, as well as behavioral health issues, extended learning opportunities, family-school-community partnerships, and connecting the Migrant Education Program with the Educational Assistance Program - Governor Rendell's $66 million tutoring initiative, best practices for truancy reduction and dropout prevention, and accessing funding sources.
This year's conference also marks the 40th anniversary of the Migrant Education Program, which began on Nov. 3, 1966, and has served nearly 100,000 migrant students in 104 districts during that time.
The MEP is a state- and federally-funded program that helps local school districts coordinate educational continuity programs for children of migrant workers. Services include tutoring, extended school hours, summer and home programs, health and social support, language arts, and increasing parental involvement.
During the 2005-06 school year, the Migrant Education Program helped more than 15,000 students; nearly 9,000 participated in the program last summer. Pennsylvania's MEP students were 86 percent Latino, 8 percent Asian, 5 percent Anglo, and 1 percent African-American. The average migrant family moves five to 10 times each year.
Governor Rendell has enhanced education investments by $1.8 billion since taking office. The 2006-07 education budget increases Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program funding to $847,000. In addition to the Migrant Education Program, many migrant education students participate in the state's Education Assistance Program (EAP), which provides tutoring support to struggling students. During the 2005-06 school year, $66 million was provided for EAP and more than 51,000 students received tutoring. This year's proposed budget maintains EAP funding with another $66 million.
For more information about the MEP or the Department of Education, please visit http://www.pde.state.pa.us/.
The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
CONTACT: Mike Storm, Pennsylvania Department of Education,+1-717-783-9802
Web Site: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/http://www.state.pa.us/
Source: PRNewswire
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