Dear Friends,
Within the past ten years we have seen a huge growth
in the
Latino population, not only in our border states,
but all across
the country. All educators know that there is
a growing
concern to bridge the gap between minority students
and
everyone else. We have found that through the
No Child Left
Behind Act, Latino children are being left
behind. The main
reason for the lag is due to the lack of language
acquisition. It
is safe to say that social vocabulary can be easily
attained.
However, it is the academic vocabulary that is needed
to
succeed in their coursework and state assessments.
While
they are the largest growing minority in the state
of Texas and
across the country, their educational success rate
is
staggering. It is my personal mission to empower
educators
with practical strategies that are unique to helping
predominantly Spanish speaking children. I am
a native to
Laredo (Texas), a border city, and have taught with
great
success, English Language Learners for over 25 years.
