Building Inclusive Elementary School Communities for ELLs
New Jersey's HELP Program Wins "Best Practices" Award
The River Edge School District in River Edge, Bergen County,
New Jersey, recently received a "Best Practices"
Award from the New Jersey Department of Education, for a
program called "HELP for English Language Learners," at
Cherry Hill School and Roosevelt School.
This award is presented to outstanding programs
throughout state, and the River Edge schools were
recognized in the category of "World Languages/Bilingual Education Programs." New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey and
Commissioner of Education William L. Librera honored River
Edge and the other winners in a ceremony on June 7th. "New Jersey takes great pride in the innovation and commitment demonstrated by this year’s
award winners," said Governor McGreevey in a message to the honorees.
"These are the innovators and thinkers who help students develop
and improve their skills, discover their interests and abilities,
build their self esteem and confidence, and learn how
to be productive citizens of the 21st century," added
Commissioner Librera.
River Edge's HELP program, started 12 years ago by ESL
teacher Judie Haynes, provides a broad, whole-district approach
to support the education of linguistically and culturally
diverse students, so that they can succeed in the school
program and benefit fully from their educational experience.
"The River Edge district believes that limited English
proficient students need to be involved in learning
not just during their ESL class, but during the entire
school day," Ms. Haynes said in a recent ESL MiniConference
interview. "If linguistically and culturally diverse
students are to gain long-term personal, social, and
academic success in the United States, their school
community must be ready to help them become productive
through a comprehensive, challenging, and enriching
educational program in the mainstream learning environment--this cannot be
done in isolation, but must be part of a coordinated district
effort."
The HELP program presently includes 56 ESL students and 2 additional
ESL teachers, Christine Gorman and Janet Arena. The objectives of the program,
according to Judie Haynes, are:
· to plan effective English language instruction for ELLs as a
part of a district-wide comprehensive effort which will help ESL
students meet the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards;
· to provide professional development for classroom teachers in
second language acquisition and diverse cultures;
· to assure that students with culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds have a positive educational and social experience
while in our schools;
· to include the parents of ESL students in the education
of their children; and
· to develop in the school community an understanding and
appreciation of the linguistic and cultural diversity of
our student population.
HELP is innovative, according to HELP developer Judie Haynes, because it is designed to include everyone
in the school who works with ELLs. "It begins with school
secretaries when new families walk into the buildings," she
explained. "Staff development has been provided to help classroom teachers
understand second language acquisition, diverse cultures and
the culture shock young students experience when they first
come to the United States from foreign countries." In addition, said
Ms. Haynes, materials have been developed or purchased for ESL newcomers,
and training on adaptations to instructional methods help classroom teachers
better meet the needs of ELLs. Mainstream teachers of newcomers are
provided with a folder of activities for beginning ESL students,
books on tape, computer programs and other suitable materials.
As part of the HELP program, parents of ELLs are invited to meetings to discuss their
concerns and to receive information about how they might help their
children. A translator is provided for each language group. "Parents
are invited to volunteer in the schools, no matter how limited their
English," said Judie Haynes. "A bilingual parent volunteer program organizes parents so that
they can train each other."
In addition, ESL staff and teachers confer regularly on the needs of students,
according to Ms. Haynes. "Revisions to
the ESL curriculum have given ELLs more rapid access to content area
instruction so that they are able to meet the New Jersey Core Curriculum
Content Standards," she said in the interview with ESL MiniConference
Online. "Classroom teachers have received extensive staff
development through attending State ESL conferences, formal inservice
programs presented by ESL staff and informal, regular contact with the
ESL teachers to discuss students' progress."
Judie Haynes has also designed a Web site, www.everythingESL.net,
where classroom and ESL teachers who work with culturally and linguistically diverse students can access information about second language acquisition,
cultural diversity and lesson planning.
One strong motivation for building the "Everything ESL"
site is so that through training about second language acquisition and
culture shock teachers can be helped to provide a language
nurturing environment to newcomers, said Ms. Haynes. "A nurturing environment
not only contributes to the social adjustment of the
child, but also allows for more rapid language development," she explained.
"The most crucial need of newcomers in their new surroundings
is not linguistic, but social. Having a good relationship
with the classroom and ESL teachers and having friends
are the antidotes to much of the anxiety experienced by newcomers."
A crucial element in the winning formula which garnered
River Edge the "Best Practices" award, according to HELP program developer
Judie Haynes, is the cooperative spirit school staff members establish
by sensitizing mainstream classmates of newcomers to these individuals'
special needs. "Older ESL students
rapidly become a part of the student body, participating
in chorus, band, musically talented, art talented programs,
gifted and talented programs," she told ESL MiniConference. "Many students participate
in these programs within the first year of their arrival
in our schools."
Press Release from the New Jersey Department of Education
By Robb Scott
2002 ESL MiniConference Online
Judie Haynes is the author and co-author of four books on
helping classroom teachers with their second language population:
"Newcomer Program Grades K-2," "Newcomer Program Grades 3-6," "Classroom Teacher's ESL Survival Kit #1" and "Classroom Teacher's ESL Survival Kit #2."
She also co-authored a chapter in TESOL's "Integrating Standards
into Classroom Practice." Ms. Haynes has taught elementary ESL for
22 years; the last 16 in River Edge, New Jersey. She is an active
member of NJTESOL/NJBE and is currently editor of the NJTESOL/NJBE
Voices, an affiliate newsletter. She is the Chair of the TESOL
Elementary Interest Section. ESL MiniConference Online recently
interviewed Judie Haynes after learning that the State of New
Jersey had given special recognition to a program she developed. You can contact her at judie@everythingESL.net.
List of Best Practice Award Winners for 2001-2002
New Jersey Department of Education's Office of Innovative Programs and Schools
robb@eslminiconf.net
Editor, ESL MiniConference Online