South Whittier School District is now offering free adult ESL classes every Monday and Wednesday morning at Carmela Elementary.
According to the California Department of Education, 45% of students that are currently enrolled in the South Whittier School District for the 2016-2017 school year, come from households that primarily speak Spanish. With the district’s mission to provide “success for every student”, the district has received input from parents on how they can further assist families in creating student success.
“Our new parent ESL classes were born out of input we received from SWSD parents,” superintendent, Dr. Gonzales, stated. “Our parents want to be better prepared to support their children with their school work and live in a multilingual environment.”
Multilingual environments have the potential to thrust student success forward. The NAE, or the New American Economy, recently released a report stating that the need for multilingual talent has more than doubled in the past five years within the U.S., further supporting that adult ESL classes can have substantial positive effects on student outcome.
The district’s mission aspires to challenge students to reach their full potential and develop their curiosity and thirst for discovery while celebrating families’ diverse traditions, cultures, and languages as foundations for learning.
The ESL classes take place from 8:30 am to 11:30 am and requires registration through the district.