Chicago Public Schools leaders on Tuesday reiterated their commitment to supporting bilingual education programs as CPS continues to accept large numbers of immigrant students.
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez met with a group of Latino leaders and parents Tuesday at the Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy in the Little Village neighborhood. From August to January, CPS accepted 5,700 immigrant students, primarily from Venezuela. After years of decline, the number of people enrolled as of Feb. 1 was about 329,000, an increase of 5,600 from the same day last year, according to CPS.
Strengthening bilingual education includes increasing the number of teachers trained and certified in the field and increasing tutoring for Spanish-speaking students in schools without bilingual teachers. Martinez said these approximately 6,000 students will need a lot of academic support.often missing stable housing, basically what is neededappropriate clothing and school supplies.
“Our schools are accepting them and of course building community with them. We still need a lot of support,” Martinez said. “We need continued support from the city and state. Our largest population is preschoolers.”
At Tuesday's event, Martinez also announced the expansion of dual language programs, where students study in both English and another language.
Martinez said CPS has made new investments in bilingual programs this school year, including additional funding for schools that serve immigrants.
But Latino advocates, parents and teachers say much more investment is needed. They are putting a $188 million price tag on what is needed for every school in Illinois that enrolls large numbers of immigrant students.
“We know it will be very difficult given all the demands…but we are hopeful that we can at least raise it to properly teach these students.Additional investment ,” said Sylvia Puente, president and CEO of the nonprofit Latino Policy Forum.
Other advocates say Gov. J.B. Pritzker's proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins in July does not include: enough money to fund the school With many immigrant students.
Martinez said CPS data shows it has more bilingual certified teachers than ever before, but parents and teachers said many bilingual classrooms are overcrowded. ing.
“There's a big difference between a classroom with only English speakers and a classroom with bilingual children,” Marisol Avilés said in Spanish at Tuesday's rally. Her three children attend James Shields Primary School in Brighton Park. “There are too many kids in those classrooms, so we are advocating for more bilingual teachers to help them get quality learning.”
Some teachers said that although there are bilingual certified educators in administrative roles, they are unable to participate in the classroom when many students have special needs.
Maria Pilar Moreno is the bilingual coordinator at Richardson Middle School on the Southwest Side.
“We have some fifth-graders who are reading at a first-grade level in Spanish. We need to catch them up in Spanish, and then we can switch to English. So we're reading in their native language. I have a hard time doing it alone,” Moreno said.
Adriana Cardona Maguigado covers immigration for WBEZ. FFollow her on X @AdrianaCardMag.
