How can we better serve bilingual students? Find out at Lone Star College-CyFair’s Education Speaker Series event April 2.

“In response to the growing bilingual student population, bilingual teachers have an increasingly valuable role in Texas schools,” said LSC-CyFair professor Shamim Arastu. “The demand for strong and effective bilingual teachers and ESL teachers is growing faster as the population of non-English speaking students continues to rise.”

According to the Texas Education Agency, there were 1,010,756 English Language Learners (ELL), 537,055 Bilinguals, and 468,710 English as a Second Language (ESL) students during the 2016-2017 school year, said Arastu. In 2017-2018, 89% of English Learners (EL) identified Spanish as their home language.

Moreover, academic performance gaps found on state assessments in reading and writing and other subjects widen in higher grades between our non-native English speakers and other students, she said. There are also wide gaps between ELLs and all students in high school graduation rates in Texas.

“This information, and other research, supports the need to address our ELL and Bilingual student populations,” said Arastu. “In April, our Education Department is bringing in current education professionals to share effective approaches to bridging the Academic Achievement Gap faced by bilingual students and to help them succeed.“

Register now to attend this speaker series event set at 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Center for Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) room 110 at 9191 Barker Cypress. Light refreshments will be served.

Email Shamim.J.Arastu@LoneStar.edu for event information.