Rosa began 2nd grade not understanding letter sounds in English or in her native language, Spanish. Newly arrived in Texas from Honduras, Rosas was simultaneously getting used to a new school environment, a new country, a new culture, and a new language.
As I worked with Rosa, she slowly opened up, smiled a bit more, and started participating more. As she gained confidence, she became the first one to try to read a new word or demonstrate the sound of a letter. Each day, the moment we saw each other in the hallway, Rosa ran up to me with a huge smile and asked “Maestra, hoy nos vamos a llevar?” Teacher, are you taking us for class today? She was more and more excited to learn.
Rosa could’ve just as easily been left behind if not for our district’s reading intervention program. Through this service, I use data to help students like Rosa,by utilizing information on whether or not she’s performing at grade level, projected STAAR scores, and teacher feedback. All this helps me tailor support for Rosa and other multilingual students.
As of 2021, there were over one million multilingual learners enrolled in Texas schools. In Austin ISD alone, there were more than 21,000 identified multilingual learners, and the number has only grown. Yet, the funds that provide support for students like Rosa to be successful have not increased at the same rate of growth as their number. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, which were tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, were an essential help. But at the end of September 2024, these funds expired.
If ESSER-funded intervention programs are dissolved, students like Rosa will no longer receive the targeted support they need. They won’t have a teacher like me help them learn basic phrases like “Can you help me, please?” or “I don’t understand. Can you repeat, please?” or “May I use the restroom please?” Most importantly, without proper funding, this could result in the dissolution of reading intervention services, meaning these students will be less likely to unlock the joy of reading, learning, and connecting with others in a new language.
In order to meet these students’ needs, we must adapt a strategic approach to increasing school funding for our large population of multilingual students. By utilizing TELPAS, a yearly reading and writing test to identify a student’s level of English, and at-home language surveys, already required by law to be completed at the start of the year or when each new student arrives, districts are able to accurately estimate their number of multilingual learners. Texas should use these numbers to allocate funding for districts and also ensure districts can apply for additional funding to accommodate for the influx of new students. That money can be placed into a fund to be used for multilingual learner supports such as hiring bilingual content interventionists or adapting newcomer English language acquisition programs.
The 89th Texas legislative session should focus on setting up multilingual learners like Rosa for success within our classrooms. Investing in multilingual learners before they graduate will set them on a positive trajectory while in school and it also strengthens Texas’ future workforce and economy by increasing their earning potential, job opportunities, and contributions to a globally competitive market. I applaud Austin ISD for finding grants for bilingual content interventionists and for placing the needs of our multilingual learners at the forefront of its strategic funding plan. The many Rosas in Texas classrooms deserve nothing less.
Katelyn Damore serves as a bilingual content interventionist at Widén Elementary School in Austin and a returning 2024-2025 Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellow.
If you have an idea for an Opinion-Editorial piece, please send your ideas to Info@LatinoNewsNetwork.com for consideration.