Success Despite the Odds: Achieving Academic Success with Spanish-Speaking English as a Second Language Students

The changing cultural demographics of many Center City schools have increased the need for English as a Second Language programs throughout the district. In an effort to meet the educational needs of a growing population of non-English speaking students and families, teachers and researchers developed many curricular models. Using language acquisition models developed over the last century, educators in this district and throughout our nation strived to simultaneously teach English Language Learners academic subjects and the English language . However, despite these developments, not all schools with English as a Second Language students, implemented and maintained academically successful programs for these children. The objective of this study was to first define and identify a curricular model and school within the Center City School district that demonstrated academic success with Spanish-Speaking. Using research based literature that addresses effective schools, school leadership, and effective educational models for ESL students, I established a standard that I could use for comparison. Having accomplished that prerequisite, I examined the factors that contributed to ensuring the academic success of impoverished Latino children in a specific urban school’s ESL program