Kentucky schools have more English language learners than ever before

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Counties across the commonwealth are home to a growing number of students whose first language is not English.

As of this month, Fayette County Public Schools has more than 8,000 students considered “English language learners,” up from about 6,800 just two years ago. These students come from diverse backgrounds and speak more than 100 languages.

This follows a national trend. Data from the Kentucky Department of Education shows that 51,248 English language learners were enrolled in Kentucky schools last year. This number is higher than the 28,743 English language learners enrolled in the 2017-2018 school year.

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Matthew Courtney, policy advisor for KDE’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support, said the trend has caused a “significant strain” on resources as districts struggle to serve students of all backgrounds.

“We see a lot of students coming from regions where they speak very specialized languages, very regional dialects, and those resources cost a lot of money because we need specialists,” Courtney said.

Courtney added that districts will likely need more support and services as this trend continues.

At FCPS, Rose Santiago, director of multilingual gifted and talented services, said the district has implemented a number of strategies to keep up with the growing number of English language learners.

From multilingual family representatives to translation devices on every campus, the district is committed to ensuring the success of all students.

“No matter the zip code, we remove barriers and provide opportunity,” Santiago said.

One of the county’s multilingual family ambassadors is Patrick Irakiza, who moved to Lexington from Rwanda when he was in high school in 2012.

When he moved to Henry Clay High School, he spoke many languages, including Kinyarwanda, Swahili and Kirundi. However, he did not speak English.

“I thought: how can I fit into this environment or how can I fit into a new language in this country?” – he said.

Iraqiza excelled in school and sports, eventually playing football for Asbury University.

Now he helps other students who enter FCPS without English proficiency. He said as the number of English language learners has increased, students’ access to resources has also improved.

“The situation is getting better now. We still have a lot to do. But it’s better than when I was in school.”

This article is the first part of a two-part story about the growing number of English language learners and how school districts are managing to allocate resources to keep up. The second part will be available on October 29.