Local News
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Program keeps children migrating toward educationSTAFF WRITER
Imagine starting school at the end of August in Ohio, moving to Texas in the middle of a semester and returning to finish the school year in Ohio — every year.
This was the typical pattern in the school life of Jose Salinas, now the director of the Ohio Migrant Education Center, and continues to be a regular part of life for hundreds of migrant children.
Summer migrant education programs overseen by OMEC work to address the interruptions in education caused by the state-to-state moves which cause students to fall behind.
Lakota and Bettsville schools are two of the nine districts in the state that host OMEC summer education programs for migrant children. The six-week programs are funded through a federal grant and uses teachers from the district to instruct the students.
Lakota offers two programs — one during the day for grades K-6, and an evening session for students in grades 7-12 who may be working in the fields, and unable to attend the day program.
In addition to day and night programs, the school offers a third option, the Access program, for students who do not have a chance to attend the other sessions.
“Some students can’t make it into the school, so we send a teacher to the camps,” Don Windom, director for the Lakota day program, said.
Overall, Windom said migrant summer programs have proven to be successful.
“We have seen real progress. We have seen students who have gone through our program, go through college and become productive citizens of the United States,” he said.
Salinas would agree. His transition from a migrant student utilizing the summer programs in Ohio to overseeing the programs as the director of OMEC make him not only one of organizations success stories, but also one of its biggest advocates.
In addition to trying to close the educational gap created when students move between schools, Salinas said the program also helps older students complete graduation requirements. By moving between states during the school year, students are tossed between two sets of requirements. An effort to meet one state’s graduation requirements often unhinges a student’s effort to meet the other state’s requirements, and the summer program is needed for students to make up the necessary credits for graduation.
“Academically, I was fine. My GPA was right where it needed to be,” Salinas said. “But I would not have been able to graduate on time without these programs,” he added.
Windom said the district has between 100 and 200 migrant students each year, including students from Old Fort and Elmwood who are not usually considered part of Lakota school district.
When migrant students enter the program, educators assess the learning level of students using the Idea Proficiency Test, which concentrates on language arts and reading skills.
Salinas said students are first tested on oral language skills and placed into one of three categories: non-English speaking, limited in English, or fluent in English. If students test high enough with the oral language testing, they can move on to reading and writing testing.
During the course of the summer programs, other tools are available online to aid students and teachers. The Ascend program provides online math tests for students as well as video lessons to help them with new math skills.
Additionally, Migrant Literacy Net allows teachers to gather lesson plans specific to skill sets such as vocabulary, phonics and fluency in English.
Both the Ascend program and Migrant Literacy Net supplement the in classroom teaching provided in Lakota’s summer programs. But classroom education is not the only thing OMEC summer programs offer. It also provides a safe place for migrant children so they are not left alone in the migrant camps or taken into the fields where pesticides and heavy machinery create a dangerous situation.
“If these programs don’t exist, these kids don’t have anywhere to go,” Salinas said referring to the hours their parents are working in the fields.
Apart from the classroom, students are given the opportunity to go on a field trip each year to places such as the Toledo Zoo.
The well-being of students is also addressed through health fairs funded by Maumee Valley Presbytery. Students receive free health examinations, and if needed, additional services such as eye glasses or basic dental work. Salinas said these services aid the program by helping to ensure students are not distracted from school work by health problems.
Salinas said students in the program face many challenges because of the transient nature of migrants and the typically low socio-economic levels.
In addition, Windom said the moves made by families can make it difficult for students to complete the full six-week program. Some students come late while others leave early.
Regardless, educators continue to work with migrant students in need and help them in any way possible. Lakota’s day and night programs runs until the end of July with the Access program continuing until August. Additionally, Bettsville’s summer program picks up at the end of July and runs until the beginning of school in the fall.
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Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
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