Graduation rate low among English learners

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - New York State is taking a serious look at the low graduation rates and failing grades in Buffalo schools. Advocates are raising special concerns about students who are just learning English as a new language.

Hispanics United Board of Directors President Carmen Melendez said, "Something has to give, something has to change."

About a dozen members of Hispanics United wanted to make it clear to school officials, if you improve the English Language Learners Program, you'll improve the district's overall graduation rates.

Casimiro Rodriguez said, "You know, there's a lot of federal funds, a lot of local funds going into the Buffalo Schools for these programs and we want to see some improvement."

11 percent of the Buffalo school students have some other primary language, and among that group, the graduation rate is only 36 percent.

Eleanor Paterson of the ECC English Second Language Program said, "Our children are getting shortchanged. They're being asked to behave as native language speakers, and they're not."

It's no coincidence that the Persistently Low Achieving Schools like the Waterfront School has more than its fair share of English Language Learners.

School Board member Chris Jacobs said, "They require kids who come in as refugees who have never had formal education at all and they have to be tested within a year, and they're counted on us as a failure when they've made leaps and bounds in a year and a half coming from a refugee camp and now are in our schools."

This meeting comes as the State Education Department has set a May 9th deadline. 13 Buffalo schools have been deemed as Persistently Low Achieving schools, and the state is requiring the school superintendent to submit a new plan for improving nine of them.

School Board President Ralph Hernandez said, "Dr. Williams and his team right now are working diligently as they possibly can to put together a cohesive package that the Board can review within the next couple days or so and submit to the state."

There is another public meeting about graduation rates on May 3rd at the Makowski Early Childhood Center at Jefferson and Best.