KCTS Connects Special: The Learning Curve

The Bilingual Education Center

Thursday, January 19, at 8:00 p.m.

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One in 15 school children is born outside of the United States and one in seven speaks a language other than English at home. Most school districts put students who have just arrived in America in mainstream schools. Studies show two-thirds of those students leave school without a diploma. Jenny Cunningham reports on these education challenges and a different approach being used by the Seattle Public Schools. Founded in 1980, the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center was designed to help immigrant students succeed in mainstream school. Students range in age from 12 to 21 and their experience with school ranges from “good” to what educators call “pre-literate.” Seattle Public Schools is one of the few districts in the country where high school students have their own “newcomer” school. Does it work? Or are students lost in translation?

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