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Schools work to reach migrant workers' children
By Adam Wise
When classes resume in the fall, educators will work on ways to best
reach a small group of students: children of migrant workers.
As families with migrant workers across the country adjust their lives
based on the crop schedule, or travel the country for other types of
temporary work, children are forced into a difficult position as they
adapt to numerous schools during the year, educators say.
The Wisconsin Rapids School District often has families coming to the
area from Texas to help harvest local crops, such as green beans and
potatoes, usually for only months at a time, said Rod Henke, assistant
principal at Lincoln High School.
"It's tough because (students) haven't had any continuity," Henke said.
"I think it's very difficult (for the child). They are not competing on
a level playing field; they are trying to catch up all the time."
School officials have little time to determine where individual children
should be placed -- a determination that isn't as simple as considering
a student's age. Some are enrolled in the English as a Second Language
program, while others are proficient in English.
Through the Migrant Student Information Exchange, children receive an
identification number, so schools can track their progress through the
system, including credit accrual, even while the students move from
district to district, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Dozens of states, including Wisconsin, also use the Portable Assisted
Study Sequence, which essentially is an entire student curriculum in a
box for the child to keep up with his or her studies.
"There's units and lessons and all the materials you need," said Jane
Jauquet, pupil services director for the Wisconsin Rapids School
District. "You independently go through curriculum and, at particular
times, connect with teachers."
The students can use the packets to keep up with their academics, but
unfortunately, academics is not a priority for some families, Jauquet
said.
"I tend to see more elementary- and middle school-aged kids (from
migrant families)," she said. "I've seen some older kids around town
that probably should be in school, and I think they are working. It's a
difficult lifestyle, and the parents who really stress education make
sure their kids get to class and finish.
"It depends on the family because there's one or two migrant students at
the high school level who have won awards for their academic excellence
and then some are truant. It's definitely a struggle."
Tracking the enrollment of migrant students can be difficult, as their
time in districts might be short, but Jauquet recalled an influx of
about 40 students three years ago. In some instances, those families
stayed in the Wisconsin Rapids area.
Henke said in the case of migrant high school students, there usually
are only a few a year, and they vary from having a strong knowledge of
English and Spanish, to little English skills at all.
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