English Learners at MNPS: Why should Nashville support these students?
The Nashville Chamber recognizes the need to foster a talent pipeline for employers that starts in school.
A great education is the basis for future career success – how is Nashville adjusting to the increasingly diverse student population in MNPS?
Nashville’s population is becoming increasingly diverse and alongside those changes, we are seeing changes in student demographics. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that 17% of MNPS students are actively learning English and another 7% are transitioning out of English Learner services. That means nearly a quarter of MNPS students overall are not native English speakers.
The top 10 foreign languages in MNPS are:
- Spanish – 19,144 students
- Arabic – 3,331 students
- Kurdish – 1,153 students
- Somali – 863 students
- Burmese – 530 students
- Swahili – 464 students
- Vietnamese – 427 students
- Amharic – 406 students
- Nepali – 366 students
- Chinese – 243 students
However, over 145 languages are represented in the overall student population. Nowhere is this diversity more apparent than in the Southeast quadrant of Davidson County. An astounding 49% of students in this quadrant that includes Antioch, Cane Ridge and Glencliff are English Learners.
This amazing linguistic diversity is being met head-on by MNPS’ EL Office. The MNPS EL Team aims to “support English learners with the social, emotional, cultural, linguistic, and academic skills necessary to excel in higher education, work, and life.” The work of this office is helping English Learners grow in English proficiency and, in fact, 70% of students showed English Language Growth in the 2017-28 school year, with 47% meeting state benchmarks for growth.
MNPS is working to meet the needs of EL students by increasing support for students with after-school and summer school programming, offering more staff education and support, and adding additional community outreach to make sure EL students don’t fall through the cracks.
Because of the language barrier and other social challenges, this level of support is important for the success of English Learners, in school and beyond. Our research at the Chamber shows just how important this work of supporting English Learners is for preparing these students for their future careers in Nashville. Achievement data published in the 2018 Education Report Card shows that EL students:
- Scored significantly lower on the ACT compared to all students in MNPS. English Language Learners averaged a 14.9 compared to the overall average score of 18.9.
- Are less likely to graduate high school. Only 66.6% of students with Limited English Proficiency graduated on-time, compared to 80.2% of all MNPS students.
- Are impacted more by disruptions to their education like moving schools and chronic absenteeism.
The number of EL students is growing every year and their academic, social, and emotional well-being is important for our continued economic prosperity. Education is a key part of the equation for creating a workforce that helps move our region forward. A talent pipeline that produces high-quality candidates for the jobs of the future will be an invaluable asset for attracting future investment in the Nashville area through business expansions and relocations. Read more about our involvement in education and recommendations to improvement in the 2018 Education Report Card here.