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Over the past 30 years, the numbers of U.S. students who come from homes in which English is not the primary language spoken and whose cultures are substantially different from that of the schools they attend, has grown significantly. As a group, English language learners (ELLs) represent one of the fastest growing among the school-age population in this nation and according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education, nationwide, there are over five million students identified as ELLs. In Columbia Public schools (CPS), our current enrollment stands at 800 which is about 4.4% of our school-age population. Nationwide, ELLs speak more than 400 different languages with nearly 80 percent speaking Spanish. Here in CPS, that demographic is somewhat different with 26 percent of our students speaking Spanish and another 15 percent speaking Korean. Currently, ELLs are being served in every building throughout the district by a group of highly trained, dedicated educators.
As a district, we welcome the rich mosaic of ethnicities, cultures and diversity that our ELLs bring to us.
Coordinator:
Sushama Nagarkar, Ph.D., NCSP
snagarka@columbia.k12.mo.us
Secretary:
Heather Croy
hcroy@columbia.k12.mo.us
Office Information:
555 Vandiver Dr.
Columbia, MO 65203
Phone: 573-214-3965
Fax: 573-214-3998