English Lab

More than 500 migrant students attend Eisenhower Middle School in Gibsonton. Because of the number of Spanish speaking students there... a federally-funded program has been set up.

In Assignment: Education.. We take a look at a computer lab that's helping migrant students with their English.

--[Student says:] "Welcome to sticky bear pre-school...I'm sticky bear."

This middle school student is learning his a-b-c's all over again...this time in English.

--[Computer voice says:] "E-elephant. Elephant." [Student says:] "Elephant."

It's his first day in the migrant academic support lab at Eisenhower Middle School.
The program was designed because of the abundance of migrant students who go to school here. Students are taught English with the help of computers.

--[Teacher Dan Parravano says:] "What we're trying to do is we're trying to put them on a level playing field. We want them to have the base of English. So, that when they go into the history class, when they go into the science class, when they go into the other classes..they're not..they understand what the teacher is saying."--

Luz Gaona is the teacher assistant in this class. Her parents were field workers years ago. Students identify with her and when they see she's made it through school and is successful...it gives them something to strive for.

--[ Teacher Assistant Luz Gaona says:] "When they see like me and I live in their neighborhood and they're like she has a car and she goes to school and she works at our school. That's all they know."

For students like Sarah Lopez, it's important to know how to speak English. Her parents only know Spanish and need her as their translater.

--[Sarah Lopez/student says:] "When we go to stores my mom want to ask a lady where the stuff are and my mom tell me to ask it... how much are the things. So I translate for my parents."--

The migrant students are finding out not only do need English to pass in school..but also to succeed in their everyday life. Eisenhower Middle School is the first school in the state with a program like this.

This article was brought to you
straight from the desk of

in the Newsroom of