Multilingual & Multicultural Center
The Multilingual and Multicultural Center oversees Portland Public Schools' English Language Acquisition Program for students whose home language is not English. To ensure equal access to educational opportunities for these students, the Center provides support services in the areas of classroom instruction, summer academic programs, staff development, curriculum and materials development, assessment, parent and community outreach, and advocacy.
Description:
The Multilingual and Multicultural Center houses the Family Welcome Center, the Multicultural Resource Library, and the Intensive English Language Program for high school newcomers. The Family Welcome Center coordinates the registration, intake data, health screening, and English language proficiency/literacy assessment of language minority students entering Portland Public Schools. The Multicultural Resource Library has a special collection of books, professional materials, and videos in 24 different languages available on loan to staff, parents, and community members. An Intensive English Language Program serves high school-age students who are newcomers with no schooling or literacy in their native language.
Some of the other services available through the Multilingual & Multicultural Center include: Summer Programs, a four-week intensive summer school for English language learners, Parent Outreach, providing services for limited English-speaking parents in Portland schools, and Translation and Interpretation Services, provided for parents by those who speak their language and understand their culture.
The Center can also help to arrange speakers on issues facing English language learners and their families, Trainings, workshops and seminars for businesses, non-profit organizations and educational institutions, and
Educational and Cross-Cultural Consultations.
History:
Portland Public Schools’ educational program for English Language Learners (ELLs) began in 1980 with approximately fifty K-12 students from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The first program was partially funded through a federal grant which allowed the district to design an effective educational program and develop teaching and learning materials appropriate to the needs of ELLs. Through the Center’s efforts, the school district has been awarded various innovative grants by the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition and has earned national recognition as a Program of Academic Excellence.
Over the years, Portland’s multilingual community has grown exponentially and become increasingly more diverse. Currently, the district has over 1,800 students who come from homes where over 50 different languages are spoken. These students represent about 25% of Portland Public Schools’ total enrollment; some 1,400 of them are identified as English Language Learners.
Contact people:
 |
Grace Valenzuela, Program Director, (phone)
Marguerite MacDonald, Program Coordinator, (phone)
Martha Royston, Volunteer Manager, (phone), (email) |
Office fax number: (207) 756-8421
Address:
Web Site: http://www.portlandschools.org/schools/multilingual/index.html
| Last updated on November 19, 2009 |
