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Meeting the Moment: Woodland Hills Tackles Growing ESL Enrollment
By Andrew Chiappazzi
In the Woodland Hills School District, the rapid growth of the Latino population has increased the need for translators and services. In 2019, the district had about 32 students who qualified for English language development instruction, otherwise known as English as a Second Language (ESL). This school year, that number has grown exponentially to about 115 students, not counting the students who no longer require those services.
The district currently has an ESL program coordinator and two full-time ESL instructors. The population of students in need of such services has the district racing to increase capacity to meet their needs. Unfortunately, solving the issue isn’t as simple as hiring more instructors, according to Eddie Willson, Ed.D., assistant to the superintendent for curriculum at Woodland Hills. “It’s not easy to find teachers with that certification,” he said. In response to the shortage of certified instructors, the district has offered to help pay for the cost of current employees to get their ESL Program Specialist certification.
In the interim, the district has invested in resources to support English learners “across the full spectrum of their learning continuum,” Willson said. “We purchased a lot of different tools to help with translation as well as general language assistance — iPads, translators, little EarPods that translate in real time.”
The district’s primary initiative for supporting English learners focuses on maximizing the time they spend in the classroom with their Englishspeaking peers. “We don’t want them pulled out of class full time, if possible,” Willson said. The district is training teachers to support English learners in their grade-level classrooms.
Building community is a central factor, according to the district’s ESL program coordinator, Rosa Valenzuela Gonzalez. “What I love the most is how other students who are proficient in English have been so warm to our students in general. They know that [English learners] need to carry their iPads to communicate. They’re patient,” Gonzalez said. “And it’s really fun to see staff and even students come up with a Spanish phrase all of a sudden.”
Woodland Hills has created a hub for its ESL elementary students at Wilkins Elementary STEAM Academy. “We have 60 ESL students in one building,” Gonzalez said. “They all have friends there. They love the concept of it, and they feel like they have community there.”
Most students are from Latin America, including large populations from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with a growing group from Venezuela. Additional populations include Somalia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Algeria, China, Russia, and more.
Gonzalez also helps meet the needs of students and families outside of the classroom, connecting them to available resources.
