Arkansas Districts Get HELP Through Grants
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2/1/2007—According to Digital Directions International (DDI), two districts in Arkansas have been added to the list of those implementing the company's Help with English Language Proficiency (HELP) program, affecting students in 14 middle schools and high schools.
The HELP program offers a supplementary curriculum that assists students with math skills and, according to DDI, is "particularly well suited for the large and growing Hispanic student population." DDI said that for ELL students using the HELP program, math ability has improved by more than 70 percent. HELP materials can be used in classrooms or accessed from home, allowing parents who do not speak English natively to assist with the student's education. The latest implementations were added to two districts in Arkansas through a grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
The two Arkansas districts adding the HELP program to their curricula include the Springdale and Rogers School Districts. Fourteen schools in these districts will adopt the program, which, in total, serve 25,000 students. According to DDI, about a third of the students in these schools are considered English language learners.
"The Springdale and Rogers School Districts have researched supplemental curriculum to help our English Language Learners with math," said Judith Hobson, ESOL program director for the Springdale School District, in a prepared statement. "With DDI’s HELP Program we found a curriculum that will not only improve ELL’s math ability but also will improve the speed of their language acquisition and their overall self-esteem."
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About the author: Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters. He can be reached at [email protected].
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