EDITORIAL:

Illegal immigration is often blamed for having drastic effects on the local economy and especially the school system.

The children of immigrants often have parents whose first language is not English and who do not speak it at home. Parents can’t read to their children in English or help with reading homework, as native speakers can.

From the start, children who speak English as a second language begin their education with a marked disadvantage that native speakers don’t have.

Such was the norm in Newport-Mesa schools for many years. The large influx of Spanish-speaking or ESL children taxed the educational resources, mostly in the predominantly Latino Westside of town. The result was weaker test scores and school standings.

But the district addressed the problem by creating a program specifically for English-language learners.

Led by program director Karen Kendall, the efforts to boost English language learning in Newport-Mesa schools has been, by all accounts, a roaring success.

Hundreds of students have been reclassified from English learners to English speakers. Nearly all district teachers are now qualified to teach English learners.

This year is no different as Newport-Mesa leaders and teachers produced a 4% increase in ESL students climbing into the advanced learning categories. In fact, Newport-Mesa led the state in these advancements.

As the donnybrook over illegal immigration continues to froth, it would be wise to hold Newport-Mesa up as a model for how to do it right.

While we don’t hold any illusions that the animosity and anger many hold toward non-English speakers is going to subside soon, we do know that the good work being done by school district leaders will help to gradually calm those waters.

As more children of immigrants learn the language, the transformation into English speakers and adoption of American culture becomes more widespread.

Just as it happened with immigrants in the past, the Latin American immigrants of today will be vastly different than their children and grandchildren in education and socioeconomic levels. And as in the past, education has been the key to that success.

So we tip our hat to Newport-Mesa and leaders like Kendall. The work you are doing to ensure the success of a new generation of immigrant children is not going unnoticed.