Districts across the Commonwealth are home to a growing population of students whose first language is not English.
As of this month, Fayette County Public Schools have more than 8,000 students considered “English learners”, up from roughly 6,800 just two years ago. Those students come from a diverse set of backgrounds, speaking more than 100 languages.
It follows a statewide trend. Data obtained from the Kentucky Department of Education shows a record of English learners, 51,248 students, were enrolled in Kentucky schools last year. That number is up from 28,743 English learners enrolled in the 2017-2018 school year.
WLEX Matthew Courtney, policy advisor for KDE’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support, said the trend has caused “significant strain” on resources as districts struggle to serve students of all backgrounds.
“We’re seeing a lot of students who are coming from areas where they speak very niche languages, very regional dialects, and those resources cost a lot of money because we have to have specialists at play,” Courtney said.