Correction: This article incorrectly attributed comments by Tricia Kerr, the new state coordinator of programs for English learners, to Kimberly Friedman, spokesman for the state Department of Education.
The office of the coordinator of state programs for students who are learning English has moved from Little Rock to Northwest Arkansas.
Officials at the Arkansas Department of Education decided it would be appropriate to move the office to an area of the state with a high population of English learners, or students whose first language is not English and who need support learning the language, agency spokesman Kimberly Friedman said.
Tricia Kerr, the former English Speakers of Other Languages director for the Rogers School District, started work for the Arkansas Department of Education on June 29. She works in an office at the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative in Farmington.
Four cooperatives in the north and west portions of the state serve 69 percent, or about 26,580, of the state's population of 38,415 students who are English learners, Friedman said. Of those, 17,993 students attend schools in Benton, Washington and Madison counties.
School districts are required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and by the Equal Educational Opportunities Act to provide an alternative language education program to students who are not proficient in English, Friedman said.
Kerr, 46, is working closely with two other Little Rock-based English as a second language specialists, Friedman said. Alan Lytle focuses on testing for English learners and Miguel Hernandez spends most of his time working with school districts receiving federal funding for their English learner programs.
"There are more and more communities across the state getting English learners," said Kerr, an educator with 23 years of experience. "As a district encounters that, they need help in knowing how to respond."
Being in Northwest Arkansas will help Kerr remain connected with English as a second language coordinators who have knowledge and resources that will benefit districts in other parts of the state, Kerr said.
Districts that don't have as much experience with English learners may not know to ask about what to keep in mind for those students, Kerr said. She can use the questions the coordinators in Northwest Arkansas have to inform other districts, she said.
Tasks at the top of Kerr's to-do list are to finish a handbook that will be a guide for districts to follow in developing programs for English learners and to coordinate training for teachers and administrators so they can improve the education of English learners.
When the state had an opening for a new director, Marcia Sanders, assistant director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative, had a conversation with the Education Department's associate commissioner for learning services about moving the position from Little Rock to Farmington, said Charles Cudney, director of the cooperative office.
A high percentage of the state's English learners attend schools in Benton, Washington and Sebastian counties, he said.
"It would make sense to locate that person here," Cudney said.
When the department hired a replacement for Andre Guerrero, the former state director of English as a second language programs, Kerr became the top candidate, Cudney said. She happened to live in Northwest Arkansas.
Mary Bridgforth, the director of English learner programs in Springdale, has known Kerr for years. Bridgforth also is president of the Arkansas Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages organization, a nonprofit started in 1980.
"She brings a wealth of knowledge and skill at working with English learners," Bridgforth said.
In the past, Guerrero was easy to reach, but the state Education Department had just one person working with English learner programs, Bridgforth said. Having Kerr work as part of a three-person team for English learners will provide greater support for districts, especially smaller districts that often need more guidance.
The English as a second language director's office is farther from the Bryant School District, where Katrina Cox is the English as a second language coordinator.
Though some might complain, the location is not an issue, especially with email, telephone and Internet programs that make face-to-face conversations possible, Cox said.
Cox described Kerr as a "go-to" person for advice in meeting the federal requirements for English learners, even prior to her becoming the state director.
"I depend on her, and I will continue to," Cox said. "She's still an expert in what she does. She's still accessible."
Metro on 07/29/2015