Undergraduate
Saint Michael's partners with Burlington School District for academic English program to improve proficiency & aspirations
Saint Michael's language program to serve New American/immigrant students this summer
Contact Information:
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
"These are the 'Mom and Pop' hard-workers of the future," one administrator said. "These students can succeed in college and become productive achievers, if we get them over the hurdles they face with the English language." Like many public schools in major cities, Burlington has seen a huge increase in the number of "New American" students lacking English language skills. Although this group of immigrant students gets language support in their high schools, they frequently fail to have sufficient language skills to master complex subjects.
In a program designed to improve the academic English language skills of New American/immigrant ELL (English Language Learner) high school students, and thus prepare them for future college study, Saint Michael's College and the Burlington School District have launched a new program—the Academic English Language Program, that will bring the students onto the Saint Michael's campus for four weeks this summer.
The initial program will serve 48 area students - 9th, 10th and 11th graders - 37 from Burlington High, four from Winooski, four from Essex, and one each from Colchester and Rice. These students generally have made good grades in some high school subjects, but have then fallen off in the upper level subjects where the language is more complex. They will spend five days a week at Saint Michael's from July 13 to August 7, focusing on learning to read academic texts, to think critically about the reading, to handle new vocabulary, and to develop techniques for taking notes, preparing for tests, and handling academic writing.
"There is a talented group of high school students in our diverse population of immigrant families who could do very well with additional language training," said Victoria Orner, Saint Michael's associate director of admission/multicultural student enrollment. Ms. Orner has partnered with the Saint Michael's Applied Linguistics Department and the Burlington School Department to develop the program.
"Saint Michael's has a long-established, superb language program for teaching English to international students - we need to put that program to work for area students who could achieve college if they gain these skills," she said.
Program Directors
Saint Michael's Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics Dr. Daniel Evans (University of Texas Ph.D.) is directing the academic portion of the program, and Victoria Orner is coordinating the college-readiness workshop portion. The academic English program uses a content-based way of teaching language skills. In this case the content will be American Studies - U.S. culture, history and government. They will have math instruction from a Burlington High School algebra teacher. The students are expected to matriculate after the summer into general, honors, "college prep," and/or AP courses.
Saint Michael's College, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael's has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael's professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
"These are the 'Mom and Pop' hard-workers of the future," one administrator said. "These students can succeed in college and become productive achievers, if we get them over the hurdles they face with the English language." Like many public schools in major cities, Burlington has seen a huge increase in the number of "New American" students lacking English language skills. Although this group of immigrant students gets language support in their high schools, they frequently fail to have sufficient language skills to master complex subjects.
In a program designed to improve the academic English language skills of New American/immigrant ELL (English Language Learner) high school students, and thus prepare them for future college study, Saint Michael's College and the Burlington School District have launched a new program—the Academic English Language Program, that will bring the students onto the Saint Michael's campus for four weeks this summer.
The initial program will serve 48 area students - 9th, 10th and 11th graders - 37 from Burlington High, four from Winooski, four from Essex, and one each from Colchester and Rice. These students generally have made good grades in some high school subjects, but have then fallen off in the upper level subjects where the language is more complex. They will spend five days a week at Saint Michael's from July 13 to August 7, focusing on learning to read academic texts, to think critically about the reading, to handle new vocabulary, and to develop techniques for taking notes, preparing for tests, and handling academic writing.
"There is a talented group of high school students in our diverse population of immigrant families who could do very well with additional language training," said Victoria Orner, Saint Michael's associate director of admission/multicultural student enrollment. Ms. Orner has partnered with the Saint Michael's Applied Linguistics Department and the Burlington School Department to develop the program.
"Saint Michael's has a long-established, superb language program for teaching English to international students - we need to put that program to work for area students who could achieve college if they gain these skills," she said.
Program Directors
Saint Michael's Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics Dr. Daniel Evans (University of Texas Ph.D.) is directing the academic portion of the program, and Victoria Orner is coordinating the college-readiness workshop portion. The academic English program uses a content-based way of teaching language skills. In this case the content will be American Studies - U.S. culture, history and government. They will have math instruction from a Burlington High School algebra teacher. The students are expected to matriculate after the summer into general, honors, "college prep," and/or AP courses.
Saint Michael's College, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael's has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael's professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
