LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As the number of English language learners continues to grow in Kentucky, Fayette County Public Schools is working with students and families to meet the growing need for resources and services.

Geoneida Molina moved to Lexington from Venezuela last year with her 8-year-old daughter. Molina said that despite the language barrier, her daughter is successful and now has a good command of English.

LEX 18 spoke with Molina about his experience moving to the area with the help of a multilingual family ambassador.

“My daughter’s experience was truly remarkable,” she said.

She added that her daughter was able to quickly integrate into the FCPS community.

“This was very important because she feels happy, safe and secure.”

Rose Santiago is the head of the district’s multilingual department. Santiago grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to the Bronx in New York City and began learning English himself.

He said that he was able to succeed at school thanks to teachers who pushed him and empathized with him rather than pitying him.

“I said I would be a bilingual teacher because they were so effective,” she said. That’s exactly what he did, working as a bilingual teacher across the country before becoming director of multilingual and skilled services for FCPS.

His experience influenced the way he works with students and families.

“I remember the day my mom enrolled me, she went to school. And the day she went to school the second time was the day I graduated. It wasn’t because she didn’t care, it was because she didn’t know how to navigate the system,” Santiago said.

His team worked to develop programs that would integrate not only the district’s students but also their families.

Eight multilingual family ambassadors from the region’s 113 different language backgrounds serve as bridges between schools and families who cannot speak or write English.

The district has also contracted interpreters and translation devices to assist with communication. Classes for families and a multilingual center that helps connect families with food, shelter and employment have also been effective.

“We are adding professional learning opportunities for our families to understand attendance, to understand how to navigate the school system, their rights, but also their responsibilities,” Santiago said.

The district’s testing results showed consistent improvement among English language learners. In 2022, 17 FCPS schools were flagged under federal guidelines for “low achievement” among English language learners. Only 6 FCPS schools were flagged this year.

“No matter the zip code, what we do is remove barriers and provide opportunities,” Santiago said.

This article is the second part of a two-part series on the growing English language learner population in Kentucky schools. The first part can be found Here.