L-R: Tricia Massucco, After the Bell Program Manager; Joyce Rios, ELL Career Pathways Internship Program Facilitator
Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) conducts a vital and innovative program called the English Language Learners (ELL) Career Pathways Internshipship Program. Now in its second year, Joyce Rios (a former Carver employee who helped to manage our after school program at Norwalk High School) is the ELL Career Pathways Facilitator (riosj@norwalkpublicshools.org).
Joyce invites local businesses and organizations to consider helping make this program successful for our English Language Learner students. There is no cost to the internship providers.
Carver is helping. Two ELL Career Pathways students just met with the leaders of our After the Bell before/afterschool program operating in nine NPS elementary schools. We are also sending Joyce Carver volunteers who want to help.
This important program gives English Language Learners at the high school level an opportunity to develop leadership skills, receive job training and work experience, and build self-esteem. The students also develop mentor and community relationships through the internships.
The ELL Career Pathways students receive support from a job coach that serves as a facilitator between the student and the workplace. The job coach helps prepare, train, and supervise the students.
The NPS ELL Education Department is dedicated to ensuring that Norwalk’s English language learners throughout the district receive the best education possible. The ELL and general education teachers are working hard to create the same learning opportunities for our ELL students that are afforded all students in the district. Federal and state law requires the city to offer nothing less.
The ELL population at Norwalk High School and Brien McMahon High School is up 39 and 24 percent, respectively, year-over-year. Districtwide, there are 2,061 ELL students, as of October 2019, up from 1,832 in 2018. Norwalk’s ELL students come from 44 countries and speak 32 languages. Roughly 90 percent are Spanish-speakers.
