Trujillo said Garden City has started to turn its dropout rate around by teaching students in their native language for subject matter while they learn English. Gradually they move into regular English-language classrooms. The result is students with good grades. New computers prove popular in an expanding program to teach English to immigrants at Garden City's Adult Learning Center. Other districts often turn to Trujillo for advice.
Garden City is head and shoulders above the rest.
DiCarlo said Emporia also sets a good example. The district will begin a dual-language grade school this fall, teaching both English and Spanish to students. Enrollment grows Enrollment in programs targeted to immigrants rose 200 percent over the past 10 years. Bilingual teachers and interpreters are in short supply, as is funding to pay them, school superintendents say. The highest enrollment numbers are in southwest Kansas, Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita.