Newport Public Schools are grappling with a surge in multi-language learners, mirroring a statewide trend that has seen Rhode Island’s MLL student population more than double since 2013.
Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain revealed during a conversation with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday, June 26, that Newport’s MLL enrollment has skyrocketed by 327% over the past decade, from 81 students in the 2013-2014 school year to 346 in 2023. The district anticipates further growth in this demographic.
“Rhode Island had the number one growth in the nation, and we have the fifth highest percentage of MLL students across all states,” Jermain said. “The only states higher than Rhode Island are Texas, California, New Mexico, and Nevada.”
This demographic shift has prompted significant changes in Newport’s teaching strategies and staffing decisions. The district is moving away from pull-out instruction models, instead placing MLL-certified teachers directly in classrooms.
“The classroom teacher is the most effective impact for student achievement and learning,” Jermain explained. “Now they’re going to be classroom teachers because they have an elementary certification and they have the MLL [certification]. So the children will get services all day and be with a teacher that has that skill set that benefits all the students in the classroom.”
The transition hasn’t been without controversy. The Newport Teachers Association has filed a grievance over recent staffing changes, which is headed to arbitration. Jermain maintains that no MLL-certified teachers were laid off, but some teachers were displaced to new roles.
“Anyone that’s been displaced has a job,” Jermain stated. “They’re all in jobs.”
The superintendent emphasized that the district is working to bring back as many laid-off teachers as possible, with only 10 currently without positions. She’s exploring options like creating building substitute roles to reemploy more educators.
To address the growing MLL population, Newport has been offering certification programs to its teachers for the past four years. The district covers the cost of the year-long course, which Jermain herself has completed.
“We’re very fortunate. Quite a few, if not most, of our elementary teachers have already taken the science of reading,” Jermain said. “It’s intense. It’s about 60 to 70 hours.”
The changes extend beyond staffing. Newport is adapting its instructional approach to better serve MLL students while maintaining support for all learners. Reading specialists, for instance, are now classroom teachers applying their expertise to benefit all students, not just those previously identified for small group instruction.
“Instead of just servicing the children that have been identifying, they’ll be servicing all the students in the classroom using their skills and their expertise, because that is an area of great need for all our students in the Newport public schools, is literacy and reading,” Jermain explained.
The district is also increasing support for teachers navigating these changes. Jermain’s leadership team, including the MLL director, special education director, and director of teaching and learning, will be based at Pell Elementary to provide on-the-ground assistance.
“We realize it’s going to be a shift for everyone,” Jermain acknowledged. “We’re going to have more boots on the ground in the classroom helping to support the teachers.”
As Newport prepares for the upcoming school year, Jermain identified communication and supporting staff through the transition as key challenges.
“Change is hard for everyone, and I think that’s probably the biggest challenge,” she said. “And communication, if anything, communication. How I can be better at communication as far as keeping people informed on what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and thinking of different methods of reaching out.”
Despite the challenges, Jermain remains optimistic about Newport’s educational future.
“We just want Newport public schools to be a place where every child succeeds, reach his or her full potential, and is a great place where everyone wants to send their children,” she said. “And people enjoy coming to work and they want to be here working with children.”
More from Newport City Council + Newport Public Schools
Newport City Council to tackle holiday events, infrastructure projects at Wednesday meeting
Middletown council, school board to meet on Newport regionalization proposal
New Rogers High School celebrates grand opening with ribbon-cutting ceremony
Newport City Council to consider composting program, harbor patrol vessel contract
Newport City Council approves kite festival permit despite parking concerns, addresses traffic safety measures
Letter to the Editor: Don’t waste $250,000 on redundant study…fund schools!
Pell Elementary’s Sybil Grayko named Newport District Teacher of the Year
Hopefully, not at the expense of serving students with special needs, or the general ed population who is not being advanced to meet their needs as well.
Who is paying for all these extra teachers needed to help all these students???? Not a penny should any English speaking resident pay for anyone of the above mentioned who came illegally into this country . It should be the responsibility of the state who allowed this to happen. If you lived in Newport and wanted to send your child to a Middletown or Portsmouth school , you were not able to do it without being charged. Only if you come in legally and seek citizenship either 3 years if you are married to a resident or 5 years if single. A quota was established so you would never have what is going on in this state today and it is wrong.