Superintendent appoints new Assistant Superintendent for English Language Learning

BOSTON – Superintendent Carol R. Johnson today announced the appointment of Dr. Eileen de los Reyes as Assistant Superintendent for English Language Learning for the Boston Public Schools (BPS).

Dr. de los Reyes brings to the position nearly two decades of experience in the education of students of color, primarily those whose first language is not English. She has served on the faculty of Goddard College and as a Research Associate at the Mauricio Gaston Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

“Eileen de los Reyes has precisely the vision and expertise needed to help lead the Boston Public Schools in a new direction for accelerating the performance of English Language Learners,” said Dr. Johnson. “Her wealth of knowledge and commitment to students whose first language is not English are a critical part of our plan to ensure that all students acquire English and achieve proficiency across subject areas.”

Dr. Johnson’s reorganization plan for the Boston Public Schools changed the central office structure to create the Assistant Superintendent position overseeing English Language Learning and reporting directly to the Superintendent. Dr. de los Reyes will work part-time in the district during the month of April and start full-time in May.

From 2002-2005, Dr. de los Reyes served as a program director in the Boston Public Schools, leading a team responsible for program and professional development for English Language Learners. She has also worked on the faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Salem State College.

For more than 24,000 of the 56,000 Boston Public Schools students, English is not their home language. Among these, about 11,000 are considered “Limited English Proficient” (LEP) or English Language Learners (ELL). BPS students come from more than 40 different countries. The predominant home language of Boston’s ELL population is Spanish, with more than 6,000 native speakers, but dozens of other languages are represented in the schools as well.

Dr. Johnson’s Acceleration Agenda for the Boston Public Schools includes a variety of strategies to improve the education of English Language Learners, as well as specific goals and targets for improvement in student achievement:

· In February, Dr. Johnson opened Newcomers Academy, a preparatory program specifically for immigrant high school students who arrive in the country during the school year – a population at greater risk of dropping out of school.

· The reorganization plan for the district includes expansion of the successful Boston International High School, a diploma-granting school for immigrant students, to serve more students next year.

· The Superintendent also has instituted improvements to the intake process for new BPS students whose first language is not English, to ensure appropriate assessment and counseling for placement in suitable programs that meet the needs of the students and their families.

· On March 25, the Boston School Committee approved the budget for next year, including allocation of some federal stimulus funds for new materials, assessments and teacher training to support the education of English Language Learners.

· The Superintendent’s academic goals for the district include significant gains in English language development for non-native speakers, including nearly all ELL students improving by two or more steps on the MEPA exams required by the State, and at least 70% of ELL students graduating from high school in four years.