Immigrant children in Canadian schools : changing times, meeting needs

Abstract

With planned immigration levels reaching 250,000 annually, the number of children within this quota needing English as a Second Language instruction will be evident. With shifting trends from European and other English speaking countries of origin, the need to meet the challenges posed by students unable to speak either of Canada's official languages will increase. Reduced funding for trained personnel and support services within the school system will necessitate creative uses of resources that may already exist. In the study, secondary data for Canada and Nova Scotia are used to provide a blackcloth of immigration trends and volunteerism. It builds on a developed research base of E.S.L. programmes in Vancouver and Toronto. Primary data have been generated through questionnaires to teachers, school principals and E.S.L. volunteers. A case study analysis of a volunteer E.S.L. programme within the Halifax District School Board is provided. Suggestions and ideas from volunteers provide strategies to be considered for inclusion in future volunteer programmes. The study also provides an outline and suggestions for implementing a volunteer programme within a school board.