At KHSCD, 9.2% of students are identified as having Limited English Proficiency (LEP). These students come from a variety of backgrounds, speak many different languages (e.g., Spanish, Portuguese, Yoruba, Mandarin, Swahili), and have varying levels of English proficiency. It is vital that we provide a quality education to all students, regardless of their language, so I have been working with my partner librarian and the ESL teachers to make navigating the library and our lessons in particular a little easier. In doing so, students can focus on the content, not on any language barriers.

With 1700 students, it is difficult to know which teachers have which students during a given class period. As such, we have started asking the teachers questions about special accommodations or learning needs when they schedule lessons or time for their classes in the library. Using what we learn about the students, we make sure we have supports in place so they can be included and reach their learning goals. On the advice of the ESL teachers, we have worked to incorporate more pictures and fewer words on the instructional materials we use. We have also provided translated copies of materials when necessary, and we work with the teachers to pair students appropriately during our lessons.