By Anna Guido
Enquirer contributor

SPRINGDALE - An influx of Spanish-speaking students and others whose first language is not English has prompted the formation of a Tristate group to help speed their learning.

The Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Association for Bilingual Education will hold a meeting to publicize its efforts April 23 at the University of Cincinnati.

"It's intimidating for children who don't speak English to enroll in school," said Curtis Spencer, the group's vice president. "They need to learn English to be successful in school. We want to be their advocates."

Spencer is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Heritage Hill Elementary in the Princeton City School District. At his school, the number of ESL students has soared, from 19 in 1999 to 120 in 2004.

Other Greater Cincinnati districts showing significant increases in such students during that period include Boone County, Norwood, Sycamore and West Clermont.

In Ohio, there are 23,000 students whose first language is not English, according to the most recent statistics available (2002-'03 school year). That figure represents an increase of more than 100 percent compared to 1990-'91.

"(Greater) Cincinnati is very inviting because of the job opportunities," Spencer said, noting that 60 percent of the ESL children in the United States are American-born and live in cities where their native tongue is commonly spoken..

The Tristate group's focus is not only on student education, but teacher education.

Sandra Berg, a retired Princeton ESL teacher and immediate past president of Ohio Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), said teachers need the proper skills to effectively deal with non-English speaking students.

"Even though a school district has a TESOL-trained professional, for the most part these kids are in a classroom with regular classroom teachers," Berg said.

That issue, along with others that concern ESL teachers, will be addressed at a May 22 conference for teachers at the Mayerson Academy in Avondale.

The Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Association of Bilingual Education, which promotes bilingualism and biculturalism in education, will hold a public meeting 4-5 p.m. April 23 in the Teachers College at the University of Cincinnati. The meeting is open to teachers, parents and other school and community members. For information, contact Curtis Spencer at cspencer@princeton.k12.oh.us.

E-mail aguido376@aol.com