Behind the boom in English leaners at MNPS

Howdy, everyone. This is children's reporter Rachel Wegner , here with the latest on kids, education and more.

When I met Sherlyn, a spunky, well-spoken, book-loving teenager, I was sad to learn that she spent a lot of years embarrassed to speak English, her second language. It held her up in social situations, at school and during her yearly English proficiency test. She had no issue thinking, writing, understanding and even dreaming in English. But when it came time to speak, she'd get anxious about her accent, second-guess herself and freeze.

With time, along with encouragement from teachers and friends along the way, she overcame that challenge and built her proficiency. She graduated from high school this spring and will head off to college this month.

Multilingual learners, also known as English learners, like Serrano are booming at Metro Nashville Public Schools. In the last decade alone, the population has skyrocketed, now making up around a third of the district. With that growth comes increasingly diverse needs.

I spent the last few months dropping into classrooms, listening to teachers and students and learning how multilingual learners navigate MNPS. Ready to dig in? Here's the rundown.

• First, a glimpse at the data behind the changing demographics at MNPS and what it means for students learning English.
• Next, a deep-dive that takes us from the heart of Sherlyn's story to kid-sized chairs in an elementary school classroom to the hubbub of the MNPS Office of English Learners.
• Finally, a story that features a teacher who specializes in working with kids who are learning English — and an inside look at the nuts and bolts of how it all works.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Behind the boom in English leaners at MNPS