Bilingual Support Services

The Lansing School District offers Language Assistance Programs (LAP) for Multilingual Learners at Cumberland, Lyons, Sheridan Road, Gardner, and Eastern, Everett, and Sexton high schools. Programs provide services with highly qualified ESL teachers, Specialized Bilingual Assistants, SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) trained content area teachers, and referrals to available community services.

Every academic year, each school is assessed and ranked by the number of students speaking a given language. This data provides the framework for the creation of a Bilingual Assistant schedule where staff languages are paired with the greatest needs in each school. Bilingual Assistants are funded with supplemental funds which include: Title III LEP, Title III Immigrant, Title I, Section 41a and Section 31a.

In 2016, the Dr. Eva L. Evans Welcome Center and Bilingual Intake Office were created to provide a resource where the newly arrived could be tested for English proficiency (WIDA test), and be screened for stressors that are important to identify in supporting student's academic success. The Welcome Center also provides parents with an orientation providing community and school resources (e.g. Adult ESL classes, community services, afterschool opportunities, Parent Nights, etc.).

Visit the Bilingual Intake Office Page to learn more and make an appointment.

The Lansing School District Newcomer Center is a program designed to support newly arrived students in grades 2 through 12 with low English proficiency. The center serves as a bridge to help these students and families smoothly transition into the American school system by building their English language skills, helping them understand the structure and expectations of the Lansing School District, and preparing them for success in their future classrooms. By scaffolding the learning process, the center ensures that students develop the skills and confidence needed to transition smoothly into one of our schools, fostering both personal and academic growth during this critical period.

For more information please contact the Newcomer Center Manager: Tarek Al Zoughbi at tarek.alzoughbi@lansingschools.net

The mission of the Lansing School District Bilingual Department is to support students, parents, teachers, and the community, by providing resources and support services to Lansing's language learner population.

Visit our Online Resources Page

In an effort to help families communicate more effectively with the district and school buildings, we are reminding you to please share and utilize the below phone numbers. Parents can call and leave a message on one of the below lines and it will be checked and followed up by the Bilingual Education department and referred accordingly. These lines are for non-emergencies and are designed to provide a resource for staff to help families voice their questions and concerns when interpreters are not available to assist.

*When leaving a message, please make sure to leave the student’s name, student’s school and a return phone number*

The Lansing School District Bilingual Department is pleased to offer numerous materials translated into our 7+ most common languages.

To see resources visit our Translated Materials Page

The Bilingual Education Department places Bilingual Assistants in many of our schools to provide critical support to our Multilingual Learner population. However, when the need for language/cultural support exceeds the capacity and role the Bilingual Assistants can provide, the department contracts with Cultural Brokers to help meet these needs.

Translation/Interpretation Request Form

A cultural broker is a contracted member who speaks a highly specialized language and assists with interpretation and translation needs for the district. Cultural Brokers facilitate communication between parents, staff, and community agencies and can frequently be found supporting school services like parent-teacher conferences, IEPs, school meetings, and specialized interventions with at-risk students.

Interested in being a Cultural Broker with the Lansing School District?

Extending the learning day for Multilingual Learners is critical to their language acquisition and ability to achieve grade-level benchmarks. The Lansing School District, with support from the Bilingual Education Department, provides extended day programming for MLs in our 7 LAP schools during the fall and spring semesters, as well as summer learning opportunities to MLs district-wide to help bridge the summer learning gap. 

Teachers, staff, community agencies, and volunteers offer support for these programs, which are designed to support WIDA standards, homework completion, testing strategies, and social adjustment support.

Currently available opportunities include: 

• BEST Summer Camp
  • 6 week summer program held at Gardner International Magnet School
• Before & After School Tutoring
  • Programs offered at participating LAP schools
• Cultural Clubs
  • Los Unidos
  • Native American
• Social and emotional support
  • Students who are struggling with strong emotions, peer conflict,  behavioral issues, grief, or trauma can receive support from our Multilingual Learner Mentoring Liaison.

For more information including how to get involved as district staff or community members, please visit the Multilingual Learner Student Opportunities Page 

Lansing School District’s Bilingual Education Department strives to provide parents with authentic and meaningful connections and involvement with their children’s schools and education, as well as educational opportunities for themselves. Efforts include:

• A parent orientation and interview of all new arrivals to assess for needs and to provide links to community resources at our Bilingual Intake Office.
• Training and scheduling of Bilingual Instructional Assistants and Cultural Brokers for parent-teacher conferences
• Translated copies of important information in the most commonly spoken district languages
• Bilingual Language Lines in 7+ languages where parents can call, request information, and seek assistance for non-emergencies in their native languages
• Recruitment efforts to enroll children in district preschool programs, adult education opportunities, and community services
• GED, ESL, and Career Pathways classes available on our Adult Education page.

For up to date information about current Parent Engagement Activities check out our
Bilingual Facebook Page 

The Dr. Eva L. Evans Welcome Center allows our families enrolling in the Lansing School District a central location to be welcomed to our community, to learn about the Lansing Pathway Promise, the Lansing Promise/HOPE scholarships, and enroll in one of our schools.

 Visit the Dr. Eva L. Evans Welcome Center Page

 Visit the Bilingual Education Facebook Page

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