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.).

If you have yet to enroll click this enrollment link to be redirected to the district enrollment page. All enrollment is done online.

Since September 2016, more than 1,000 students have been enrolled through the Welcome Center and feedback suggests that principals and staff prefer this form of enrollment over that which occurred school by school.

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

The Dr. Eva L. Evans Welcome Center offers Bilingual Resources (housed in the Community Learning Center & Room 1) where staff is free to browse and borrow resources to assist in the teaching of a variety of subjects and English language levels. Should a staff member wish to obtain his/her own copy of a resource, the Welcome Center will facilitate this purchase (provided funds are available).

After surveying district teachers and staff regarding resource needs, Title III funds were used to purchase:

• Picture dictionaries and flashcards which can be used at the elementary level
• Content area dictionaries for the secondary level
• National Geographic resources to support 7-12th grade levels
• Resources to support learners for Entering, Emerging and Expanding language levels
• Books for parents of early childhood students to read to their children in their own native languages (note: research has proven the positive effects of a parent retaining their native language with their children)

Specialized training is also offered on a one-to-one basis to help teachers learn what resources meet their needs best and how to utilize the resource in their practice. Staff is welcome to stop by the CLC during drop-in hours or make an appointment for consultation and training.

For more online resources, visit the Bilingual Online Resource Center Page

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

The Lansing School District Bilingual Education Department recognizes the hard work teachers and administrators do every day to reach out to our bilingual students and families. Sometimes, a visit from school personnel can help bridge the communication gap and bring needed support to parents and students.

For attendance issues, behavior issues, or other concerns that cannot be resolved via phone and you would like a Cultural Broker from the Bilingual Education Department to conduct a home visit to one of your students’ families, please fill out the form below. For additional questions, please contact Trisha Black trisha.black@lansingschools.net.

Bilingual Home Visit Request Form

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.

Apply to be 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
  • 6-8 week summer program held at Gardner International Magnet School
• Before & After School Tutoring
  • Programs offered at all LAP schools
• Social and emotional support
  • Students who are struggling with strong emotions, peer conflict,  behavioral issues, grief, or trauma can receive support from our English 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

 - or - 

Message Us on Facebook Messenger