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-2- <br />While learners of English in the school system create unique opportunities for <br />educators and students to loam about different cultures and languages, the <br />diverse population also challenges educators to develop programs that afford <br />opportunities for LEP students to succeed in school and reach their goals. <br />The challenges that the school system fates in meeting the diverse needs of the <br />fast growing LEP student population are multi - facetted, from staffing needs and <br />instructional delivery models to meeting the interpretation and translation needs <br />of LEP students and their families. Additionally, with an Increasing number of <br />LEP students beginning to arrive during the past two years with great skill <br />deficiencies in their native language, the challenge of finding available <br />resources to provide adequate support for students' language needs as well as <br />skill development in their native language is critical. <br />With the growing educational needs of the system's LEP population, the <br />increasing number of languages represented (82 plus), the challenges that <br />educators face in serving this segment of the student population,-and the need <br />to address the effectiveness of the school system in meeting the educational <br />needs of LEP students, members of the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City School Board <br />of Education directed the Superintendent to develop a proposal which would <br />establish a Task Force on Educational Services. for Limited English Proficient <br />Students. <br />In August, 1998, the Superintendent presented a proposal to the School Board <br />to establish a 31- member Task Force to address the needs of the school <br />system's LEP student population and families. Following approval of the <br />proposal by School Board members, the task force members began their work <br />on August 30, 1998, and concluded on December 12, 1998. <br />Working together, within a five - subcommittee stricture, over a three and a half <br />month period, task force members used a variety of methods in collecting data <br />and developing recommendations for serving LEP students and their families. <br />Task Force members finalized their work with findings and recommendations in <br />five areas: <br />(1) Profile of LEP Students, Their Families and Communities <br />(2) Instructional Delivery Models <br />(3) Staff Development and Support for School Staff <br />(4) Translation and Interpreting Services <br />(5) Community Partnerships, Collaboration and Coordination of <br />Services <br />