English Language Learners in Appalachia: Meeting the Need

The English language learner (ELL) population in rural regions of the U.S. is growing at an unprecedented rate. Unfortunately, most public school systems in these areas are ill equipped to handle the unique challenges that are faced by this group of newly arriving students. We believe service-learning projects can serve an important role in this context. This paper describes how a service-learning project in Southern Appalachia met critical needs for English language learners while bringing benefits to multiple stakeholders.