By Fritz Edelstein
April 26, 2004

St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly is heavily involved in education on a variety of fronts. A delegation from St. Paul of locally elected and school officials led by Kelly traveled last month to Thailand. They spent one week visiting a refugee camp to prepare for U.S.-bound Hmong families and children. St. Paul has learned that it will be receiving a new wave of refugees that includes at least 2,000 new Hmong students for the 2004 fall term. Currently, St. Paul's Hmong population is estimated at 25,000.

The delegation observed the current educational programs offered to the children in two different settings. Of the 6,100 children in the camp some 3,400 are ages 14 and younger. A school outside of the camp was run by the Thai government, and had certified teachers and resources similar to those found in U.S. schools. The other school run by Hmong teachers inside the camp had very few resources. Students did not have textbooks, computers or science lab just notebooks. Kelly and other members of the delegation concluded that many of these children will not have gone to school prior to arriving in St. Paul and many other U.S. cities. This presents a major challenge for the mayor, the city and the school system.

This is just one of the challenges facing Kelly and other mayors from across the country with the influx of new immigrants from Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. The costs to the city and school system will be significant as a result of the decision to close the camp. But because of this trip, St. Paul will be better prepared for the influx of families who will be sponsored by a family or clan member living in the city.

Other Initiatives

Kelly has also created, as part of his Capital City Education Initiative, a volunteer reading program entitled Read, Read, Read. This has been done in partnership with St. Paul School Superintendent Pat Harvey and the St. Paul charter and private school administrators. The program focuses on children who are primarily non-English speaking and those having difficulty in school with their reading. Volunteers work one-on-one with these students in eleven targeted schools. Presently, this reading program is serving more than 500 students. Federal and state grants are being used to hire staff and AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Vista volunteers to coordinate the program. The goal is to have all children reading at grade level by the time they finish third grade. Kelly's goal is to have 1,000 volunteers by the end of 2004, and they have already recruited half of the goal.

Kelly said, "The school dropout rate is high for students who are behind in reading when they enter the fourth grade." He realizes this is just one intervention to help reduce dropouts and increase a student's skills and interest in education. With this program underway, recruiting additional volunteers is imperative if the city is to tackle the influx of new refugee children along with the existing students who also need assistance.