A School in Change.

This paper describes how a predominantly white elementary school responded to a school-district reorganization effort to promote ethnic balance among the schools. The redistricting plan reassigned some former students to other schools and bused in many Spanish-speaking students. The school staff encountered language problems with the new students and their families. The school acquired an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, included parents on the school-based management team, recognized multicultural role models and volunteers, sponsored parent-orientation and welcoming programs, and promoted parent-school conferences. Teachers enrolled in a community-education Spanish class. Limited-English-speaking students were not penalized for not being able to perform in a language unfamiliar to them. Staff emphasized areas in which students were successful and marked report cards with the statement, "Grades adjusted due to language development." Other strategies to help the new students achieve included home visits, group sessions, cooperative assessment, whole-language strategies, peer tutoring, and portfolio assessment. The key factor of success was a focus on school attitude rather than on instruction. An endnote states that the 1995 results of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills designated the school as a "recognized campus" for student success in all demographic and cultural subgroups. (LMI)