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Dodge City is largely known for its western heritage -
Longhorn cattle, Wyatt Earp, Boot Hill and the setting of the TV show Gunsmoke. Today the city’s blend of history,
small-town appeal, and major industry make it truly unique.
“Almost 70 percent of Dodge City’s population is comprised of
immigrants of all ages,” according to Bob Wetmore, president of the Dodge
City/Ford County Development Corporation¹. With an estimated 18,000 residents
being of Hispanic origin, from Mexico, Guatemala and
other Central and South American nations, a large part of the workforce and
community are not native English speakers. For example, food industry giants
Cargill and National Beef employ around 5,600 people, over one-fifth of the
city’s population; it’s estimated that 3,900 of their employees are Hispanic.
Also, schools are inundated with non-English speaking children. “In just over
a decade, Ford County Schools minority enrollment [has] jumped from 28
percent to 66 percent; K-6 is 72 percent. Twenty-three languages and dialects
are spoken in Dodge City’s
Unified School District 443¹.” English as a
Second Language (ESL) education is in high demand.
Challenge Dodge City, Kansas is a small city with a big
need: English Language Learning that
is accessible to everyone. ESL learning that serves increasing numbers of
patrons and meets the needs of all skill levels, from complete beginner
through advanced learners.
 Solution Dodge City Public Library
recognizes this need and provides patrons access to ESL online education with
TELL ME MORE® powered by Auralog. The Library has
offered free online ESL courses since 2007. “We identified the need for
English language education and understood that the majority of people who
need, or want to learn, do not have time to attend regularly scheduled
classes,” explains Michael Blitz,
Public Services Librarian. “So we wanted to make a program available that taught
language in a way that was not restricted by schedule or pace. Our ESL
solution is online, patrons can log on at anytime and learn, including from
home.”
“Our
patrons vary in age and acuity. Due to this, the depth of content was very
important,” says Director Cathy Reeves. “The ESL learning solution had to
provide support for kids and adults at beginning through advanced skill
levels. Oftentimes people aren’t completely literate in their native
languages so the language learning had to be structured in a way to build on
their skills, be comprehensive, and not progress too quickly in order to
motivate these learners and not intimidate them.”
Results The availability of ESL education to residents is having
three distinct and positive impacts on the community. First, there is an
increase in the bilingual population, making everyday communication in the
city easier. Second, the acquired language skills enable people to cross
culture barriers. The ability to recognize cultural nuances and react
appropriately minimizes miscommunications and potential embarrassments.
Third, the Library is experiencing an increase in circulation. Not only are
more people obtaining library cards in order to work on their English skills,
but check-outs of other items are also growing.
(¹Jeff Caldwell, “Role of
immigrants in rural economy, culture on the rise”, High Plains Journal, 6-28-06)
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Michael Blitz
Public Services Librarian
Objective
To provide English Language
Learning opportunity to the entire community.
Solution
Auralog’s TELL ME MORE® Online delivers a
fully hosted, customizable online solution geared toward learners of all ages
and skill levels.
Results
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Patrons actively studying ESL
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Reaching beginner through advanced English-learners
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Increasing number of English-speakers in city
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Increased circulation
About Auralog
Auralog is the global leader in language
learning software. The TELL ME MORE® suite
of products is being used by more than 5 million learners worldwide, in more
than 10,000 organizations, schools and libraries. Headquartered in Phoenix,
Arizona, Auralog has offices in France, Germany,
Spain, Italy, Mexico and China.
www.tellmemore.com
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