Demographics
I teach 5 th grade in a diverse, Title I school, (62.2% low income), just outside of the city of Wilmington, Delaware. While technically we are considered a suburban school, it is a mere three miles from the center of the city of Wilmington, surrounded by strip shopping centers, highways, I-95, and an area of Hispanic gang hangouts. We have students from a range of social economic backgrounds, from middle class to homeless. Our percentage of Hispanic students rises every year, comprising at least 20% of the school, followed by 16.4% black, 58.5% white, and a number of students with mixed backgrounds. Many of my students' parents are not comfortable speaking English, although their children speak both English and Spanish. The most recent standardized test scores have defied the typical demographics by rivaling the more suburban schools in the state.
Fifth grade at my school is still predominantly a self-contained classroom, with all subjects taught by the same teacher and the same heterogonous student groupings. This coming year, my special education students will have full inclusion in my room. They will have additional teacher support during the reading and math periods and possibly during the other periods.
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