Kaleigh Walker 865 Academies, Career Empowerment, Great Educators, Student Success

Newcomer Academy to Transform Lives of ELL Students in Knox County

Knox County Schools is set to launch its Newcomer Academy in late fall 2024, offering a transformative opportunity for English Language Learners (ELL) with interrupted formal education. 

The academy located at Lincoln Park aims to provide intensive support to assist the students in meeting academic goals before returning to their base high schools.

The need for the Newcomer Academy became apparent as district principals raised concerns about students entering high school with few or no credits who had limited English proficiency and disrupted educational backgrounds. 

“We are seeing an increased enrollment of students who are identified as SIFE, or students with interrupted formal education,” said Director of Student Supports Alicia Jones. “When they come to us at that age, wanting to be in school, what do we need to do to support them? That’s really where the idea started.”

After years of planning, the Newcomer Academy will finally open its doors to provide these students with a pathway to academic success. 

“Since the inception of this idea, our population has doubled if not tripled. We are currently serving about 5,400 ELL students who speak 123 different languages,” Jones said. 

The program will offer a structured environment to build both their language and academic skills.

Principal of Paul Kelley Volunteer Academy Dr. Sofia Roth will lead the Newcomer Academy and emphasized the importance of meeting the students where they are, both linguistically and academically. 

“As far as the programming, they’re going to learn the same thing that everyone else is learning at the same time, just at a different school,” Roth said. “Now we’re adding a second language.”

The curriculum will include essential courses like Algebra I, alongside a Freshman Seminar, which will help students transition smoothly back to their base schools and engage with the district’s 865 Academies initiative.

Roth also stressed the importance of creating a sense of belonging and connection for the students.

“They will have the wraparound support from the staff. Everybody’s rooting for them and making sure they have specialized services,” Roth said. “It’s very important to give them a place to belong.”

The academy’s holistic approach aims to prepare students not just academically, but also socially and emotionally, setting them up for long-term success. 

“I’ve always told the students education is the most important thing you can do for yourself. It is the only thing that no one can take away from you, whether you stay here in the United States or go back to your home country,” Roth said. “Having a high school diploma and learning English is going to completely change your life.”

With a committed team of educators and leaders, Knox County Schools’ Newcomer Academy is poised to become a beacon of hope for ELL students with interrupted education, providing them with the skills and support they need to thrive. 

As Alicia Jones said, “This is Success for Every Student in action. We are making sure we’re providing support for every student, every single day. I’m really excited to see their growth and transform some families’ lives by having their students obtain a diploma.”

Success for Every Student

Knox County Schools is dedicated to Success for Every Student. All students have unique abilities, needs, personalities, and ambitions. KCS is committed to equipping every student with the individualized services, interventions, resources, and supports needed to succeed – no matter their zip code, culture, or financial resources.

KCS Hall Pass Student Success

Outreach Specialist Works To Engage Spanish-Speaking Families

Patricia Robledo, hired last fall as KCS’s first Latino community outreach specialist, is working to ensure that Spanish-speaking families and others have access to information they need about the district and its schools.

A trailblazing entrepreneur and civil servant who immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 is putting her skills and experience to work on behalf of KCS students and families.

Patricia Robledo is the founder of a local translation / interpretation business and previously served as the City of Knoxville’s business and development liaison.

Last year, Robledo was hired to serve as Knox County Schools’ first Latino community outreach specialist, a role in which she is working to increase engagement and improve communication with Spanish-speaking families and others that are not fluent in English.

As part of that effort, Robledo has created a new Spanish-language Facebook page, and has been a key member of the Alliance For Educational Equity’s communications team. Approximately 8 percent of the district’s more than 61,000 students speak Spanish, and 5.1 percent are designated as English learners. Robledo’s work is focused on initiatives to ensure those families and others have access to information they need about the district and its schools.

As a former KCS parent and volunteer, Robledo said she is excited to implement strategies that improve family communication. “Communication leads to engagement, which will hopefully lead to better educational outcomes,” she said. “It’s all part of a bigger picture that the district has, and whatever role I can play in helping with that will be great.”

Robledo’s own life journey illustrates the challenges and opportunities for Spanish-speaking families and immigrants. When she moved to Knoxville with her family in 1981, she initially had limited English proficiency but began volunteering at the World’s Fair in 1982 as part of a team that welcomed visitors who spoke other languages.

She eventually attended the University of Tennessee, then finished a double-major in biology and medical technology at Lindenwood University in St. Louis, before moving to New Hampshire where her two children were born.

In 1995, she moved back to Tennessee with her family, and eventually received a call from Levi’s, which was looking for an interpreter to assist in communicating with Spanish-speaking employees.

That experience sparked an entrepreneurial drive, and she launched Robledo Translations, a company that went on to work with a variety of private-sector firms as well as the federal government. She also became a founding member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of East Tennessee.

In 2011, she received a call from Knoxville Mayor-Elect Madeline Rogero, asking her to join the new administration as the first director of the new Office of Business Support. She worked for the city throughout Rogero’s term, and was asked to remain by current Mayor Indya Kincannon after Kincannon was elected in 2019.

Looking back, Robledo said the appointment was an amazing opportunity. “Never would I have thought, after arriving in Knoxville at the age of 17 with limited English proficiency, that maybe one day the newly elected and first female mayor of the City of Knoxville would call me and invite me and appoint me as the first Latina immigrant ever to be appointed to a city administration in Knoxville,” she said. “It was a great, great honor.”

As the Spanish-speaking population within KCS has grown, the district in recent years has been focused on sharpening its communication strategy to reach families who are English-language learners.

Carly Harrington, KCS Chief Public Affairs Officer, said Robledo’s long experience as an advocate and community leader along with her background in translation services, made her a perfect fit for the new role within the district.

“Patricia is very well-respected in the Latino and greater Knoxville community, and a wonderful addition to our team,” said Harrington. “Her commitment and passion for helping students and families have already proven invaluable as we broaden our communication efforts and ensure that we are providing a welcoming environment for all.”

Robledo is currently working on projects including a Spanish-language video library for families; a user-friendly translation tool for the KCS website; improvements to the district’s family messaging system; and focus groups to assess the district’s communication strategies.

Throughout her career, she has enjoyed finding solutions, whether that meant assisting lost patrons at the World’s Fair, providing language services for businesses or helping city stakeholders navigate the administration to get the assistance they need.

“And I think my role here at KCS is the same,” she added. “I may not know everything, but I’ll ask a lot of questions and at the end I’ll hopefully act as a bridge.”