MADISON, Wis. — For English learners in Madison, Bilingual Resource Specialists (BRS) are a huge part of their school day.

What You Need To Know

  • There are about 50,000 English learners in Wisconsin public schools

  • Bilingual Resource Specialists are there for translation and cultural guidance

  • The Madison Metropolitan School District has nearly 100 people on its BRS team throughout the district

According to 2021 data published by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, there are about 50,000 English learners in Wisconsin public schools.

Esther Herrera is the BRS at Henderson Elementary. She starts most days at her desk, checks for messages, then greets students as they start their school days. Her time tends to be somewhat flexible, and that’s on purpose.

“I’m very accessible because I don’t want to [be on] a tight schedule,” Herrera said. “I have to be here for students and parents anytime they need me.”

She grew up in Mexico, moved to California and eventually ended up in Wisconsin in the late 90s.

“When I came here, it was a little hard for me to communicate,” she said.

Her sister Maria was a BRS for the Madison Metropolitan School District. Herrera started volunteering and eventually got the job. Later, her sister’s children would work for the district as well. Public school service runs in the family.

At Henderson, 4K is bilingual, and some other grades are dual language immersion. That means kids are learning both Spanish and English from a young age.

In the last two decades that Herrera has worked for the district, she said a lot has changed.

“We have more support. We have more resources, tools and support for students in schools, family, whatever,” she said.

She also said there are more Spanish-speakers in general, and that includes on the staff. She said it can be very helpful when a teacher is bilingual.

Herrera is one of nearly 100 bilingual resource specialists across MMSD. They speak Chinese, French, Hmong, Arabic, Khmer, Mandinka, Korean, Nepali, Lao and Telugu. When they’re translating for students or families, they can have a hand in just about every part of school operations.

“You are social worker, you are psychologist, you are teacher, you are all these kinds of supports,” Herrera said.

It’s not just the language itself. Having someone of the same culture can foster community and understanding between families and school.

“Because I’m Mexican, Hispanic, they feel more comfortable talking to me, no boundaries,” she laughed.

The Madison Metropolitan School District is currently looking for seven more bilingual resource specialists. For more information, click here.

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