Many Voices with a Common Goal: Educating All Students

There are more than 100 languages spoken in the households that make up Des Moines Public Schools. The district serves more than 6,000 English Language Learner students with 140 committed and dedicated teachers and staff, including bilingual outreach workers at 44 different sites throughout the community.

 The goals of the ELL program are:
 ·    To educate English Language Learners to the same rigorous curriculum standards as all students in the district while achieving English language objectives in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
 ·    To promote pride in students’ cultural and linguistic identities, maintain cultural heritage, and prepare students to actively participate within American society.
 ·   To ensure that the educational process is a cooperative effort between home and school; it creates opportunities to involve families, communities, and DMPS staff.

There is a rising tide of bilingual students Des Moines, one of the benchmarks of world class schools. The ELL program strives to provide the best ELL services and programs to meet the needs of our ELL students and families.
The district’s Welcome Center, located at 2100 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321, houses many resources for ELL families and may be reached at 242-8102.

 For additional information on ELL programs in Des Moines, please visit our page on the main DMPS website.

Think. Learn. Grow.

English Language Learners Program 
Pablo Ortega, ELL Director
Address: 2100 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Iowa 50321
P: 515-242-7826 | F: 515-242-7726 | E: Pablo.ortega@dmschools.org