Thanks to the efforts of people like Angel Juarez Valle, who owns Abi's, a Salvadoran restaurant, Columbia Pike now has a diverse selection of international restaurants. (By Bill O'Leary – The Washington Post)

Many of these students have made notable contributions to local schools, becoming class leaders and winning college scholarships. At Annandale High School, the top-performing seniors last year included children of immigrants from India, Korea, the Philippines and Costa Rica, all of whom say they and the school benefited from the diversity.

"The American side keeps us bonded together; the other side contributes flair and spark," said Jaspreet Singh, 19, an Indian immigrant who is now a freshman at the University of Michigan.

But the continuing influx, especially rural refugees from underdeveloped or war-torn countries, has placed costly demands on school systems to hire more bilingual aides and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers.

In Arlington, the budget for ESL programs has risen from $3.8‚million in 1988 to an expected $9.1‚million next year. In Fairfax County, the cost of ESL services jumped from $7‚million in 1989 to $24‚million this year. In Montgomery County, it has increased from $5.3‚million in 1988 to $15.2‚million.

At Weller Road Elementary School in Wheaton, located in an area that has the region's most diverse immigrant population, teachers use hand gestures to communicate with students when language fails. They also schedule 7 a.m. appointments with immigrant parents, many of whom work two or three jobs. The school has received government grants that help keep classes smaller, buy bilingual software and fund an after-school homework club.

At Patrick Henry Elementary School in Arlington, bilingual staff members visit the homes of foreign-born students who fall behind. After school, a program called "Arroz con Leche," or Rice with Milk, lets youngsters and their mothers practice reading in both English and Spanish.

"I love this school," said Belkis Gallo, 34, a Salvadoran mother and nighttime office cleaner who was reading, very slowly, to her 7-year-old son about bats and penguins. "Both me and my son are learning a lot here."

But there have been complaints that too much attention is being given to immigrant students at the expense of their American-born classmates.

The special effort to help immigrants "has not come without a great price tag," said Conchita Mitchell, executive director of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization. "There is some worry that the balance is tipping."

Francisco Mallet, who directs the ESL program in Fairfax County, concedes that "working with 10 different languages at once can make teachers [initially] scratch their heads in frustration." But he and school officials defend the investment.

"Immigrants bring us a great richness," said Donald Clausen, principal at Annandale High, where more than half the 2,100 students are immigrants or the children of immigrants. "We have a reputation as a diverse school, and some [parents] want to avoid it. I say that's their loss."

By way of example, Ghassam Tarazi, the Lebanese American principal at Ellen Glasgow Middle School in Annandale, recounts walking through the cafeteria and hearing a Muslim student being asked why he wasn't eating lunch.

"He was explaining what Ramadan was," said Tarazi, referring to the Muslim observance that requires fasting. "There was education going on right there." Tarazi's school has 1,000 students from 42 countries, "and as an immigrant, I have a vested interest in meeting the needs of the child."

Montgomery County school board member Gutierrez said it's "a myth" that immigrants are a drain on the system. About 90 percent of the budget is funded locally based on real estate and income taxes, she said, and all people pay their fair share "whether they come from Oklahoma or El Salvador."

Whatever the expenditure, and despite intensive efforts, alarming numbers of young immigrants "are right at the edge," said Sam Miranda, an English teacher at Bell Multicultural High School in the District. The parents often work at night and don't speak English well, so "the kids start falling behind, and then they are more susceptible to dropping out and joining gangs."

For Those in Need

Some area health workers have seen an increase in tuberculosis cases among Hispanic and Southeast Asian immigrants. In Arlington, 60 percent of the pregnant girls attending alternative high school classes are Latino. In Montgomery County, officials estimates that 30 percent to 40 percent of maternity clinic patients are foreign-born.

"The population growth in our county in the last 10 years has been largely in an immigrant population, so obviously a lot of these folks are coming to us for services," said Charles L. Short, director of Montgomery's Family Services.

In the mid-1980s, the Immigration Reform and Control Act enabled thousands of illegal immigrants to legalize their status. But in 1996, concerned that immigrants were drawing too heavily on federal programs, Congress cut benefits – chiefly food stamps and Supplemental Security Income – for many noncitizens.

Food stamps were later restored for some immigrants, specifically any elderly, disabled or children who were in the country before the law took effect. But the restrictions led to a rush of people, locally and nationally, applying for citizenship. And local service agencies report that hardship cases have increased because benefits are more difficult to get.

"We're seeing people in more dire conditions of poverty – more overcrowding, more difficulty putting food on the table," said Leslye Orloff, of Ayuda, a private agency in the District that helps mostly Central Americans.

Ayuda is one of a network of nonprofit agencies and churches trying to fill the gap in immigrant services because many local public agencies, especially those in the District, haven't been able to handle the demand. These organizations provide everything from nighttime English classes to well-baby checkups.