A Brief History of English Language Learners in Arkansas

This policy brief provides an overview of national and state laws governing the education of English learners (ELs) in Arkansas. It also reviews state policies and procedures for identifying ELs. Most of the brief is devoted to tracing the growth of the EL population in Arkansas. Despite a slight decline in the number of ELs over the past two years, the EL population attending Arkansas schools in 2019 is nearly double that of the EL population in Arkansas in 2005.