This video offers a snapshot of data on English learners (ELs) and their access to educators and other support staff based on the analyses of two large federal datasets: the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and the Common Core of Data (CCD). Educators and support staff in schools include:
–Teachers
–School Counselors
–School Psychologists
–Social Workers
–School-Based Law Enforcement Officers
–Librarians
–Media Specialists
This presentation uses the Median Statistic.
–Median = The middle point in a data set. Example: In a set of numbers {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} 3 is the median, because it is the middle point of this data set.
–Median EL: EL who attends a school in the 50th percentile of the distribution of the data point being discussed, e.g., teacher/student ratio. Half of the schools have smaller ratios of that data point and half have larger ratios of the same data point.
– Median Overall Student: Any student who attends a school in the 50th percentile of the distribution of the data point being discussed, e.g., psychologist/student ratio. Half of the schools have smaller ratios of that data point and half have larger ratios of the same data point.
The median EL and overall student are enrolled in a district with a student teacher ratio of about 16:1. As student/teacher ratios increase, the increase is larger among ELs than students overall. There are four additional students per teacher in schools attended by ELs at the 80th percentile of cumulative distribution making the student teacher ratio 20:1.
Percentage of First Year Teachers:
Schools that ELs attend have a higher percentage of teachers in their first year of teaching than schools generally. In school year (SY) 2017–18, in eight out of the 10 states with the largest EL populations, the median percentage of first year teachers was slightly higher in schools that enroll ELs than in schools attended by students overall.
Counselor/Student Ratio:
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends one school counselor for every 250 students. The median EL is enrolled in a district with a ratio of approximately one counselor to every 465 students. The median overall student is enrolled in a district with a ratio of one counselor to 428 students.
Psychologist/Student Ratio:
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends one school psychologist for every 500 students. The median EL attends a school with the ratio of one psychologist for every 3,504 students. The median student attends a school with the ratio of one school psychologist for every 3,800.
Social Worker/Student Ratio:
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) recommends one school social worker to every 250 students. Only about one percent of ELs and students overall attend a school with the NASW-recommended social worker/student ratio.
Percentage of Students in Schools Without Law Enforcement Officers:
The median EL and overall students are enrolled in a school that does not employ a law enforcement officer. About 65 percent of overall students are enrolled in districts without law enforcement officers. About 75 percent of ELs are enrolled in districts without law enforcement officers.
Librarian Media Specialist/Student Ratio:
ELs, more than students overall, are enrolled in schools with fewer librarians and media specialists per student. The median EL is in a school with one librarian or media specialist for every 1,700 students. The median overall student attends school with one librarian or media specialist for every 1,150 students.
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