In California, about 40% of all K–12 students come from homes in which a language other than English is spoken; most of those students receive English learner services for some period of time until they gain English proficiency. In school year 2022–23, of California’s 5.8 million students, nearly 1 in 5 (18%), just over 1 million, were classified as English learners (ELs): students who had entered the school system with a home language other than English and had not yet acquired English proficiency.
Neoliberal ideology and an overemphasis on generating quick results dehumanizes higher education community engagement by overlooking the multiple roles and identities of boundary spanners, individuals engaged in community-based scholarship. If university-community partnerships are to prosper and be sustained, their human aspect deserves more attention.
States and districts share an obligation to provide Multilingual Learners (MLLs) with access to high quality language programs that are proven to be effective in minimizing opportunity gaps between MLLs and non-MLLs. This article reviews how local education agencies (LEAs) allocated their state-issued funding to improve MLL language programs and increase student outcomes.
In this podcast hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) Stephanie Nichols, Education Program Specialist at OELA spoke with two exceptional Cherokee children’s book authors: Regina McLemore, a retired teacher and award-winning author; and Traci Sorell, an award-winning author. During the podcast, the authors discussed their work and inspiration, the significance of the Cherokee language and culture in their writing and read excerpts from their books.
Across the nation, states and school districts face a persistent shortage of educators with expertise in promoting both the English proficiency and academic achievement of English learner (EL) students. To help improve educators' qualifications and classroom instruction for ELs, the National Professional Development (NPD) program has awarded grants for EL-focused educator professional development projects since 2002. This U.S.
California's K-12 funding and instructional policies for English learners (ELs) have changed significantly over the past 2 decades. The major policy shifts held the potential to change student learning outcome patterns for ELs. As a first step in identifying the potential impacts of these policy shifts, this report describes changes over time in the development of academic skills and English proficiency among English learners in California.
Students who have remained classified as English Learners (ELs) for more than six years are often labeled “Long-term English Learners” (LTELs). The present study examined the English Language Development (ELD) test scores and demographic information in a group of 560 students identified as LTELs. Despite assumptions that these students are still learning English, results showed many students who are labeled LTELs exhibited advanced English skills, especially on measures of expressive and receptive oral language (i.e., speaking and listening subtests).