Teaching America's English-Language Learners: A Special Report

How Well Are Schools Serving English-Language Learners?

Nearly 5 million children in U.S. public schools are learning the English language. These students are in classrooms in most school systems—and face some of the steepest odds for graduating from high school—yet only one-third of district-level leaders believe educators in their schools are prepared to effectively teach English-learners, according to an Education Week Research Center survey from late last year. So with the number of ELLs projected to keep growing, educators face an urgent imperative to vastly improve achievement for English-learners. How will they do that?

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Education Week Experts

Subject-matter experts featured in this report include:

OVERVIEW
Teaching English-Language Learners: What Does the Research Tell Us?
Questions around which instructional strategies work best for English-learners are far from settled, including how much a bilingual approach to teaching puts such students at an advantage.
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

OVERVIEW
English-Language-Learner Statistics
See where English-language learners live and which home languages they speak.
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

Building ELLs' Literacy Early Is Crucial
More states and school districts are aiming to reach ELLs early as mounting evidence shows that exposure to language instruction boosts young children's odds of stronger academic achievement later on.
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

Home-School Connections Help ELLs and Their Parents
English-language learners whose parents actively support their learning are more successful in learning English and in achieving at school, so how can schools do a better job of building relationships with families that usually speak languages other than English?
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

Quality Learning Materials Are Scarce for English-Language Learners
Teachers and ELL experts say there is an array of problems with curricula and learning materials meant for English-learners. But they all agree on two key points: The materials are usually too simple and too disconnected from grade-level goals.
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

For Stalled ELL Students, Graduation Is Often an Elusive Goal
Long-term English-learners—those who are not considered proficient for five or more years—are at a great risk of dropping out of school. What can schools do to keep these students on track to graduate?
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

Video: A Day in the Life of a Multilingual High School
At Pennsylvania's Upper Darby High School in suburban Philadelphia, more than 15 languages are spoken in a student body of nearly 4,000.
May 11, 2016 – Education Week

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