A new report from the Education Commission of the States outlines how states pay for the education of English-language learners.
The report—State funding mechanisms for English-language learners—contains a description of the various ELL funding mechanisms, a table showing each state’s ELL mechanism and a table showing an even more detailed breakdown of differences among the states in how they pay for supporting English-language learners. For example, 25 states add “weights” to funding for ELLs, which provide additional monies to support their education.
“This is a pressing issue, and states are largely coming up empty as they search for more information on how to fund ELLs,” Maria Millard, an Education Commission on the States policy analyst and author of the report, said in a statement. “This new report provides comprehensive ELL funding information and will help policymakers determine what changes are needed to better support ELL students in their states.”