If philanthropists want to see education improve in this country, they need to focus more on the needs of English-language learners, an influential group of funders says in a report.
Grantmakers for Education based its Feb. 1 report on a meeting it helped to convene in New York City last summer intended to urge funders to focus more on English-language learners.
The achievement gap between ELLs and native speakers of English in this country makes it critical “for grantmakers to deepen our collective efforts to increase learning outcomes for ELL students,” the report says.
The report advises funders to frame the financial support for initiatives to support ELLs as an education issue rather than an immigration issue to avoid current political controversies in this country over education issues.
