Do English learners eventually acquire these skills later in their K-12 education, as they become more proficient in English?
While available NAEP data does not make it clear, federal data shows that the national graduation rate for students overall and for English learners is about the same, but can vary widely from state to state. New York, Louisiana and Nebraska had the worst high school graduation rates for English learners in the 2019-20 school year, at 52 percent or lower, while graduation rates for non-English learners English were 83 percent or more.
TO recent report of the Education Trust-New York highlighted the inequality in student outcomes, even for those who are Black, Latino, low-income, have disabilities, or are multilingual. He noted that only 15 percent of third-grade multilingual students scored “proficient” on the 2022-23 state English language arts assessment.
“When students master reading by the end of third grade, they are more able to engage in learning across subjects and are more likely to experience continued success throughout their academic career,” the report explains. “Given the relationship between third-grade ELA performance and students' future success, these findings should sound an alarm.”
Challenges in the field
In Gonzales' view, a major barrier to improving the education of English learners lies in the curricular materials that school districts select. He also noted that a shortage of bilingual teachers in some parts of the country is a factor.
While she feels dual language programs offer the most support for English learners, Gonzales says the reality is that four out of five of those students are in English-only classrooms.
According to a teacher survey As their organization published in 2022, about 80 percent of teachers who have at least one English learner student say their curriculum does not provide research-backed practices to support those students.
“We're hearing very loud and clear that teachers don't feel empowered, and that's a big problem in this space,” Gonzales says. “That's really where we're trying to change some of these systemic things that are happening in this space. “We really feel like a lot can happen in everyday learning, but the curricula really are the foundation of all the learning that is happening.”
Even if a teacher speaks Spanish, one of the most common native languages among English learners, there may be six or seven different languages spoken in her classroom. The best solution, Gonzales says, would be for teachers to have educational materials that could be used by any English learner.
Whether students do well on fourth-grade tests depends on how prepared they were to start kindergarten, he adds. Even a solid foundation of reading in the native language can improve their progress in English, Gonzales explains, but not all multilingual students enter school with that firm foundation.
Ultimately, the education field also needs a change of mindset when it comes to English learners, he says. Part of that is that teachers in all departments (English language arts, math and science) have a desire for their lessons to be inclusive for multilingual students, Gonzales says.
While there is much more work to be done, she says there are more conversations about the inclusion of English learners than when she began her tenure at the forum seven years ago, including editors and curriculum developers who keep them in mind throughout your design process.
Gonzales points out that in some parts of the country, English learners are a significant part of the student body. As in California, where they make up almost 20 percent of K-12 students in public schools.
“The fact that we are talking about the fastest-growing student demographic in our U.S. public schools can no longer be an afterthought,” he says. “We've had them as an afterthought for the last 20 years and nothing has changed. At least this is what our students deserve.”
