The exact gap that exists between native English speakers and English learners depends on the state. In Indiana and Florida, graduation rates for English learners approach 90 percent and are nearly on par with the general student population. The worst state for English learners is New York, where only 39 percent of them graduated compared to 83 percent of students overall.
New Mexico, for example, ranks 10th in graduation rates for English learners, which is nearly on par with the rates of their peers who are native English speakers. Federal data shows an overall graduation rate of 77 percent in the state and 76 percent for English learners.
Kirsi Laine, who directs the New Mexico Department of Public Education’s Office of Student, School and Family Support, says supporting English learners begins with identifying them through language proficiency assessments. The details depend on their needs and the school they attend, she adds.
“If a student is truly identified as an English learner, we make sure there is an EL program that supports their language development or acquisition,” Laine explains. “That part of the EL program really serves to ensure that there is access to the English language so that when the student is in other classes, she can access that content.”
Laine and Valtierrez attribute the state’s results to policies that took root in 2012, starting with a roadmap for English learner success that was driven by a federal law destined to bridge the differences three years later. Even before that, New Mexico was the first state to adopt policies supporting bilingual and multicultural education, Valtiérrez says, and the year 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the law.
“Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act really gave us the opportunity to lean into some of the specific elements that Kirsi shared, such as a uniform way to identify who students (English learners) really are and what it takes to serve. them,” says Valtiérrez. “And also, let’s be very specific about there being nothing wrong with our students. They come as they are and we are here to support them and respond to them.”
“Mindset work” was also done among adults, Valtiérrez explains, to ensure that academic subject classes were not diluted due to a perceived language barrier.
“Learning English is a journey, but that has nothing to do with what they teach us,” says Valtiérrez. “It was really a lot of mindset work, making sure that students had the opportunity to understand why they are being tested on language and how that is different from being tested on content.”
Despite dismal numbers in some parts of the country, graduation rates among English learners have steadily improved since 2010-11, when there was a 10-year national low of 57 percent. The national graduation rate for emerging bilinguals was 71 percent in 2019-20.
Over the most recent five years of data, Nevada made the largest improvement in English learner graduation rates, increasing 43 percentage points from 2014-15. Its English learner graduation rate for the most recent year available was 75 percent in 2019-20. New Hampshire saw the biggest drop, dropping 10 points from 2014-15 to 67 percent emerging bilinguals graduating in 2019-20.
