By: Julia Hartman
Across the US, the number of students who are English learners, “those whose first or primary language is anything other than English and who identify as requiring assistance in school to reach English language proficiency,” has been rapidly rising. As of 2021, nearly 11% (5.3 million) of public school students were classified as English learners (ELs), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children has estimated that by 2030, 40% of students will have a home language other than English. Due to decades of insufficient support from the government, many ELs are suffering academically. The most recent national data from the 2019-2020 school year show that the high school graduation rate percentage for ELs is 71% compared to the national average of 86%. And as of 2017, a very small percentage of graduating ELs, 1.4%, end up taking college entrance exams like the SAT or ACT. Despite the clear and pressing need for school programs dedicated to effectively supporting the increasing number of ELs and addressing some of these academic disparities, a multitude of challenges such as insufficient funding, teacher shortages, and a lack of culturally sensitive classroom spaces persist.
Something that must be immediately addressed is the need for more funding and readily equipped EL teachers. As the New America think tank explains, “Education advocates have been pushing for more federal funding for ELs for years, calling attention to the fact that funds have not kept up with the pace of growth among the EL population.” Since 2022, the federal grant program dedicated for ELs has decreased by 24%, despite the increasing number of EL students. Furthermore, the Trump administration “has fired nearly every Education Department staffer who ensured states and schools properly spent the hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked to help over 5 million students learning English.” This development has sparked concerns from education advocates over the proper management of the already limited federal funds dedicated to ELs.
To further complicate matters, there are not enough EL educators available. According to the latest federal data, while the number of EL students increased by 2.6% between the 2018-2020 school years, the number of certified EL teachers decreased by 10.4%. A report by the nonprofit the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) highlighted the impact of this data stating, “In the 2020-2021 school year, 33 states and DC reported a shortage of ESL or bilingual teachers.” The CCSSO further stated that in the 2020-2021 school year, “only 10% of teachers had a major, minor, or certificate in EL instruction.” Although 48% of these teachers were familiar with EL instruction to some degree due to courses taken in college, this is not the same as long-term training or a specialized degree. It is important that universities encourage education majors to consider learning more about EL instruction and offer specialized programs, as research has shown that EL students perform better academically when both their general and EL teachers have specialist certificates or training. General classroom teachers must be properly prepared to potentially instruct ELs, as “U.S. Department of Education statistics for 2020-21…showed 67% of all U.S. teachers had at least one EL student in their class.”
Researchers and education advocates have also emphasized the importance of valuing students’ L1, or first language, as well as culturally sensitive classroom spaces for ELs. Educators and researchers have repeatedly expressed concerns over the common practice of “restricting support for students’ home languages, and emphasizing English-only approaches.” A multitude of studies and meta analyses have shown academic, cognitive, and language acquisition facilitation benefits that result from incorporating students’ L1 into classroom instruction. Furthermore, a research study on equity in classrooms emphasized the importance of teachers approaching education from a bilingual and bicultural perspective, understanding the intersection of language and culture, and applying this knowledge to support effective instruction for ELs. In order to fully support EL students and help them succeed, educators must embrace an asset-based pedagogy with ELs that values the “existing linguistic and cultural knowledge” that these students already bring with them to the classroom. It is extremely evident by the lack of sufficient funding, trained EL teachers, and culturally responsive classrooms that ELs have been and continue to be drastically underserved and undervalued in the current US education system. With the Trump Administration eliminating “nearly 200 civil rights attorneys who would make sure school districts meet their legal obligations to support English learners” as well as declaring English to be the official language of the US, which “could lead schools to put less effort into translating documents and conversations for immigrant families” and discourage L1 incorporation in classrooms, it is clear that these policies actively harm EL students. Policymakers must recognize that EL’s “unique cultural and linguistic resources…can add considerably to the breadth and depth of knowledge, perspectives, and talents of American society.” The rise of ELs is not a burden but instead an opportunity for everyone present in the classroom. Educators and lawmakers valuing EL students and their perspectives allows for a “global, dynamic, and multicultural approach to education”—something that is necessary in an increasingly diverse and globalized world.
