The Houston Independent School District (HISD) currently offers two bilingual programs and two English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for English language learners (ELs). These programs facilitate ELs' integration into the regular school curriculum and ensure access to equal educational opportunities. Bilingual programs are offered in…

Since the writing section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) computer based test (CBT) is a single-prompt essay test, it is very important to ensure that each prompt is as fair as possible to any subgroups of examinees, such as those with different native language backgrounds. A particular topic of interest in this study is the…

This Issue Brief examines growth in the population of English Language Learner (ELL) students in U.S. public schools between the 1994 and 2000 school years. Data are drawn from the Schools and Staffing Surveys (SASS) of 1993-94 and 1999-2000. Nationally, the number of ELL students in public schools increased from approximately two million students…

This Issue Brief describes school-to-home communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement at school as reported by parents of U.S. school-age students from primarily English-and primarily Spanish-speaking households during the 2002-03 school year. Data are drawn from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the…

The primary focus of this report is to examine the effect that immigrant status and home language background may have on the performance of Australian students who participated in the OECD/Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000). Approximately 5,477 students from 231 schools across Australia participated in the study. In this…

Enrollment of language minority students continues to outpace overall enrollment growth. In the ten-year period from 1991-92 to 2001-02, California's public schools added more than one million students, an increase of 20 percent. In the same period, the number of English learners (ELs) increased by 44 percent and the number of Fluent English…

This report describes six studies on the educational progress of students who entered New York City public schools as non-native English speakers, or English language learners (ELLs). Studies examined number of years students were served in bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) programs; characteristics of students receiving these services;…

Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners are often interested in a number of demographic characteristics of students, such as race and ethnicity, language background, immigration status, and poverty. For example, the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) legislation requires schools and districts to report student test scores…

Families whose native language is not English have been arriving in Arkansas seeking employment in agriculture-related and other industries. School-age children from these families are relatively new to most of Arkansas school districts, and the educational programs necessary to meet their needs in many school districts are relatively new. Over…

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act mandates that state education agencies develop and implement an assessment system that allows for disaggregation of results at state, district, and school levels by gender, race, English proficiency, and migrant status. Schools receiving Title I funds must demonstrate "adequate yearly…

The rapid increase in the number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students is especially significant in the nation's large urban school districts. The numbers of LEP students in special, bilingual education programs has exploded due to the constant stream of immigrants into the United States and the inability of so many children, even those who…

California's school-age population is becoming more linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse. Between 1986-87 and 2003-04, the enrollment of linguistic minority students--students from households where a language other than English is regularly spoken--increased 120 percent in California's public schools, or six times as fast as the 19…

The report presents results of a study of: the type, content, duration, and intensity of instructional services provided to limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in the United States; administrative procedures associated with these services (including procedures for identifying students for entry into and exit from these special services); the…

This report presents the findings of the 1998 survey of providers of training in English or French as a second or foreign language in Canada. The purpose of the survey was to gather information at the national level and, where possible, at the regional level, on the size of the industry, its characteristics, and the role played by foreign…

The report provides both statewide and school district summative data concerning language minority (LM) student demographics in Maine. Statewide data include a demographic overview, annual LM enrollments, high-concentration LM areas, distribution of minority languages, by language or language group, number of Maine public schools enrolling…