Scaling Up Success for English Language Learners in Charter Schools: Exploring the Role of Authorizers

• In Event: 49.049 - Charter Schools: Organizational Issues and Attracting Students

Abstract

The population of English language learners (ELLs) and the number of charter school students have both been increasing rapidly over the past two decades, yet there has been surprisingly little attention paid in the literature to the convergence of these two trends. Several charter schools have taken advantage of their unique affordances to develop a variety of high-quality models in which ELLs are thriving, but these schools are in relatively short supply. To expand ELLs’ access to high-quality educational options, charter school authorizers will need to play a major role. This study uses a multi-case case study approach to explore how a small sample of authorizers currently consider ELLs when they grant charters, monitor existing schools, and make renewal decisions.

Authors

• Peggie Garcia, University of Illinois at Chicago

• P. Zitlali Morales, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Benjamin Michael Superfine, University of Illinois at Chicago