Is the Path Through Math Enough? Initial English Learner Status, Math Course-Taking, and College-Going

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eleven
  In Roundtable Session: The Intersection Between Quality Content Teaching and Language (Table 9)

Abstract

Historically, in order to understand English learner (EL) college-going, researchers have studied whether and how high school EL students prepare for and enroll in college, generally finding that they lag behind their non-EL peers. In particular, math course-taking, a key predictor of college-going, has been shown to function differently for the EL population. In this manuscript, we expand our analyses to include all students statewide who were EL-identified upon Kindergarten entry (initial-ELs), following them through high school and into college. Using large-scale, student-level administrative data from Texas we examine the postsecondary predictors and college-going outcomes to explore how, if at all, initial-EL status predicts college-going and whether it moderates the relationship between math course-taking and college-going.

Authors

• Rebecca M. Callahan, University of Vermont
  Presenting Author

• Lauren Schudde, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author

• Kimberly Pack-Cosme, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author