Tracking by English Proficiency? English Learner Students’ Access to Core Content in Middle and High School

• In Event: 242 - Section on International Migration Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Education, Schooling, and Immigration

Abstract

The goal of classifying students based on English language ability is to ensure that students that are not proficient in English receive the educational services and resources they need in order to have full access to educational content. The English learner (EL) classification brings with it access to specialized classes, methodologies, teachers, and pull-out instruction. Yet increasingly researchers are finding that students classified as English learners may also face barred access to educational opportunities, including advanced level coursework, full course-loads, college-preparatory classes, and electives. This paper describes English learner course-taking patterns in one large school district in California and uses rigorous causal methods to test whether EL students have differential access to middle and high school academic courses compared with non-EL students.

Author

• Ilana Umansky, Stanford University