McKay School of Education > News > Education Research Director Speaks at BYU
Education Research Director Speaks at BYU
Quality Counts 2009 is the 13th edition of Education Week’s series of annual report cards tracking state education policies and outcomes. This year the publication focuses on a very important issue in Utah schools: English Language Learners. Christopher B. Swanson, director of the editorial projects in Education Research Center, spoke to BYU faculty and students in May, sharing some of the highlights of Quality Counts 2009. Swanson was a guest of the BYU Wheatley Institution.
“Quality Counts is a marriage between journalism and research” Swanson told his audience. He called this year’s publication, titled “Portrait of a Population,” an apt description as the report includes the stories of 12 students whose range of educational backgrounds and experience defy the myth that English Language Learners are a homogeneous population.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 4.5 million ELL students were enrolled in U.S. public schools during the 2005-06 school year, accounting for about 9% of the total school-age population—an increase of 18% from the year 2000. The largest ELL populations live in the western and southwestern states, as well as Florida. Breaking the data down into individual states shows Utah having two clusters of ELL populations: one in the Salt Lake City area and another in the southeastern portion of the state.
However, looking at population increases produces a very different map. The largest increases of ELL students are along the east coast, including the mid Atlantic states, where enrollment of ELL students has more than doubled in six states. “We are seeing growth in this population in areas that may not historically be prepared to deal with it,” said Swanson. Utah mirrors this twist with large increases in Box Elder County and in central Utah.
Not surprisingly, more than two thirds of ELL students are Latino. What may surprise some is that two thirds of ELL students were born in the U.S. As expected most ELL students speak Spanish; however the remainder speak over a 100 different languages, with Vietnamese, Chinese, French, and Korean being the most prominent. Utah adds the Navajo language to its mix of the top five.
ELL Programs and Policy
Swanson explained that states estimate the demand for ELL teachers will grow by 38 percent in the next five years. That equals about 56, 000 teachers nationally; a conservative estimate as it doesn’t include California. Utah alone predicts needing 6,000 more teachers trained to instruct ELL students in the next five years.
However, only 11 states offer incentives for teachers to earn an ELL endorsement—Utah is not one of them. Forty-one states allocate resources to ELL students through weighting and/or categorical means (state money). Utah is not on that list either.
Swanson also explained that No Child Left Behind requires states to test ELL students annually for progress toward English language proficiency. Nationally about half of ELL students are making adequate progress. Swanson clarified that he has no data for Utah as the state gave its first English language proficiency assessments in 2006-07.
To read the entire report, as well as to view states’ grades on subjects ranging from finances to educational opportunity, click here. Swanson cautioned the audience to avoid placing too much value on the assigned grades, saying they are possibly the least important function of the report. “State grades should be the beginning, not the end of a meaningful policy conversation,” said Swanson.
Quality Counts is funded by the PEW Charitable Trusts.
15 June 2009