BE021805: A National Study of School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students' Long-Term Academic Achievement.

Notes:

333 p.

Abstract:

Research by the Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE) from 1985 to 2001 has focused on analyzing the great variety of education services provided for language minority (LM) students in U.S. public schools and the resulting long-term academic achievement of these students. This five-year research study (1996-2001) is a recent overview of the types of U.S. school programs provided for these linguistically and culturally diverse students, focusing on English language learners' (ELLs'/LEPs') long-term academic achievement in grades K-12. The study includes qualitative and quantitative research findings from five urban and rural research sites in the northeast, northwest, south-central, and southeast United States. It is designed to answer urgent policy questions of interest to the federal and state governments of the United States, since this demographic group is projected to be 40 percent of the school-age population by the 2030s, and most U.S. schools are currently under-educating this student group. Overall, this research provides whole school district views of policy decision-making that is data-driven regarding designing, implementing, evaluating, and reforming the education of LM students. The study provides English, Spanish, and other achievement findings; achievement of native English speakers in two-way bilingual education; and influence of student background on student achievement. The report concludes with policy implications. (Appendices contain study materials. Contains 24 references.) (EV)