State-Level English Language Learner Policies
From the introduction: “In December 2014, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) convened a group of experts to reflect on available research, practice and state policy around this topic and to make recommendations in areas where potential impact at the state level is greatest. At this meeting, experts discussed five key policy elements:
Finance.
Identification and reclassification.
Educator quality.
Pre-kindergarten services.
Parent and family engagement.
The policy recommendations they suggested during the meeting are summarized in this report.”
This resource provides three important takeaways for current ELL education needs:
“The experts agreed that adequate funding levels by themselves do not lead to improved student performance: states, districts and schools must also strengthen their ELL programs and program capacity.
ELL students benefit when states require teachers and administrators to be trained in ELL instruction methods and cultural competency.
Monitoring ELL and former ELL students throughout their school career is a valuable way to analyze the efficacy of ELL programs.”