Examining Educational Opportunities and Outcomes for Students Classified as English Learners
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Date
2022-10-26
Authors
Porter, Lorna
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Students classified as English learners (EL) are a protected class of students with core legal rights. There are clear opportunities to strengthen education policies and practices to improve opportunities and outcomes for EL-classified students. This dissertation is comprised of three studies examining key issues in EL education with the goal of generating evidence to inform education policymaking that contributes to stronger education systems for EL-classified students. In Chapter II, I examine the extent to which immigrant students who arrive in grades 6-12 and are EL-classified are enrolled in core content coursework, contextualized within interviews on the policies and practices that shape course placement decisions for the student population. I also estimate the impact of participating in a newcomer program, a specialized program that districts and schools may offer, on the probability of enrollment across core content classes. I find that immigrant EL-classified students are under-enrolled in core content in comparison with peers. I find that participation in newcomer programs is not associated with fuller course access, with evidence that newcomer program participation may constrict access to certain core subjects in select years. In Chapter III I estimate the impact of a state-level EL accountability and support policy, House Bill 3499, on district and student outcomes in Oregon. I find that identified districts spent more on EL expenditures per EL-classified student, but there were no meaningful changes overall in the other outcomes examined. In Chapter IV I explore the extent to which variation in instructional effectiveness of teachers responsible for English language arts (ELA) instruction and teachers responsible for English language development (ELD) instruction contributes to differences in students’ English language arts and English language proficiency performance. I find that the variation in instructional effectiveness of both ELA and ELD teachers has implications for EL-classified students’ English language arts and English language proficiency performance. Together, this set of studies provides novel evidence on areas for intervention, as well as impacts of specific interventions, in EL education. Additionally, the body of work provides implications for how this evidence can inform local and state education policy decision-making.
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Keywords
Education policy, English learner, Immigrant education