In 2001-02, there were an estimated 3,977,819 English language learner (ELL) students in grades K-12 in public schools, a 72% increase from the 1991-92 school year. (Center for Equity and Excellence in Education at George Washington University and National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, September 2003)
ELL students represent 8.4% of all students in grades K-12 in high school. (Center for Equity and Excellence in Education at George Washington University and National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, September 2003)
The percentage of 5- to 24-year-olds who speak a language other than English at home has risen from 8% in 1979 to 17% in 1999. (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, December 2002
Among those who spoke a language other than English at home, 33% reported having difficulty speaking English in 1999. (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, December 2002)
Districts nationwide reported more than 460 languages spoken by ELL students. (Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students, October 2002)
Spanish was the native language of 76.9% of ELL students. No other language accounted for more than 3% of ELL students. (Center for Equity and Excellence in Education at George Washington University and National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, September 2003)
Among language minority groups, Spanish-speaking young adults were less likely than members of any other group to have completed high school. (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, December 2002)
In a CBS News/New York Times poll, 46% of respondents believed elementary students should be taught in English after a year or so of instruction in their native language, while 51% believed students should be taught in English only. (CBS News and the New York Times, July 2003)
Before 1991, fewer than one-third of the 50 states required any kind of assessment for the identification of ELL students. Currently, all states are updating their requirements to include ELL assessments by the end of the 2000-01 school year. (George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education, 2001)