Improving the Opportunities and Outcomes of California’s Students Learning English

In this seminar, Ilana Umansky and her colleagues present policy recommendations for improving the educational outcomes of English learner (EL) students in California, based on research on the educational opportunities, experiences, and outcomes of EL students conducted in a set of California school districts over the last five years.

This research sheds light on critical issues including EL classification and reclassification policies, the effects of English immersion and bilingual education, and EL students’ access to learning opportunities, and leads them to recommend 1) that the state require and monitor EL students’ full access to core academic content, 2) a single, statewide English proficiency reclassification criterion, 3) support for the expansion of bilingual and dual immersion instruction, and 4) investments in teacher education that focus on growing the pool of teachers equipped to succeed with ELs using Common Core State Standards and the Smarter Balanced assessments.

Speaker:

• Ilana Umansky, Assistant Professor, University of Oregon