English Proficiency or Post-School Success? The Miseducation of English Learners

Authors

Jatnna Acosta, The University of North Carolina at CharlotteFollow

Abstract

English learners in the U.S. are academically unprepared at the secondary level, ad such systemic barriers lead to limited opportunities for post-school success (Umansky, 2016). Additional research is necessary to examine the correlation between the impact of a school’s ethnic diversity on the academic achievement of students identified as ELs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the educational outcomes of ELs at the high school level as a result of the school’s ethnic diversity. This study provides quantitative data from the Ed-Data Education Data Partnership. The data is disaggregated by the ethnic diversity index, percentage of enrolled ELs at each school and the graduation rates, dropout rates, and rates meeting college admissions standards of ELs compared to all students at the high school. The findings of this study depict significant discrepancies between the high school graduation rates of ELs and their decreased preparedness for post-secondary admissions. These findings highlight the need for language minority students to receive equitable access to quality education targeting post-school success instead of focusing on English proficiency.

Recommended Citation

Acosta, Jatnna. "English Proficiency or Post-School Success? The Miseducation of English Learners." Intersections: Critical Issues in Education 4, 1 (2020). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/intersections/vol4/iss1/5