English learners perform better when keeping their second language, report concludes

About 40% of students in California who enter school speak another language and 82% of them speak Spanish, according to a report. 

About 1.1 million English learners in grades TK-12 were enrolled in California public schools during the 2022-2023 school year, revealed the report “The State of English Learners in California Public Schools.” 

English learners (EL) are students who require additional English language development support. Experts say this can be a positive process if schools can meet their multilingual needs.

Research shows that younger students who participate in bilingual programs or programs for English learners obtain higher attainments in English and other subjects by the time they get to middle school and high school than those not in those programs.

"We also know that at the same time, these students are also able to maintain their home language," said Manuel Buenrostro, author of the report. "They are bilingual by the time they graduate from high school, and that is something that will benefit them, in their career, in their travels, and how they relate to other cultures in the world."

English learners up 19 percent of all public school students. Learning who these students are helps identify their strengths and challenges and how they are doing in terms of their academic achievement. It also shows if schools meet their mental and basic needs, including multilingual needs and access to rigorous coursework. Once this information is disseminated and visible to the public, state and local leaders know what resources are needed for the English learners, according to Buenrostro.

The report was released in June by Californians Together, a coalition of education, civil rights, parent/caregiver, community and advocacy groups for the success of English learners in California.

The importance of home languages

The report indicates that during the 2022-2023 school year, over 100 unique languages were spoken at home by English learners. Spanish led the list with 82%. However, there are many districts in California where other languages are more prominent. The report shows 21 languages spoken by at least 2,000 English learner students, and 76% of all students come from a house where another language other than English is spoken. 

The report highlights that the top 10 languages spoken in California's schools by English learners are Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Russian, Farsi, Filipino, Punjabi and Korean. 

"Spanish might be predominant, but we know very well that in some schools or some communities, there are other languages that are very strong that we want to make sure that we leverage and support," said Buenrostro.

He said if students lose their home language, it could significantly impact their lives. They can lose their identity and feel less connected to their family, community, and school.

"Because through the home language loss, it's trauma, and it creates, I think, a crisis of what [a] student is," said Buenrostro. "And affirming a student's culture in their language just leads to a stronger engagement in school."

Multilingual students are more successful

California became the first state to pass a State Seal of Biliteracy law in 2011. Students who receive this seal by the time they graduate high school show they have exceptional proficiency in one or more languages besides English. Since then, all 50 states and the District of Columbia passed similar legislation. 

Through dual immersion programs, data shows that California could triple the number of students who receive the State Seal of Biliteracy by 2030, from 55,175 in 2017-2018 to more than 165,000 in 2029-203.

Buenrostro said the Glendale Unified School District is a good example of how successful achievement dual language immersion programs look like. The district has seven programs, which include French, German, Italian, Armenian, Japanese, Spanish and Korean. 

This also helps to illustrate about how English learners in the system are doing in dual language immersion prior to regular instruction. 

“So as we think about the future of California and what we want to do, we hope to have better data on outcomes for students in dual language immersion programs versus students that are not in dual language immersion programs,” said Buenrostro.

Research shows that most English learners can reach proficiency in four to seven years with sufficient support. Students who don't learn within that time are proof that the system is failing to provide adequate access to education to learn English proficiency in a timely manner. 

Recommendations to continue improving

The report highlights several recommendations that can help improve the education of English learners in the long run. At the state level, there needs to be clear statewide goals for English learners' outcomes and tracking progress, improved publicly reported data, investment in the expansion of bilingual pathways and programs, investment in proven programs, such as Bilingual Teacher Residencies and the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program (BTPDP), and removal of barriers to bilingual authorization. 

At the local level, there's a need to participate in the Biliteracy Pathway Recognition Awards, expand bilingual pathways and programs, increase Access to Rigorous Coursework, and build partnerships to address the Bilingual Teacher Pipeline.

Organizations working together

Californians Together is co-chair of the Consortium for Multilingual Learner Success, composed of nearly 100 civil rights, policy, research, philanthropic, educator, and community-based organizations advocating for an educational system that fully supports the needs and embraces the assets of multilingual students in California. 

It helps to ensure that the state policy, the California English Learner roadmap, is implemented to its full purpose, said Jennifer Cano, senior policy and advocacy manager in education with the Alliance for Better Community (ABC), which is co-chair of the Consortium. 

She said the organizations involved have been able to create significant outcomes because some entities, like Californians Together, are in charge of finding and creating data, while others, including ABC, are involved with the grassroots participation that makes information comprehensible to parents and helps to activate them in the accountability process.

"It's just wonderful that Californians Together helps us within the consortium understand what we can do legislatively to make things better, and then we rally around," said Cano. 

To read the full report, visit: californianstogether.org/resource/the-state-of-english-learners/