Students learning English as a second language need more bilingual teachers and bilingual education programs, more access to high-quality preschool and better tracking to understand how they do in school after they become fluent in English, according to a new report from The Century Foundation.
The report says Congress should triple federal funding for English learners and increase grants for bilingual teacher training and for bilingual preschool programs.
Conor P. Williams, a senior fellow at the foundation who authored the report, said it is clear that more funding is needed, since the number of English learners enrolled in U.S. public schools has increased from about 3.8 million students in 2000 to about 5 million in 2018. About 1.2 million of those students are in California.