Who's Left Behind? Immigrant Children in High and Low LEP Schools

Author: Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen, Nicole Deterding, Beatriz Chu Clewell
Organization: The Urban Institute

Are elementary schools prepared to educate English language learners in the manner required by the No Child Left Behind Act? A study by The Urban Institute found that limited English proficient (LEP) students are now highly concentrated: "nearly 70 percent of the nation's LEP students are enrolled in 10 percent of its schools." These "High-LEP" schools tend to be found in urban areas and often face challenges regarding students' socio-economic status and teacher certification. Nevertheless, these schools tend to offer stronger LEP-focused services for students and teachers than the "Low-LEP" schools where the remaining 30% of students are enrolled nationwide.

Citation

Cosentino de Cohen, C., Deterding, N., Chu Clewell, B. (2005). Who's Left Behind?: Immigrant Children in High and Low LEP Schools. Program for Evaluation and Equity Research, Urban Institute: Washington, D.C.