LINGUISTIC MINORITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Russell W. Rumberger and Brenda Arellano Anguiano, UC Santa Barbara

Working Paper #2004-01

July 2004

One of the most pressing problems in California is improving student academic performance, especially the state's burgeoning Latino student population. This study examined the extent of the achievement gap between Latino and White students over the first two years of elementary school and the characteristics of students and schools that contribute to it. The analysis revealed that Latino students begin kindergarten at a considerable educational disadvantage relative to White students and the disadvantage increases during the first two years of school. Yet schools do little to widen or narrow these differences. Instead achievement differences increase when students are not in school. Consequently, to reduce the achievement gap will require both effective education policies and policies that address the overall social welfare of Latinos outside of school.

Patricia Gándara and Russell Rumberger

Working Paper #2003-01

April 2003

In California, the state is responsible for ensuring equality of educational opportunity for all of its students. Yet, with respect to English learners, the state has largely failed even to assess the conditions of education for these students. It has not adequately monitored their educational opportunities in terms of access to critical resources such as qualified teachers, appropriate instructional materials, coursework, and learning environments. In this study we first examine the achievement gap for English learners in California. Second, we review evidence in seven areas in which these students receive a substantially inequitable education vis-ŕ-vis their English- speaking peers, even when those peers are similarly economically disadvantaged. Third, we examine the failure of the state to monitor, prevent and correct substandard EL learning conditions. Finally, we discuss some possible ways for the state to equalize the opportunities for this significant sub-population of students.

Russell W. Rumberger

Presentation to the Joint Committee to Develop the Master Plan for Education Kindergarten through University

September 2000

An increasing number of students entering California's schools come from non-English speaking backgrounds. Although some ofthese language minority students enter school already proficient in English, the majority does not. These students are now referred to as English learners. There are several reasons why California needs to pay careful attention to the schooling of language minority students in their public schools. First, language minority students now constitute more than one-third ofallstudents in California's schools-a proportion that will grow evenhigher inthe future. Second, English learners require a specialized curriculum and properly trained teachers to support their development of English literacy and to learn the rest of the required academic curriculum if they are to keep pace withtheir English-speaking peers. Third, the schooling of English learners is highlypoliticized-particularlyconcerning the use of native language instruction (or bilingual education) indeveloping native language literacyand initial academic content while learning English. Althoughthe researchevidence ondeveloping English literacy in non-English speaking students is very sparse, prompting the federal government to initial a number of long-term research studies on the topic, there is a growing political movement inmanystates to promote English-only instruction, such as Proposition 227 that was passed by California voters inJune 1998.