Chapter 1: English Learners with Learning Disabilities: Demographic Imperatives

Public schools in the U.S. are facing a demographic imperative characterized by dramatic increases in the English learner (EL) population and significant disparities in educational outcomes between ELs and their native English-speaking peers. The 4.8 million ELs in K–12 education represent almost 10% of public-school students, a 60% increase in the EL population in the last decade, compared to a 4% growth in the general student population (National Education Association, 2020). With ELs under age 8 already representing 33% of the young child population (Child Trends, 2016), it is projected that one of every four children in U.S. classrooms will be ELs by 2025 (National Education Association, 2020).