Eighty to 90 percent of LEP students receive some form of supplementary education from federal, state or local sources. Nationally, children reared in a setting in which a language other than English is commonly used comprise about 16 percent of all students in the 1st and 3rd grades. Often their parents have only limited proficiency in English and may rarely speak English at home, are more likely to be employed in low-income jobs, and have low levels of formal education relative to other students. Although the study does not provide detailed data on the nature of bilingual education or English as a second language instruction received by these students, this Congressionally mandated study includes nationally representative data on students who were in the 1st, 3rd or 7th grade at the beginning of this 5-year study. It includes a supplemental sample of 1st and 3rd graders in schools with high concentrations of LEP students.
Information is collected annually from students, parents, teachers, and principals.
This interim report is based on data for 1st and 3rd graders in 1991-92. Subsequent Prospects reports will examine student outcomes over time. It is the largest single federal elementary education program. I that LEP students are eligible for Chapter 1 services. LEP students are a diverse and often poor population.