than 10 times that of Arkansas). Even though Arkansas spends more per ELL, the total expenditures per student are less than that of California, though only by a few hundred dollars. On average, out of all 50 states, states using bilingual programs spend about $200 more per student than those using English-only programs (see Table 5). There is also no correlation between the amount of funding allocated per student and the achievement gap. This supports the assertion that funding alone will not make students achieve. Low-Income ELLs In 2000, 68% of ELLs in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade were low-income (Capps et al. 2005, 25). There appears to be a positive correlation between the achievement gaps in the six states and the percentage of all students eligible for FARL (see Table 6). Virginia, for example, had the smallest achievement gap in reading for 2005, and also has the smallest percentage of students eligible for FARL. Nearly half of Georgia’s students are eligible for FARL, and the state also had the largest achievement gap in reading for 2005. Arkansas is the one exception to this relationship. It has the highest percentage of students eligible for FARL, but its achievement gap is small. ELLs face numerous challenges in overcoming their economic disadvantage. NCLB promotes the involvement of parents, but involvement and notification are more difficult because 50% of ELL parents do not have a high school degree (Capps et al. 2005, 26). Their low level of education may keep them from understanding their child’s homework and the student’s overall performance in school (Capps et al. 2005, 23). Also, schools with high levels of ELLs typically have an overall larger percentage of students. These schools have more subgroups, which makes it more difficult for the school to make AYP each year. If a school does not make AYP, it risks being labeled “in need of improvement,” which means the school will have to use more of its resources to provide “supplemental services,” such as tutoring or an option of transferring (Mantel and Greenblatt 2008, 7). In addition to all of these
Rhode Island 153422 7,468 B South Carolina 701544 14,388 EO South Dakota 122012 5,110 B Tennessee 953928 N/A EO Texas 4525394 711,737 B Utah 508430 49,973 B Vermont 96638 1,775 EO Virginia 1214472 72,420 EO Washington 1031985 75,103 B West Virginia 280866 1,944 EO Wisconsin 875174 30,130 B Wyoming 84409 3,077 EO Source: NCES, Common Core of Data. Table 2. 4th Grade Achievement Gaps. 2005 2007 Mathematics Reading Gap between Mathematics and Reading Mathematics Reading Gap between Mathematics and Reading Arkansas 6.4% 16.2% 9.8% 16.9% 35.3% 18.4% Georgia 35.3% 38.8% 3.5% 28.7% 42.9% 14.2% Virginia 11.3% 12.4% 1.1% 6.7% 22.0% 15.3% California 30.2% 38.7% 8.5% 31.3% 40.3% 9.0% Florida 27.3% 35.1% 7.8% 23.9% 34.4% 10.5% Texas 20.3% 32.2% 11.9% 15.4% 31.0% 15.6% National Public 28.1% 38.7% 10.6% 28.1% 39.4% 11.3% Source: NAEP. Figure 1. Table 3. Certified ELL Teachers.
English-Only Average $5,247,053,160 658,005 $8547 Bilingual Average $9,488,776,430 1,074,267 $8772 Source: Department of Education; NCES, CCD. Table 6. 2005 Reading Achievement Gaps and FARL. State % of All Students Receiving FARL Reading Achievement Gap Arkansas 52.9% 16.2% Georgia 49.8% 38.8% Virginia 31.1% 12.4% California 48.5% 38.7% Florida 45.8% 35.1% Texas 48.2% 32.2% Source: NCES, CCD.