In the United States, greater cultural and linguistic diversity and a new wave of immigration have led to demographic changes in our school-aged population. The English Language Learner (ELL) student population continues to grow more rapidly than the student population as a whole. The National Center for Educational Statistics reports that the general population grew 9% from 1993 to 2003, while the ELL population expanded by 65% in that same time period. Of the 49,619,117 total K-12 students in 2003, 10% or 5,014,437 were ELLs (NCELA, 2005).

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 includes increased accountability for states, school districts, and schools; greater choice for parents and students; more flexibility for states and local educational agencies in the use of Federal education dollars; and a stronger emphasis on reading. For ELLs the overarching goals of NCLB are to help limited English proficient and immigrant students to:

• Attain English proficiency.
  
  
• Attain high levels of academic competence in English.
  
  
• Meet state standards.

Schools accomplish these ELL goals through Title I and Title III NCLB programs. Title I outlines the state standards, assessment, annual yearly progress, and other accountability requirements for ELLs. Title III provides funding to state and local education agencies who are obligated by NCLB to increase the English proficiency and core academic content knowledge of English Language Learners. Under this title, local school districts decide on the method of instruction to be used to teach ELLs English, but requires that instructional programs to be scientifically proven to be effective.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide over $77 Billion additional dollars to education.  This is a critical time to utilize an appropriate percentage of these additional funds for Transforming   Learning for ELL Students.  Specifically, utilizing a large portion of the additional Title I funds would allow every eligible ELL students the resources to learn in an engaging, challenging, and relevant comprehensible curricula, Promethean technology will improve instruction for ELL students, and provide the intense intervention many ELL students will need to succeed in English Language attainment.

Successfully preparing students for the 21st century means we must significantly improve support for ELL students. ELL education will need substantial upgrading to make sure that students attain English proficiency to complete high school, graduate ready for postsecondary education and the workforce, and become productive lifelong learners. The ActivClassroom by Promethean is a key short-term investment that has proven its potential for long-term benefits. 

“Student achievement among ELL students is possible through Promethean ActivBoard technology.”

Dr. Omar Lopez 2006 The Digital Learning Classroom:
Improving English Language Learners’
Academic Success in 3rd and 5th Grade Math and Reading
Through Promethean ActivClassroom Technology
NABE Conference Feb. 2007