While total U.S. public school enrollment has hovered around 50 million since 2000, the percentage of students identified as English learners has grown, from 8.1 percent in 2000 to 10.1 percent in 2017. A subgroup of these students, English learners with disabilities, continues to be one of the most underserved. To monitor and evaluate these students’ progress toward language proficiency and mastery of grade-level content, all staff—not just specialists in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)—should have a working knowledge of these culturally and linguistically diverse students’ needs.


Supporting English Learners with Disabilities





Also In this Issue

Image credit: iStock Photos

Ensuring Students with Disabilities Leave School Ready to Succeed

By Kristin K. Liu, Martha L. Thurlow and Sheryl S. Lazarus

State boards can watch policies for red flags that hold students back.





Image credit: iStock Photos

Debunking Myths about Students with Disabilities

By Karla Phillips-Krivickas

State policy should confront the pervasive low expectations that the outcomes reveal.





Image credit: iStock Photos

Supporting Students with Disabilities throughout the Year

By Elizabeth Barker and Angela Johnson

The data point up a need for services that extend beyond the school year.





Reenvisioning the Future with Universal Design for Learning

By James D. Basham

Build a system that supports each student rather than a mythical average one.






Image credit: iStock Photos

Supporting English Learners with Disabilities

By Drew S. Fagan and Luis Javier Pentón Herrera

Equitable education means overcoming challenges in identification, staff training, and funding.





Image credit: iStock Photos

Understanding Special Education Teacher Shortages

By David Peyton and Kelly Acosta

State policies meaningfully affect recruitment and retention.







Featured Items

Annual Conference 2025

Registration is now open for NASBE’s 2025 Annual Conference, the only conference designed specifically for state boards of education.
i

NASBE Series Highlights State Innovation to Transform High Schools in Washington, Kentucky, and Indiana

The Washington, Kentucky, and Indiana state boards of education are advancing bold policies to create more personalized, flexible, and future-ready high school experiences.
Group of young people sitting on ground together and talking. Continuous line art drawing style. Minimalist black linear sketch on white background. Vector illustration i

Gauging the Impact of Funds for Students Experiencing Homelessness

State boards can help drive improvements in programs serving students in unstable housing and ensure effective implementation.

Upcoming Events

From the States