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From http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/articles/2016-01-13/every-student-succeeds-act-brings-new-hope-for-english-language-learners

Hope for English-Language Learners
The Every Student Succeeds Act finally prioritizes the progress of English-language learning students.

By Scott Sargrad
January 13, 2016

Greater diversity in our schools provides a tremendous opportunity to help students become global citizens and prepare them for success in the 21st century. But with these changing demographics, schools must adjust to better serve students with very different needs. While English-language learners are a significant share of the population, their performance lags far behind their native English-speaking peers. For example, on the most recent national assessments, only 14 percent of fourth-grade English-language learners were proficient in math, compared to 43 percent of nonEnglish-language learners. They also have some of the lowest high school graduation rates: Less than 63 percent of English-language learners graduate in four years, nearly 20 points below the national average.

But the Every Student Succeeds Act, which the president signed into law last month to replace No Child Left Behind, presents a new opportunity for English-language learners, their families and the educators that support them. It strikes a "grand bargain" of sorts by significantly strengthening accountability provisions while at the same time authorizing substantial increases in funding targeted at English-language learners.

Read the full article at http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/articles/2016-01-13/every-student-succeeds-act-brings-new-hope-for-english-language-learners