Bilingual Education:
Information on Limited English Proficient Students
HRD-87-85BR: Published: Apr 30, 1987. Publicly Released: May 14, 1987.
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In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on limited-English-proficient (LEP) students who obtain educational services through federal funds to help them learn English well enough to participate in all-English classes.
GAO found that: (1) the Department of Education estimates that there are 1.2 to 1.7 million LEP children in the United States; (2) LEP population estimates are sensitive to such indicators as whether a non-English language is the first or second household language and whether a child speaks a non-English language at home; (3) states and the District of Columbia estimate that there are about 1.5 million LEP students in the United States; (4) this total understates the LEP population because states depend on school districts' self-reports on the number of LEP students; (5) states do not systematically or routinely collect data concerning the concentration of LEP students by language minorities in school districts; (6) of the states that aggregate data by school and/or by grade, 78 percent of their 909,427 LEP students are in high-concentration areas by language, while 22 percent are in low-concentration areas; and (7) of the states that aggregate data by school district, 72 percent of their 165,920 LEP students are in high-concentration areas, while 28 percent are in low-concentration areas. GAO also found that: (1) states and the District report that LEP students receive language aid through federal, state, and local funds; (2) there are no adequate national data on the extent to which schools are using native languages in transitional bilingual education programs; (3) the minimum number of students that schools need to justify a bilingual education program differs from state to state; and (4) LEP students spend 2 to 4 years in both transitional and alternative programs.
Jan 11, 2021
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K-12 Education:
Observations on States' School Improvement EffortsGAO-21-199: Published: Jan 11, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 11, 2021.
Dec 10, 2020
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Higher Education:
Children's Savings Account Programs Can Help Families Build Savings and Envision CollegeGAO-21-10: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Distance Learning:
Challenges Providing Services to K-12 English Learners and Students with Disabilities during COVID-19GAO-21-43: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Oct 15, 2020
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Data Security:
Recent K-12 Data Breaches Show That Students Are Vulnerable to HarmGAO-20-644: Published: Sep 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 15, 2020.
Oct 14, 2020
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Disaster Recovery:
COVID-19 Pandemic Intensifies Disaster Recovery Challenges for K-12 SchoolsGAO-21-62R: Published: Oct 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 14, 2020.
Sep 29, 2020
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Federal Student Loans:
Supplemental Data on Income and Family Size Information for Income-Driven Repayment PlansGAO-20-591R: Published: Sep 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 29, 2020.
Aug 27, 2020
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Native American Youth:
Agencies Incorporated Almost All Leading Practices When Assessing Grant Programs That Could Prevent or Address Delinquency [Reissued with revisions on Aug. 27, 2020.]GAO-20-600: Published: Aug 6, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 6, 2020.
Jul 24, 2020
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K-12 Education:
School Districts Need Better Information to Help Improve Access for People with DisabilitiesGAO-20-448: Published: Jun 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2020.
Jul 9, 2020
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K-12 Education:
Characteristics of School ShootingsGAO-20-455: Published: Jun 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 9, 2020.
Jun 5, 2020
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Indian Education:
Actions Needed to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive Special Education ServicesGAO-20-358: Published: May 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 5, 2020.
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