Case study districts' staffing for English Learners falls well below Ohio cost-study recommendations for instructors and bilingual paraprofessionals¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Student–teacher ratios for instructors and bilingual paraprofessionals in six California case study districts were well below the Ohio study recommendations of 25:1 for instructors and 15:1 for bilingual paraprofessionals. → Jacobson 2025

Evidence¶

Jacobson 2025¶

Jacobson, A., Porter, L., Hadley, L., Alcalá, L., & Willis, J. (2025). Strategic and economic analysis of English Learner programs in California: Project brief. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED673563

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Comparison of current estimated investments in six case study school districts against the Ohio English Learner Cost Study recommendations. The brief estimates shortfalls of approximately $2,400 to $5,500 per English Learner for these positions, while gaps for coordinators and coaches were no more than an estimated $300 per English Learner.

"student–teacher ratios for these positions were well below the Ohio study recommendation of 25:1 for instructors and 15:1 for bilingual paraprofessionals."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Estimated economic costs for English Learner program personnel range from $1,670 to $5,000 per English Learner student annually across interviewed LEAs — related
• Most participating LEAs employ instructional coaches and program coordinators positioned to influence English Learner program design, but these roles are vulnerable to funding cuts — related
• BCLAD-authorized educators are in low supply in California and their assignments are often misaligned with bilingual program demand — related
• Strict class size caps raise per-student staffing costs as enrollment shrinks—a worked example shows a 44 percent cost increase when 1st grade enrollment falls from 75 to 52 students — related
• More than half of surveyed LEAs employ dedicated family liaisons who bridge schools and multilingual families — related
• Surveyed LEAs commonly lack key bilingual infrastructure, including materials in languages other than English and bilingual teaching supports — related
• Case study districts show potential underinvestment in family support and engagement, with most reporting no English Learner family/community liaisons — related
• California underinvests in K–12 education, ranking 39th in cost-of-living-adjusted education spending and in the bottom 20 percent in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math performance — related