The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Recommendations for Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners

This report released by a group of the country's leading experts in education for English language learners recommends ways in which funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) could be used to improve educational outcomes for ELLs. "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Recommendations for Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners" suggests seven different parts of the stimulus act that can be used to improve education for ELLs. These include areas related to: Title I help for disadvantaged students; IDEA special education; education technology; statewide data systems; improving teacher quality; Head Start and Early Head Start; the National Science Foundation; and the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. In each area, the panel identifies ELL issues that need to be addressed and outlines specific ways in which the stimulus money can be used to address those issues, stressing that allocating these funds will only be effective if it is done in conjunction with a coherent standards-based strategy at the state and district levels.