Decentralization, Teacher Quality, and the Education of English Learners - Do State Education Agencies Effectively Prepare Teachers of ELs?

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

English learners are entitled to participate meaningfully and equally in educational programs, supported by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Federal policy does not specify how states must meet these requirements, leaving states to design action plans and leading them to shape teacher credentialing policy. This paper examines whether state education agencies effectively prepare teachers of English learners across bilingual, English language development, and sheltered immersion settings, and identifies inconsistencies in certification.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages44

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Teacher credentialing requirements across settings

Federal and state roles in ESSA implementation

Findings on inconsistencies and implications

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 29 Number 100 July 26 , 2021 ISSN 1068-2341 | | Decentralization, Teacher Quality, and the Education of English Learners: Do State Education Agencies Effectively Prepare Teachers ofELs? Christine Montecillo Leider Boston University Michaela W. Colombo University of Massachusetts Lowell & Erin Nerlino Boston University United States Citation: Leider, C. M, Colombo, M. W., & Nerlino, E. (2021) . Decentralization, teacher quality, and the education of English learners: Do state education agencies effectively prepare teachers of Els? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(100). [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5279](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5279) [Abstract:](Abstract: English learners are entitled to participate meaningfully and equally in educational)[ English learners are entitled to participate meaningfully and equally in educational](Abstract: English learners are entitled to participate meaningfully and equally in educational)[ ](Abstract: English learners are entitled to participate meaningfully and equally in educational)[programs. The Every Student Succeeds Act](programs. The Every Student Succeeds Act) ([ESSA](ESSA)) includes provisions to ensure success for all students, including English learners. However, the federal government does not prescribe specifically how states should meet these provisions; instead, it is the responsibility of states to develop respective plans of action. This decentralization means that states play a primary role insetting policy for teacher credentialing. In this paper, we address the following question: Do state education agencies effectively prepare teachers ofELs? We reviewed the teacher credentialing requirements to teach classified English learners in bilingual education, English language development, and sheltered English immersion settings, as well as the professional teaching standards for reference to culturally and linguistically diverse learners across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. We found inconsistencies across the US with regard to the education of classified English learners and document wide variation in teacher certification for working with English learners. We highlight implications for policy and teacher preparation. Keywords: Teacher Preparation; Teacher Credentials; Teacher Training; Civil Rights; ELs; Highly Effective Teachers Descentralización, calidad de los maestros y la educación de los estudiantes deinglés: ¿Las agencias estatales de educación preparan efectivamente a los maestros de los estudiantes de inglés? Resumen: Los estudiantes de inglés tienen derecho a participar de manera significativa e igualitaria en programas educativos. La ley Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) incluye disposiciones para garantizar el éxito de todos los estudiantes, incluidos los estudiantes deinglés. Sin embargo, el gobierno federal no prescribe específicamente cómo los estados deben cumplir con estas disposiciones; en cambio, es responsabilidad de los estados desarrollar planes de acción respectivos. Esta descentralización significa que los estados juegan un papel principal en el establecimiento de políticas para la acreditación de maestros. En este documento, abordamos la siguiente pregunta: ¿Las agencias estatales deeducación A = preparan eficazmente a los maestros de estudiantes EL? Revisamos los requisitos de acreditación de maestros para enseñar a los estudiantes de inglés clasificado sen educación bilingüe, desarrollo del idioma inglés y entornos de inmersión protegida en inglés, así como los estándares de enseñanza profesional para referencia a estudiantes cultural y lingüísticamente diversos en los 50 estados y el Distrito de Columbia. Encontramos inconsistencias en los EE. UU. Con respecto a la educación de los estudiantes de inglés clasificados y documentamos

FAQs

What question does the paper investigate?

It asks whether state education agencies effectively prepare teachers of English learners (ELs).

How does decentralization affect teacher credentialing in the study?

Because federal policy does not prescribe how states meet ESSA provisions, states take a primary role in setting policy for teacher credentialing.

What were the paper’s main findings about teacher preparation?

The study finds inconsistencies across the United States in how classified English learners are educated and documents wide variation in teacher certification for working with English learners.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca