Improving Education Finance Equity for English Learners in the Southeast - Executive Summary and Introduction

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia

The report analyzes education finance equity for English learners (ELs) across nine Southeast states, focusing on funding policy structures and how well they match EL needs. It highlights rapid EL enrollment growth, including South Carolina’s sharp rise, while noting that state finance systems often lag behind learning requirements. It reviews revenue patterns, EL-specific allocations, EL enrollment, and Title III funding for 2015-16 through 2018-19, then proposes three policy opportunities: weighted EL funding, increased Title III support, and improved transparency of EL data.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Improving Education Finance Equity for English Learners in the Southeast MARCH • 2 02 2 (Revised) By Indira Dammu and Bonnie O’Keefe Executive Summary English learners (ELs) are a fast-growing and diverse student population in the U. S. K-12 public school system. Representing more than 400 languages spoken, EL students bring rich linguistic and cultural traditions to their communities.1 In the Southeast region of the U. S., there are 713,245 EL students, making up nearly 15% of the national population of EL students.2 Some states in the region have experienced a rapid increase in the number of EL students enrolled in the public school system. For example, between 2000 and 2018, South Carolina experienced a more than nine-fold increase in EL student enrollment, a rate of growth that is 24 times higher than the national average.3 Despite this notable trend, state education finance systems in the Southeast have not kept up with the learning needs that many EL students have. Some state funding systems provide little or no additional funding for school districts to support their needs. Those districts with better funding mechanisms still treat all EL students as a monolithic group, not accounting for unique and differentiated needs such as age/grade level, language spoken at home, proficiency level in both English and their home language, and the amount of time they have [been enrolled in a U.S. school. While the federal government](been enrolled in a U.S. school. While the federal government)[ ](been enrolled in a U.S. school. While the federal government)does provide some funding to states for EL students via Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the primary responsibility of funding EL services falls on states and districts. To better understand education finance equity for EL students in the Southeast, our analysis focuses on nine states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.4 We examine funding policy structures in each state and compare them against promising practices in state funding systems for EL students. Just two states in the region, Florida and South Carolina, receive our highest rating for policy structures, and they still have substantial room to improve. We also examine data on state and local revenues linked to EL students, ELspecific budget allocations, EL enrollment, and Title III federal funding for the four-year period from 2015-16 to 2018-19. As policymakers and advocates consider how to meet the funding needs of EL students, there are three key opportunities to implement policies that better support EL students in the Southeast region, especially as enrollment continues to grow: State funding formulas should move toward weighted, student-based systems with multiple EL weights. EL students with greater needs must receive more funding support through state funding formulas. For states that already have a weighted, student-based funding formula, policymakers should consider how to differentiate among a range of EL needs. The federal government should increase Title III funding. While increasing EL allocations at the state level holds the most promise for meeting the needs of EL students, federal funding must also keep up with the growing enrollment of EL students in the Southeast region and nationwide. State education agencies and the federal government should improve transparency of EL data. Although ESSA mandated annual reports of school-level spending, policymakers should increase the level of publicly available state and district data about funding for EL students. Explore more data for each state in our analysis using our interactive data tool: VIEW TOOL 1 • Improving Education Finance Equity for English Learners in the Southeast [BellwetherEducation.org](BellwetherEducation.org) Introduction ELs are one of the fastest-growing student populations in the U. S. Since 2000, nationwide EL enrollm

FAQs

Which states are covered in the report’s analysis?

The analysis covers Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Why does the report say current funding systems are not keeping up with EL needs?

It explains that some state funding provides little or no additional support for school districts, and even when mechanisms exist, they often treat ELs as a single group rather than accounting for differentiated needs.

What three policy opportunities does the report recommend?

It recommends moving state formulas toward weighted, student-based systems with multiple EL weights; increasing federal Title III funding; and improving transparency of EL data through more publicly available state and district information.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia