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Representation of non-native English language learners in San Francisco's dual language immersion programs shrank between 2015 and 2020, according to new research.

What's happening: In San Francisco, there are 21 schools that offer dual language immersion programs with Cantonese, Spanish, Mandarin or Korean.

Yes, but: Enrollment shares of first-time English language learners shrank in 11 of those schools from 2015 to 2020, according to the study.

Meanwhile, enrollment of white native-English speakers increased in five of the district's total schools with dual language programs, according to the report.

Why it matters: The explosion of dual language immersion programs could result in a "colonization" that displaces non-native English learners if programs aren't strategic about ensuring equity, Axios' Astrid Galván reports.

What they're saying: SFUSD's enrollment process "ensures priority access" for non-native English language learners in its dual language immersion programs, Laura Dudnick, a spokesperson for the school district, told Axios via email.

SFUSD reserves two-thirds of its available seats for English learners and students who speak the program's additional language at home, Dudnick said. The remaining third seats go to native-English speakers.

If a dual language program is unable to meet that two-thirds threshold, the program will shift to 50% representation of English learners and students who speak the second language at home, "which is still a research-supported strategy for student achievement," she said.

Annually, about 20% of SFUSD graduates receive a seal of biliteracy, demonstrating their proficiency in English and another language.

The big picture: Nationally, about 10% of students in K-12 public schools are English learners, meaning they are learning English for the first time.

That percentage is even higher in San Francisco, where 27% of students in the San Francisco Unified School District are English language learners.

These students often struggle academically and were severely affected by pandemic school closures, according to a recent study.

Details: Conor P. Williams, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, and other researchers examined 1,600 dual-language immersion programs in 13 states and Washington, D.C., and found that the share of first-time English learners in a majority of programs in several cities declined over the past five years, while the share of white native-English speakers increased.

What to watch: Education leaders should consider establishing programs in neighborhoods with a high percentage of non-native English speakers to ensure equity among the student body, the researchers of the new study say.

They also recommend that state and federal governments create competitive grants for schools interested in establishing their dual language programs.

The researchers say education leaders should address the bilingual teacher shortage by creating a pipeline and establishing provisional teacher licenses for adults with college degrees who are proficient in the non-English languages being taught in dual immersion programs.

The state of San Francisco’s dual language immersion programs

Representation of non-native English language learners in San Francisco's dual language immersion programs shrank between 2015 and 2020.

Language

Representation of non-native English language learners in San Francisco&#x27;s dual language immersion programs shrank between 2015 and 2020, according to new research.What&#x27;s happening: In San Francisco, there are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="21 schools" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfusd.edu/dual-language-k-8" data-vars-content-id="ecb04d4c-18fe-4d3e-982e-1ebfd8a5cc16" data-vars-headline="The state of San Francisco’s dual language immersion programs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfusd.edu/dual-language-k-8" target="_blank">21 schools</a> that offer dual language immersion programs with Cantonese, Spanish, Mandarin or Korean.

Astrid Galván

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The state of San Francisco’s dual language immersion programs