The Condition of Education 2009: Indicator 8--Language Minority School-Age Children. NCES 2009-081

Overview & Synopsis

"The Condition of Education" is a congressionally mandated report that provides an annual portrait of education in the United States. This document includes information from "The Condition of Education 2009" about language minority school-age children. Between 1979 and 2007, the number of school-age children (children ages 5-17) who spoke a language other than English at home increased from 3.8 to 10.8 million, or from 9 to 20 percent of the population in this age range. An increase was also evident during the more recent period of 2000 through 2007. The percentage of school-age children who spoke a language other than English at home and who spoke English with difficulty varied by demographic characteristics in 2007, including race/ethnicity, poverty status, and age. English-speaking ability also varied by state and region of the country in 2007.Seventy-five percent of those who spoke English with difficulty spoke Spanish. Overall the "Condition of Education" reports focus on participation and persistence in education, student performance and other measures of achievement, as well as the environment for learning and resources for education. The 2009 report includes 46 indicators. (Contains 2 figures and 12 tables.) [Information and corresponding tables are taken directly from "The Condition of Education 2009" therefore the pagination may not be sequential. For full report "The Condition of Education 2009," see ED505415. For "The Condition of Education 2009 in Brief," see ED505416.]