English Learners and the Local Control Funding Formula: Emerging Patterns in California High School Districts

The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 and the Lau v. Nichols Supreme court case (1974) have changed the way school districts prioritize education for English Learners. With the same intention to prioritize education for English Learners alongside foster youth and low income, former Governor Jerry Brown and the California legislature followed suit by passing the Local Control Funding Formula. This law considered the higher expenditures required to support students with greater needs. This study explores the Local Control Funding Formula, and the performance of English Learners in urban and rural high school districts. Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) and Reclassification rates were analyzed with quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze the LCAPs of fifty California high school districts. Qualitative findings revealed that rural high school districts planned to hire more counselors to monitor ELs while urban high school districts planned to monitor ELs by hiring administrators. Analyses of EL enrollment across 50 high school districts revealed no change in the percentage of ELs enrolled and a 1% decrease in the percentage of ELs reclassified since LCFF began. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]