ABOUT US :

E LL R E P O RT / S U MMER 2 0 1 5

The Latino Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation

for Public Giving was founded in 2003 by Latino leaders in Greater
Hartford to increase philanthropy in their community and to
strengthen nonprofits working to improve the quality of life for
Latino residents. Members examine issues affecting the Latino
community and recommend grants from the fund to address
those issues.
For more information, contact Wanda Y. Correa at 860-548-1888
or wcorrea@hfpg.org or go to www.hfpg.org/latino.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving , established

in 1925, is the community foundation for 29 communities in the
Hartford region. It is dedicated to putting philanthropy into action
to create lasting solutions that result in vibrant communities
within the Greater Hartford region. It receives gifts from generous
individuals, families and organizations, and in 2014 awarded grants
of $33 million to a broad range of area nonprofits.
For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

English Language Learners

Let us continue the dialogue to
find effective solutions together.

HFPG003-ELLReport_final.indd 1-2

The opportunities and challenges of increased

cultural and linguistic diversity in our region.

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L ATIN
L ATIN
O O
ENEN
D OWME
D OWME
N TNFTUFNUDN D

ENGL I S H L ANGUAGE L EAR NER S R EPORT / S UM M ER 2015

The globalization of Connecticut and Metro Hartford

500,000

In 2014 15, the Latino Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation

for Public Giving focused on the issue of English Language Learners (ELL)*

FOREIGN-BORN*

CT RESIDENTS

through a series of forums. This report examines what we learned and

40 %

from
LATIN AMERICA

highlights the opportunities and the challenges of increased cultural

and linguistic diversity.
Our schools and communities are more diverse than ever, with more
than 100 different languages spoken in homes throughout Greater
Hartford. State and national data demonstrate significant educational
attainment and income gaps for English Language Learners when
compared to their English-speaking peers. At the same time, the
little growth we have seen in the working-age population in Greater

METRO
HARTFORD

foreign-born
residents

POPULATION GROWTH

in last 25 years

Hartford has been driven by migration from outside the continental

LATINO

200 %

ASIAN

300 %

United States.
How can we harness the assets of by a multilingual population to enhance
our community and create stronger links to the global marketplace?

REFUGEE POPULATION

4,800 PEOPLE
to the state since 2005*

This population arrives with complex social and economic needs.

We hope this report will be used as a resource to

address the challenges of increased cultural and
linguistic diversity in our region and continue the
dialogue for effective solutions.

*If it is determined that a students English proficiency is insufficient to assure equal educational
opportunity in the regular school program, that child is classified as an eligible student for ELL programs.

HFPG003-ELLReport_final.indd 3-4

For the last decade, growth in

Metro Hartfords population has
been almost entirely foreign-born.

1/3 of Hartfords population is Puerto Rican,

making it the 4th highest percentage of Puerto Rican people in the continental U.S.
PUERTO RICO Not included in foreign-born stats but is a significant factor for the issue.

*According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the term foreign-born applies to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth and includes
naturalized U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, temporary migrants, humanitarian migrants and unauthorized migrants.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey; Refugee Processing Center.

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L ATIN O EN D OWME N T F U N D

Place of origin, students, and schools in our region

Across Connecticut, there is a concentration

of ELL students in the lowest performing
schools within the lowest performing districts.

In 201011, 78% of all children labeled ELL attended

schools in the 30 lowest performing districts. Within
these 30 lowest performing districts, 64% of ELL
students attend schools that are identified as focus,
review or turnaround schools, compared with 43%

About of Connecticut ELL students

speak Spanish.

From 3rd grade through high school, ELL students

performance is much lower than non-ELL students.

In Metro Hartford, more than 1 in 5 people

speak a language other than English at home.
Of the population that speak a language other than English
at home, 35% or 85,000 are not proficient in English.

ELL ENROLLMENT IN METRO HARTFORD

H ART FO R D

UNDER-PERFORMING**

Non-ELL Students

50

M AT HEM AT ICS G A P

MULTIPLE NEEDS, MULTIPLE

CHALLENGES

0
3

10

Researchers believe that, on

average, it takes 2 years to master
conversational English, yet 5-7
years to master academic English.

P UB LIC CH ART ER

20%

100
% AT / A B O V E G O A L

P E RCE N T E L L STUD E N TS

ELL Students

100

GRADE

HIGHER PERFORMING*

The persistent academic gap

GRAPH KEY

of non-ELL students in those same districts.

C REC

ENGL I S H L ANGUAGE L EAR NER S R EPORT / S UM M ER 2015

% AT / A B O V E G O A L

15%

10%

5%

50

S CIEN CE G A P
0

GRADE

10

An ELL student may appear fluent

in English for everyday conversation,
but still struggle with academic
English proficiency.

0%

79% of ELLs are eligible for free/

reduced-price lunch, compared
to 35% of all students.*

11-12

12-13

13-14

10-11

11-12

12-13

13-14

10-11

11-12

12-13

13-14

10-11

11-12

12-13

13-14

10-11

11-12

12-13

13-14

Shor tage Rank By Teacher Type

TEACHER SHORTAGES
IN CONNECTICUT
For the last 4 years, two of
the top 3 shortages in our state
have been bilingual and world
languages educators.

YEAR

BILINGUAL EDUCATION PK-12

WORLD L ANGUAGES 7-12

200910

201112

201213

201314

201415

* In Metro Hartford: Andover, Avon, Bolton, Canton, East Granby, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hebron, Marlborough,
Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Stafford, Suffield, Tolland, West Hartford, Wethersfield. Based on SDE classification.
** In Metro Hartford: Bloomfield, East Hartford, East Windsor, Manchester, Vernon, Windsor and Windsor Locks. Based on SDE classification.
Source: State Department of Education.

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50

REA DIN G G A P
0

GRADE

10

10

16% of ELL students are identified

for Special Education services vs.
11% of non-ELLs.

100
% AT / A B O V E G O A L

2010-11

% AT / A B O V E G O A L

100

50

WRIT IN G G A P
0

GRADE

Based on 2011-12 academic year, via State

Department of Education, CMT / CAPT data
and 2011-12 ELL Data Bulletin.

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L ATIN O EN D OWME N T F U N D

Linguistics, immigration, and economic development

In Connecticut (2013), there are over
191,000 working-age adults with limited
English proficiency.

For the 174,000 households in CT that are considered

LINGUISTICALLY ISOLATED* HOUSEHOLDS

62 %

This population has grown 32% since 2000

and now represents 10% of the total workingage population. Over 58% of these are
Spanish-speaking.

BELOW $50k
household income
88 % BELOW $ 100k

About 20% of all adult ELLs experienced

poverty in the last year, about twice the
rate in the state as a whole.

English Language Learners are an asset to our increasingly global society.

Much needs to be done to increase the opportunities for ELL children and adults
and to build on the assets of a more culturally diverse population.
The Latino Endowment Fund, as an endowed fund at the Hartford Foundation
for Public Giving, supports the advancement of the social, economic, educational
and leadership development of the Latino community. Building on the expertise
of our members, community, providers, and educators, we ask:

NOT LINGUISTICALLY ISOLATED HOUSEHOLDS

28 %

In Connecticut, the earned income of ELL

adults is $25,000 per yearless than half
of English-speakers earnings.

BELOW $50k
household income
58 % BELOW $ 100k

Working-age adults with limited English

proficiency earn 25-40% less than their
English-proficient counterparts.

* All household members 14 years old and over have

at least some difficulty with English.

We have an opportunity: Globalization is the future

of our workforce and economic development
Diversity contributes to our local economy
and makes our region more competitive
nationally and globally.

Immigrants and their children will account

for almost all growth in our labor force
in the coming decades.

HISPANIC ENTREPRENEURS
IN THE UNITED STATES

577,000

2,000,000

from 1990 to 2012

Immigrants employ 10%

of all American workers and
generate 16% of the overall
US business income.

ENGL I S H L ANGUAGE L EAR NER S R EPORT / S UM M ER 2015

14K

The number of Hispanic

entrepreneurs in the U.S.
more than tripled since 1990.
Hispanic entrepreneurs grew
almost 10 times faster than
the U.S. population overall.

HISPANIC / LATINO SMALL BUSINESSES

~ 50% growth rate since 2007

What can be done to ensure equitable opportunities

for English Language Learners in our region and state?
S O M E O F T H E S O LU T I O N S D I S C U S S E D I N C LU D E :
State and local education policies should
recognize that speaking multiple languages
is an asset and something to build on.

Increase the maximum number of months for

which students can receive ELL services from
30 to 60 months.

Expand dual-language immersion programs

to build a more supportive multilingual
environment that can cater to both urban
and suburban families.

Introduce a 2-year moratorium on new

ELL students being required to take statemandated standardized tests.

Amend teacher certification requirements

in Connecticut to allow for greater reciprocity
with other states to better attract talent.
Provide greater access to affordable
professional development to public school
teachers for supporting ELL students,
and integrate this training into teacher
certification programs.
Eliminate the state requirement that a district
must have a minimum of 20 students requiring
ELL support before receiving state funding.
All districts that teach students who need ELL
support should be eligible for state assistance.

Strengthen efforts to educate parents of

ELL students on the availability of supports
to assist their children as they transition
to English.
Support better coordination and collaboration
between various adult ESL training programs.
Develop an ESL/adult education curriculum for
parents that focuses on interactions with their
childrens schools and teachers.
Provide additional support to create a smooth
transition from adult education ESL classes
to college-level ESL classes through the
development of a coordinated curriculum.

Sources: American Community Survey data via IPUMS-USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org, 2013; Better Business: How Hispanic
Entrepreneurs Are Beating Expectations and Bolstering the U.S. Economy, http://www.renewoureconomy.org/; Small Business Administration

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