Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

Extensive analysis of national data on elementary schools identifies risks for LEP students in both high- and low-LEP schools. The high concentration of LEP students— with more than 70 percent attending only 10 percent of the nation’s schools—makes provision of specialized services more cost efficient, but puts these children at risk because their predominately urban high-LEP schools have high rates of poverty, less-experienced principals, and severe shortages of trained teachers. The 30 percent of LEP children who attend mostly suburban low-LEP schools are isolated within their schools and have few support programs to serve their needs.