2008/02/05 by Rebecca M. Callahan, Lindsey Wilkinson, Chandra Muller +1 · 1 citation
Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Academic achievement #Demography #Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees #English as a second language #Immigration #Longitudinal data #Longitudinal study #Matching (statistics) #Mathematics education #Medical education #Medicine #Migration and Labor Dynamics #Multilingual Education and Policy #Political science #Propensity score matching #Psychology #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1177/0895904807310034
openalex publication_date 2008/02/05 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
In this study, the authors explore English as a Second Language (ESL) placement as a measure of how schools label and process immigrant students. Using propensity score matching and data from the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the authors estimate the effect of ESL placement on immigrant achievement. In schools with more immigrant students, the authors find that ESL placement results in higher levels of academic performance; in schools with few immigrant students, the effect reverses. This is not to suggest a one-size-fits-all policy; many immigrant students, regardless of school composition, generational status, or ESL placement, struggle to achieve at levels sufficient for acceptance to a 4-year university. This study offers several factors to be taken into consideration as schools develop policies and practices to provide immigrant students opportunities to learn.