Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro & Erika Mendez, Latino Policy Forum

With over 12 percent of the students enrolled in Illinois public schools during the 2020-2021 school year considered English Language Learners, Illinois has the fourth highest concentration of English Learners in the U.S. These students, many of whom are Spanish-speaking Latinos, face a unique set of barriers that research and advocacy groups are looking to solve. Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro and Erika Mendez of Latino Policy Forum’s (LPF) education team discuss the needs of bilingual and English Learner students in Illinois.