English learners often go without required help at Chicago schools
“The story illustrates how Chicago has for decades pushed aside the educational needs of tens of thousands of mostly low-income children of color whose native language is not English. The district’s neglect sets up these children for academic failure: Chicago’s English learners perform significantly worse on math and reading tests compared to their peers in other big-city districts. Quality education is critical for these children, because nearly 1 in 5 CPS students are English learners, speaking more than 110 languages. Spanish speakers are the vast majority at 83 percent.”