Building quality ESL programs: two Central Iowa case studies

In recent years, increasing research has been related to Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in the public schools. This is due in part to a growing awareness of LEP students as their numbers increase not only in areas such as California and Texas which have traditionally had LEP students, but also across the nation. In particular, Midwestern states such as Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska have seen a large increase in LEP students in the past ten years. In Iowa, the increase has been dramatic, with an overall increase of nearly 77%, in the number of ESL students who qualify for additional state funding in Iowa public schools from the 1993-94 school year to the 1998-99 school year