California districts received extra funds to support English Language Learners in the wake of the pandemic but, according to a new study, didn’t deliver:

Our key findings can be summarized with the old proverb of “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Despite facing one of the largest crises ever confronting EL-classified students and receiving more funding, districts did not seem to fundamentally alter how they plan and spend for these students in ways that are evident for an outside observer (or the general public). A review of 30 randomly selected LCAPs found that most districts did not prioritize EL-specific spending, often using vague language or funding general categories that may not have directly or exclusively targeted EL needs.

In case you’re wondering what an LCAP is:

Every year, school districts in California are required to prepare a three-year public plan known as Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP, pronounced EL-cap). The LCAP officially defines the district’s goals and priorities.

You can read the entire open access study at Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on District Spending for English Learners.

Of course, no one should be even a little bit surprised at this finding.

Thanks to Paul Bruno for sharing the study on BlueSky.