Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
New ELL chief says money isn't key to success
by Arwynn Mattix
The Goldwater Institute
April 18, 2007
Since the 1992 Flores v. Arizona case, Arizona has struggled with the question of educating English Language Learners (ELL). In 2000, the court ruled Arizona did not sufficiently fund ELL programs. The debate continues to this day.
How much does it cost to educate an English Language Learner? It depends on who you ask. Currently, schools receive about $430 extra per-pupil. But, according to backers of the lawsuit against Arizona, the real costs range from $1,600 to $3,000. Others believe English Language Learners can be educated for far less.
Kelt Cooper, the new director of technical assistance for the Office of English Language Acquisition Services at the Arizona Department of Education explains his position this way:
"If you've got a well constructed system, $365 might be more than enough. But if you have a system that is disarticulated and the focuses aren't right, then it doesn't matter how much more money you pour into it . . . how many times do we continue to put more money into programs that yield no significant change in student results?"
In other words, more funding for ELL students isn't necessarily a silver bullet. According to Mr. Cooper, success "really comes down to good governance, good administrative leadership and excellent teaching in the classroom."
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