The Uneven Distribution of English Learners and ESL-Endorsed Educators: Evidence from Four Districts in Tennessee

Abstract

As many school districts across the United States adapt to growing and increasingly diverse English learner (EL) populations, access to highly qualified English as a second language (ESL) teachers has become a pressing policy concern. This study descriptively analyzes administrative data from four Tennessee school districts with rapidly growing EL populations to provide a landscape of the EL population, ESL-endorsed teachers, and their changes over time. We define a new measure to quantify the distribution of ESL-endorsed teachers between schools commensurate with the proportion of students who are ELs in those schools. We use this measure to employ a series of school fixed effects regression models on four academic outcomes for EL students.

Key Findings

A relative gap of ESL-endorsed teachers compared to EL students at a school is negatively associated with average outcomes on the annual language proficiency exam for ELs but not on statewide standardized tests or graduation outcomes.

Suggested Citation

Mader, N., & Keillor, S. (2025). The Uneven Distribution of English Learners and ESL-Endorsed Educators: Evidence from Four Districts in Tennessee. Peabody Journal of Education, 100(2), 198–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2025.2483141