English Learners

Sara Kangas, associate professor of special education, presents policy brief to special education state agency leaders from across the U.S.

The number of K-12 students in U.S. schools who need both English as a Second Language (ESL) and special education support is growing at breakneck speed, says Sara Kangas, program director and an associate professor of special education in Lehigh’s College of Education, in a new policy brief outlining trends and research findings on dual-identified students.

Dr. Sara Kangas, assistant professor in Lehigh's Special Education program, is the recipient of a Small Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation. The project is funded ($40,766) for one year and focuses on the barriers English learners with disabilities experience on their journey to reclassification. The title of the funded project is "When English Learners with Disabilities Become Long-Term English Learners."

Kangas examines through multiple studies how state and federal policies and structural issues in schools can be barriers to learning.

In the middle schools and high schools that she visited for her research and studies, applied linguist Sara Kangas noticed a disturbing trend: high percentages of English learners (ELs) with learning disabilities.  

On the Highest Aspirations Podcast, we engage in important conversations about the most rapidly growing student demographic in the United States - English Language Learners. We speak with educators and students, researchers and policy makers, and parents and community members about how we can help all students reach their highest aspirations.  Listen now.