The ELL Market – Is It an Opportunity to Boost Your School Sales?

Who Are ELLs? Should They Be Part of Your K-12 Education Marketing Strategy?

ELLs are a fast-growing student population in schools across the country. From the 1993-1994 through the 2003-2004 school years, 45 of the 51 states (including the District of Columbia) experienced increases in ELL enrollment. In fact, almost half the states had triple-digit ELL growth rates (over 100 percent) in that time frame. Several of the states with unprecedented recent ELL growth—North Carolina and Georgia, for example—have never had any significant number of ELLs before in their states and districts.

ELLs come to school from a wide variety of home countries and cultures, and with a wide range of academic experience, language, and literacy skills—in English and their native language. The academic challenges ELLs face are impacted by many factors, such as a student’s educational and cultural background, time in school, transience, home environment, and past and recent emotional experiences. ELLs in the upper-elementary grades, middle school, and high school face the greatest challenges, particularly if they are entering school in the United States at those grades. 

Important School Market Research: ELL Market Information

• The U.S. Department of Education estimates that more than 5.5 million students were classified as ELLs during the 2004-2005 school year, representing almost 10 percent of the total K-12 population nationwide.
• In the 2004-2005 school year, ELLs were enrolled in over 45,000 out of the approximately 93,600 public schools in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005), a figure that has doubled over the past 10 years and continues to grow.
• The ELL market is projected to grow at a rate of 10 percent per year for the next decade, at which time ELL students are expected to represent up to 25 percent of the total U.S. K-12 student population—one out of every four students! Some projections show this percentage could increase to 40 percent by the 2030 school year.
• Among the states, California enrolls the largest number of public school ELLs, with approximately 1.6 million, followed by Texas (700,000), Florida (250,000), New York (200,000), Illinois (200,000), and Arizona (150,000).

ELLs in the Classroom: An Important Market for Educational Materials

The regular classroom is emerging as an important market for materials that meet the needs of ELLs. This is the result of two important developments: federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and states’ English-only legislation.

With the advent of NCLB, ELLs are required to achieve at the same academic level as their native English-speaking peers, regardless of their English proficiency or literacy level. Along with NCLB, certain states passed laws that mandate instruction for ELLs in English only.

In light of these laws, the demand for instructional materials that respond to the unique needs of ELLs has grown significantly. The education of ELLs is no longer the responsibility of a few teachers in urban districts or in border states. Instructional materials designed to teach only conversational English will not meet current customer or market needs. Academic English—the language of math, science, social studies, and language arts—is the key to ELLs’ success, in the classroom and on tests. There is significant pressure on ELLs, the school districts in which they are enrolled, classroom teachers, and parents, who must prepare English learners to be academically successful.

What Is the Market for ELL Materials? Who Makes the Buying Decisions?

With this backdrop, school market research suggests a larger market than was previously estimated, and a growing demand for ELL instructional materials. A 2006 survey by Course Crafters and Education Market Research (EMR) estimated that about $380 million was spent on instructional materials for ELLs in 2002–2003, which grew to $550 million in 2004–2005. Funding for ELL programs and materials comes from federal, state, and district-level sources.

During the 2005–2006 school year, the U.S. Department of Education distributed nearly $580 million for ELL programs to 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. State grants ranged from a minimum of $500,000 to more than $149 million.

Beyond the sheer numbers, the research also revealed that educators are increasingly aware of the needs of ELLs and know these students need extra support. Instructional materials designed for native English speakers fall short in meeting the needs of ELLs. As a result, fewer than 10 percent of educators surveyed are using the same materials for ELLs as they use with all students, and supplementary instructional materials for ELLs are in great demand.

When respondents to this survey were asked which supplementary products they currently use with ELLs, very few specific product names were volunteered. In fact, half the respondents said new supplementary materials were most needed over any other type of instructional materials for ELLs.

Who’s deciding what gets purchased for ELLs? The Course Crafters/EMR study points to district level administrators as the primary decision makers, followed by ELL instructional specialists. Classroom teachers have little to do with the buying decision. So, when you are planning your school marketing program, consider the audience carefully.

Is Now the Time to Consider an ELL Opportunity in Your School Sales Initiatives?

With the challenges facing schools today—even in light of budget cuts and unprecedented resource constraints—the ELL market is a market segment poised to continue growing. Why? Because schools have no choice but to serve this growing school population that is academically at risk. In the past, the ELL market segment has often been ill-defined, and publishers have struggled to get the results that the numbers would suggest. However, now may be the time to take another look. New ELL products that take into account the convergence of instructional requirements, market needs, and political and legislative trends will capture greater market share. Just as critical, effective materials will help ensure academic success of an increasingly large proportion of the school-age population of the United States in the years ahead.