Educational Spillover Effects of New English Learners in a New Destination State

The number of English learners (ELs) enrolled in public schools has grown substantially in the United States over the past two decades. The growth is especially large in states in the South and Midwest that have not been traditional destinations for recent immigrants. In this study, we examine the effects of new ELs on students in receiving schools in Delaware, which is one of the so-called new destination states. We find significant positive spillover effects in the short term of new ELs on the test scores of the other students in the receiving schools. The positive effects are mainly concentrated among current and former ELs.