Market Movement: ELL/ESL Market Continues to Grow

The 2006-2007 school year will see even more emphasis on supporting students with Limited English Proficiency. According to MDR data, in the last year alone, the number of districts offering bilingual education increased 12% to 7,000 and the number of English as a second language teachers increase 6.5% to more than 35,000. Often these educators receive additional funding support and can purchase resources specifically to strengthen the skills of students with limited English proficiency.

To put these statistics in financial perspective; there are 14,000+ schools that spend more than $200,000 each year on bilingual education and 3,600+ that spend between $100,000-$200,000 annually. Expenditures typically include print and technology-based instructional materials for students and professional development for bilingual/ESL/ELL teachers.

For marketers and product development specialists, this growth trend translates to more opportunities, particularly for publishers who are developing Spanish-language and bilingual versions of their content.