The Missouri Reader Vol. 37, Issue 2 | Page 30

A CASUAL-COMPARITIVE STUDY FOR ELL LITERACY GROWTH IN KINDERGARTEN Lindsey White ver the past decade, public schools in the United States have become increasingly more diverse. In the year 2001, there were more than 4.5 million English Language Learners enrolled in public schools across the United States (Schulz, 2009). By the year 2008, that enrollment increased to 5.3 million students, making up a total of 10.6% of American schools’ student population (Calderon, Slavin, & Sanchez, 2011). With this increasi