Students from non–English–speaking backgrounds are the fastest growing segment of the K–12 student population in the United States. An increasing number of these students are newcomers—recent immigrants with limited English proficiency and often limited experience in schools. Newcomer programs offer school districts a progressive approach to meeting the unique language and academic needs of these newcomers, while also meeting the demand for high standards and accountability for all students.

This book is designed to help district personnel create a newcomer program or enhance an existing program. It reports on a 4–year study of 115 middle and high school newcomer programs. The authors identify important implementation features and offer a checklist for developing a new program, practical advice for existing programs, and in–depth case studies of three successful long–term newcomer programs.