The population of English learners (ELs) in K-12 schools continues to grow. Between the 2009-10 and 2014-15 school years, the percentage of English learners increased in over half of the states, and in 2017, English learners made up 10.1% of the total student population. Research suggests that in their transition to English, non-native speakers fall behind academically, which can intensify the longer a student remains in an English learner program. State education leaders are mindful of this and have implemented policies to identify, serve and reclassify English learners as they become proficient. This resource provides a national comparison of EL policies in all states. The information herein was gathered from state statute and regulation. In the cases where statute or regulation specified that definitions were determined by the department of education's EL guidebooks or used the federal definition, this is noted. The state-specific term for English learners is included along with the definition. The definition is taken directly from the source with minor edits for readability. [View the full "50-State Comparison on English Learner Policies" here https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-english-learner-policies/.]