Presents data from the 1999-2000 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School and Staffing Survey (SASS) to compare schools with varying concentrations of limited English proficient (LEP) students based on the characteristics of the schools themselves, the principals, and the teachers. Findings regarding the school show that nearly 70 percent of LEP students are enrolled in 10 percent of elementary schools in lower income, urban areas. This concentration allows schools to focus on offering support and remedial programs; however, it also means that schools will experience difficulty with student health, absenteeism, parent involvement, and filling teacher vacancies. The principals at high-LEP schools are more likely to be Hispanic, Asian, female, and in possession of less post-graduate education. The teachers at high-LEP schools are ethnically diverse and more likely to be male. Yet, they report having less academic preparation, fewer opportunities for professional development, and are more likely to have provisional or emergency certificates. Both principals’ and teachers’ salaries are higher at high-LEP schools. In complying with the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) performance accountability requirements, schools face such effects as: (1) an increase in funding for high-LEP schools while potentially less funding to low-LEP schools, (2) multiple NCLB reporting categories (language, poverty, race, or ethnicity) demanding intervention plans to meet the complex needs of these students; (3) increase in the already critical shortage of bilingual teachers; and (4) the need to develop parental involvement programs.
