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English learner (EL) students represent the fastest growing student group in the United States over the past two decades, with numbers of EL students in public schools soaring in "new destination" states across the South and Midwest. Some commentators have expressed concerns about the possible adverse effect of immigrant students on current students if they require additional resources that are diverted from their peers.

However, a study in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis finds significant positive spillover effects of new EL students in these states on existing students' test scores, especially in reading.

The study, "Educational spillover effects of new English learners in a new destination state," was conducted by Sy Doan, Samuel Enrique Morales, Umut Ozek, and Heather Schwartz, all from RAND, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy and research institute.

Looking at the impact of new EL students on the academic achievement of their peers in their first year in a new destination state, the authors found that the benefits are mainly concentrated among former or current ELs. They found no adverse effects on non-ELs.

"Our findings contradict the narrative that the arrival of EL students lowers student performance overall," said study co-author Umut Ozek, a senior economist at RAND. "While new ELs may require additional educational resources initially, they do not harm the academic achievement of existing students."

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