According to the Education Reform Glossary ("English Language Learner," 2013), English language learners (ELLs) are students who are unable to communicate fluently or effectively learn English, who often come from non-English speaking families and backgrounds, and who typically require specialized or modified instruction in both the English language and their academic coursework. Immigrants make up 13% of the U.S. population, and within that 13% many people have children who speak their native language. In 1974 there was a Supreme Court justice case, Lau v. Nichols. Kenny Lau was a Chinese immigrant and his lawyers thought it was unfair that he was only taught in English when he was in school. Kenny didn't know the English language, so when he was in school he didn't learn. Education systems needed to do something so that non-English speaking students had equal access to education. There was also research that showed that English language learners had a higher dropout rate and their grades were significantly lower than English speaking students. This led the school to create programs for ELL students. The programs created can be summarized into five categories. English as a Second Language English as a Second Language (ESL) refers to people who have not learned English as their primary language. Some people may say that ESL is not a correct term, because there are many students who are learning English as a third or fourth language. Therefore, a better term to use would be Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages ​​(TESOL). The primary goal of ESL and TESOL programs is to develop students' English language skills, with a focus on communication, grammar, and vocabulary (America...... middle of paper... progresses to Model 50/50, as students age. The Amigos program was established in Cambridge, MA in 1985-1986 and now serves nearly 300 students (bilingual education, n.d.). limited English proficiency and native English-speaking students. The program followed the 50/50 model and included one English-speaking teacher and one Spanish-speaking teacher. To have an adequate evaluation of the program, the English Amigos were compared with a group of students from a Cambridge public school who spoke English, and the Spanish Amigos were compared with a group of students from a Cambridge public school who spoke Spanish. Achievement tests were administered to each of the four groups and the results were that the. English and Spanish Both Amigos performed better in tests overall.