Is Bilingual Education Shaping Later-life Outcomes? Evidence from California

Besides English-only programs (typically ESL), Bilingual education (BE) programs are another common way used by U.S. public schools to help limited English proficiency (LEP) students. Key difference between ESL and BE: Students in BE study some academic courses in their native language. Policy change in California (Proposition 227 in 1998): banned BE statewide. This ban provides a natural experiment to estimate causal impact of BE programs on later-life outcomes of LEP students.