Policy makers

This toolkit was created in collaboration with members of the State Leadership for Multilingual Learner (ML) Equity partnership. Within this document, we outline strategies for strengthening the ML educator pipeline.

From an analysis of state legislative and policy documents, this report reviews how states’ school funding programs currently address the needs of English learners and students from low-income families.

Dual language immersion (DLI) programs provide content and language instruction in both English and a partner language, including Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, and many other languages.

States and districts share an obligation to provide Multilingual Learners (MLLs) with access to high quality language programs that are proven to be effective in minimizing opportunity gaps between MLLs and non-MLLs.

Students who have remained classified as English Learners (ELs) for more than six years are often labeled “Long-term English Learners” (LTELs).

A goal under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is for all English learners (ELs) to become proficient in English and exit, or reclassify, out of EL status.

Using statewide data from Oregon (2013/14–2018/19) and Michigan (2011/12–2014/15), this brief explores the prevalence of EL students’ exclusionary tracking in high school, compared to former and never ELs.

In January 2024, researchers from the Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC) at WestEd reviewed recent literature on dual language immersion (DLI) programs, identifying common methods, settings, and program implementation practices.

In this essay, the authors explore the dilemmas facing researchers, educators, and policymakers in how to refer to multilingual students who are deemed in need of language support in school. There is a growing concern with the label English learner, the term currently used in U.S.